There are many ways to brand yourself and your business— with the way you do it having a huge effect on how the public sees both.
Unfortunately, some of the things that can negatively brand you and your business may happen without you even knowing you’re doing them.
That’s why you have to think about the things that may bring you and your business criticism and make any necessary changes along the way to improve your image. It’s all about your brand, in the end.
Calling yourself a guru
The accolade ‘guru’is usually reserved for others to bestow on you. Calling yourself this will make you sound quite arrogant and is a bad way to brand yourself and business.
Use the ‘I’ word too much
It’s good to state what you’ve done, “I did this…” “I am this…” as it shows you have experience and confidence. But there comes a point when it can be overdone.
Overuse can make you seem self-centred and vain. You’re not that person… so don’t seem to be that person.
Talk about how much you hate your role
You may not like your role very much, if at all, but talking about how you hate it is an excellent way to brand yourself negatively. You could be seen as somebody who can’t cope, isn’t enthusiastic and sulks at hurdles.
Use social networks as a microphone for complaints
You know the saying about thinking twice before doing something, well, when it comes to posting something negative on social media, think three times and still decide not to do it.
While we all get annoyed about something from time to time,social media is not the right place or outlet for it.
Being a people-pleaser
At the end of the day, a client wants to be happy with the work you have done for them.But in the lead up to the end result, they don’t want to be told ‘yes’ to everything as they have come to you as an expert who will be steering them in the right directions.
Favouring quantity over quality
It’s better to have fewer clients that you’ve done great work for than a lot you’ve done poor work for.
Relying on others to share for you
Word of mouth can be a good thing, but it can’t be solely relied on. You can ask others to spread the word… once. But don’t continually pester them. That’s why there are professionals, such as marketers and advertisers, whose job it is to promote you and your business beyond word of mouth.
Not understanding the power of your brand
Brands can have an influence over their customer base, with a lot of them adhering to brand loyalty when faced with another company offering the same service and when it comes to getting behind something a favored brand supports.
Not understanding this can hurt your business. Your brand is the powerful lead point of your business… always treat it properly.
