17 Personal Branding Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make

Many digital marketers don’t take personal branding seriously. They believe that all it takes to be successful is to have a good social media marketing plan and promote their business. Don’t get me wrong, this is still essential, but so is personal branding.

Now more than ever – all thanks to AI content. The problem we’re facing now is not content creation, but standing out from the crowd by showing our personality and values.

So personal branding is one of the key components of a successful digital business. We are going to cover 17 mistakes that 95% of entrepreneurs make so that you will be able to avoid them.

Now let’s jump to these personal branding mistakes you shouldn’t make. Are you ready? Ok, here we go.

This post includes affiliate links to products I love and recommend, meaning I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I will use the earnings to maintain my blog and business so that I can deliver more value and knowledge to you.

1.) Not being who you really are:

It’s tempting to copy a leader who already achieved the success you want. But you shouldn’t be someone you’re not. Don’t pretend, instead embrace who you really are.

If you have a bubbly personality – show it. You don’t need to take digital business too seriously. Remember, people come on social media to be entertained.

Also, wearing an expensive dress and looking your best on a reel is not a must. Look presentable, have good lighting, entertain, and provide value, and you’re good to go.

2.) Not taking personal branding seriously:

I know I said above that you shouldn’t take your business too seriously. But this is a different story. Personal branding will bring you a lot of success. It is not so much connected to your business but to YOU! Let me explain…

You might not stick to one business your whole life. So if you build your brand (yourself) correctly, your audience will follow you almost everywhere. That means you will achieve success faster even when you start a new business.

Just look at the leaders and companies you follow. Why do you think they make so much money fast even when they start something new? Because they branded themselves the right way and their audience trusts them.

3.) Not having a personal branding strategy:

We just talked about being serious with branding yourself, and that includes having a great strategy that you will follow daily.

95% of all digital marketers make this fatal mistake of not having a good personal branding blueprint. That’s why so many quit and say that growing a business online is a scam.

You know that’s not true, because you see many successful businesses online. They stand out from the rest because they created a killer branding strategy. So now it’s your turn.

4.) Not generating your own content:

I’ll tell you a short story about what happened to my friend Tar’Lese in 2017. She made a longer Facebook post, sharing her story. She shared all her struggles and what she did to overcome them. It was an amazing post!

But then one of her Facebook friends copied and published that post on her profile. No, she didn’t share the post – she literally copied it word for word.

Of course, my friend called her out because it’s not ok to lie and steal content from people who put their whole heart into it. That person – let’s call her “Copycat Patty” – lost a lot of Facebook friends and followers in just one day!

That happens when you don’t make your own content. Someone can call you out and your brand is destroyed in seconds! So make sure you write your creative social media content but know you can still share other people’s posts. Just give them them credit.

5.) Not being consistent with content and personal branding message:

CONSISTENCY IS KEY TO SUCCESS IN YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

Your audience will forget who you are if you don’t consistently post and show your personality.

Remember, social media is social, so you should post daily (or at least 5 times weekly). Your audience will get used to you and if you share more value, they will soon see you as an expert with a solution for them.

It’s also important to share your business story or message. If you keep changing your mind, it will be hard for people to know what your brand stands for.

You need to be consistent with your messaging and content so that people can get a feel for who you are and what you do.

But I get it, it’s challenging to come up with new post ideas daily. That’s why I created this huge bundle of 7+ years of social media content ideas that you can grab here.

6.) Buying followers just for the looks:

Don’t do this! Buying followers will hurt your exposure. Your posts will be shown to fewer people which means less traffic. Anyone can see you have fake followers because of the lack of engagement on your posts.

A couple of years ago I got a friend request from a woman I didn’t know. So before accepting, I looked at her profile.

She was making posts where she bragged about what a great leader and marketer she was. I checked how many followers she had. Wow, over 50,000! However, I knew all that was fake!

Her low-resolution graphics and no engagement were signs that she bought followers. And if that wasn’t enough, she tried to sell me her product without getting to know me. It was a hard pass for me.

So remember, buying followers is a big no-no!

7.) Choosing quantity over quality:

I said before you should be consistently posting on social media platforms. However, many digital marketers choose to create too many posts that are of no value to their audience.

Quality should be your focus! Make great and valuable posts that will help your followers achieve a goal.

There is already too much content produced daily because of AI, so if you want to stand out from the crowd, you will need to make quality content with personality.

8.) Promising but not delivering:

Were you ever in a situation where someone promised you “the world” in exchange for some money, but when you paid you got super disappointed?

You didn’t receive what they said you would. I still remember that day clearly…

It was a couple of years ago when I invested $2,300 for a social media marketing course. But I got an outdated course on making websites. You can imagine how angry I was. And if you’re wondering if I got my money back …no I didn’t 🥲

I paid dearly for this big lesson, but now I’m able to share a valuable tip with you:

NEVER PROMISE SOMETHING IF YOU CAN’T DELIVER!

9.) Doing everything yourself:

From personal experience, I can say: “NEVER try to do everything yourself.” You will get burned out. This was happening to me all the time and my business was struggling.

In the beginning, you have energy and you’re determined to complete everything from your to-do list. But after a month, you get frustrated and tired.

