Personal Branding Mistake #4: YOU'VE BECOME A LITTLE LAZY

As January fades away so does your New Year’s resolution to post. Don’t give up on your personal branding goals! Keep posting and keep engaging your network. 

If you have become a little lazy and figure that you can take a few weeks off from posting and engaging on social media, then you are sadly mistaken. Just because your profile is strong doesn’t mean that you don’t have to work regularly on maintaining its strength. Posting content about relevant information to support your brand story ensures your audience’s continued engagement. Remember to use visuals to spice things up as they are processed 60,000 faster by the brain than text. Be proactive to sustain and grow your brand’s relationship with your social media audience. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #12: TOO MANY POSTS

You are focusing on quantity not quality posts. One quality lead is worth 100 leads that do not have much hope.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in personal branding is posting too much content. There’s tremendous pressure to be constantly visible in your ever changing social media feed. The volume of posts will depend on the specific platform. LinkedIn for instance is a low volume/high value platform. Twitter is a high volume/low value platform. Our instinct is to just post, post, post. It’s not about the quantity of your posts; it’s about the quality of your posts. Quality content is what makes your brand stand out. Engage your audience and attract new relationships and new opportunities with great content. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #15: WEAK NETWORK

You need like-minded people in your social network that can help you achieve your business goals. Say yes to invites and get out there and find them! 

What is the point in having hundreds of connections on social media if they are not aligned with your brand and its value?  76% of LinkedIn members' primary use of the platform is for networking with other professionals. You want a network of like-minded people who share similar knowledge, experience and goals. Maintaining a network of these individuals gives you a great advantage over your peers. Sharing advice, ideas and content with your network benefits both your brand and theirs. Actively pursue these relationships by accepting invitations and initiating meaningful communication. Like-minded connections make social media work for you. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #25: WHY SO SERIOUS?

Your profile picture and background should look professional, but try to have a little fun while you’re at it!

75 of the Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn as an important part of their corporate hiring solutions. Companies are looking for solid citizens but pay more attention when your portrait breaks through the boredom barrier. Don’t do a deer in the headlights portrait or OMG no portrait at all. Turns out 65% of your audience are visual learners so engage them with stimulating imagery! Social platforms achieve 94% more total views with compelling images. Keep it professional but keep it engaging.

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Personal Branding Mistake #30: SIZE DOES MATTER

Your LinkedIn network is your key to new business. The more connections you have the greater your chances of striking up new business relationships. 

Each second, two new members join LinkedIn – the equivalent of the entire enrollment of the Ivy League joining every day. LinkedIn now at 350 million users projects 2 billion users by 2017. LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator, its networking mining tool, allows users to leverage their network connections to build new relationships and new opportunities on the web. The larger your network the larger your opportunity so build your connections to 500+. Your brand and your wallet will thank you.

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Personal Branding Mistake #37: YOU'RE HIDING YOUR BEST QUALITIES

Although you never want to be too personal on LinkedIn, listing organizations and causes you’re affiliated with can definitely give you an edge over the competition. Employers want to hire real people with interests and passions, not just a picture and a resume.

58% of employers hire people because they got a good feel for the candidate’s personality on social media. 42% of LinkedIn users update their profile regularly to keep it fresh and showcase their brand’s value. Visuals, organizations and causes are great places to get your visitor interested in your brand personality. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #94: IT'S IN THE DETAILS

Literally. Look at the Additional Information section on the profile of someone you’d like to connect with. Maybe there’s a common interest that starts the conversation! 

Finding a way to initiate conversation with a new connection can be tricky. Often, many professionals include little details about themselves in the Additional Information section on LinkedIn. Use this information to find common interests and start up a conversation. 48.7% of LinkedIn users believe that the direct messaging feature is the most important method to start that conversation. Try to find common ground and use it to send a personalized direct message. Capitalize on the information connections provide and successfully reach out!

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