You can be on a tight budget but there are many free ways you can outsource or create something faster.

For example, writing content with AI. Here I share with you how I create a month of social media content in 2 hours. Some AI tools are free to use, like ChatGPT, so why not embrace this technology and make your life easier?

You can also get the done-for-you digital products that you can resell. See, there is always a way to save time and energy. And if you’re scared this might hurt your personal brand, well I have some good news for you.

You can always rewrite and re-brand things to fit your personality.

10.) Not analyzing your results:

If you think analyzing is boring and it’s not necessary for your digital business – you are SO WRONG! It is crucial because the results will show you if you have a good branding strategy or not.

By analyzing your content you will know what to change and what to do more of. It might be boring now, but when you will start getting better and better results, you’ll fall in love with it.

No one said that digital business is only sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns. There will be boring and hard parts that you’ll dislike. But with time you’ll get used to it and maybe even learn to love it.

11.) Not improving yourself daily:

If you are not one of the positive people, you won’t see any good results in your business. Why? Simply because you attract the circumstances you keep talking or thinking about.

So start being more positive. This will especially help you in challenging times. When you will feel like quitting, the only thing that’s going to save you is your positive mindset. That’s why it’s so important to read personal development books daily.

People want to follow business owners who make them feel good about themselves and their lives. So if you want to attract more followers, customers, and clients, start being more positive.

You might love to read about these 13 Proven Ways To Get a Mindset Of An Entrepreneur

12.) Ignoring personal branding in messenger:

Think about messenger as a powerful tool that can connect you to almost anyone in the world, and it’s totally free.

It’s a great opportunity for you to start talking with your audience, connect with them on a more personal level. Trust is built faster that way. Just pretend you are talking with a great friend, smile more, and help them if they are facing any kind of obstacles.

However, it’s essential to not fake it. Your followers will quickly know when you’re not being genuine.

13.) Not sharing your story:

You are missing out if you never used storytelling in your business. I know it can be scary to open up and be vulnerable, but that’s what makes us real. And besides that, your audience will be able to relate with your content. Here is why…

There are many people who have the same or similar obstacles and problems that you had. And if you share your story of how you felt when facing those problems and what you did to overcome them, they will love you for that.

Remember, stories are showing off your amazing personal brand.

14.) Not showing yourself as an expert:

Lack of confidence is a real reason why many digital marketers don’t show themselves as an expert in their field. So your first assignment is to build your confidence up.

But how? It’s actually simple, just follow these steps:

• Read personal development books daily,
• Use positive affirmations,
• Learn about the topics in your niche/industry.

The more knowledgeble you are, the more you’ll be able to help your audience. That will boost your confidence, and also show your amazing personal brand.

15.) You’re not clear on your purpose and goals:

Not knowing your goals and purpose can be a real deal-breaker for personal branding. How can you brand yourself if you don’t know what you stand for?

Here are a couple of questions you should ask yourself and write down the answers:

• What’s your ‘why’? – Think big picture here. Why did you start with digital marketing?
• Who are you here for? – Who’s your dream customer? Knowing who you’re talking to makes your messaging feel like a cozy chat.
• What sets your heart on fire in your niche? – There’s got to be something about your industry that gets you as excited as a kid in a candy store. Identify it.
• Where do you see your brand in 5 years? – Visualizing your future gives you a roadmap to follow, making it easier for you to make decisions that align with your goals.
• How do you want to make people feel? – This is your brand’s vibe we’re talking about. Is it empowered, inspired, educated?

16.) Not doing personal branding with videos:

If you’re not creating videos, you are missing out. They are the most engaging type of content and can help you build trust with your audience quickly.

You could start with faceless videos with voice-over, or just share short valuable tips.

I understand that you might feel shy and overwhelmed by video creation, that’s why I’m sharing with you some hacks that will help you out:

• Start simple: think about creating a how-to video using slides or a screen share to solve a common problem you know your audience faces. You don’t need to be a professional video editor for this.
• Consistency beats perfection: your first few videos might not be flawless, and that’s okay. As you keep at it, you’ll get more comfortable, and your videos will naturally get better.
• Don’t worry about the length of your videos: it’s better to have a short video that’s packed with value than a long and boring one.
• Use a script: this will help you stay on track and make sure that all of the information you want to share is included in your video.

And now let’s move on to the last of these 17 personal branding mistakes.

17.) Focusing on just making money:

We all want to be financially free, but when starting a digital business you have to be focused on more than just making money. You don’t want to brand yourself as a spammy, salesy marketer who only wants a better life for themselves.

When you find your passion it’s usually more than just wanting a freedom lifestyle. You want to help others overcome obstacles that you went through before. That burning desire in you will push you to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Conclusion:

Personal branding is essential for your digital marketing business. There is no way to go around it, over it, or under it. To achieve the success you want and deserve, you need a Personal Branding Blueprint.

The sooner you take action, learn and implement all the tips that I shared above, the better.

And before you go, please share this article and help others brand themselves better 💜

Petra Šranc (CEO of Big Income Paradise) is passionate about teaching female entrepreneurs how to do Social Media Marketing to grow their business online. She also focuses on teaching Social Media content tactics to skyrocket traffic, leads, and sales.