In previous posts I have discussed how to define your personal brand and how to create your personal brand. Now, I want to address how to maintain and protect the integrity of your brand. Personal brands may be redefined due to career growth, education, discoveries, or industry trends. However, you never want to lose sight of the core of your brand message.
In my previous post about branding I talked about In-N-Out Burgers with their three-item menu – burgers, cheeseburgers and double cheeseburgers. An example of a loss in brand integrity for In-N-Out may be suddenly venturing into chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. This would seemingly fly in the face of the brand they have built.
> When you are managing your personal brand, keep in mind your reputation is on the line and you should protect it with all you have. Here are some tips to do just this.
> Keep your skills and knowledge current and relevant. Outdated information or skills will kill a candidate’s personal brand relevancy faster than most anything else.
> Manage your online reputation. Conduct a Google search of your name periodically and set up Google alerts to ensure your brand is represented accurately online.
> When something negative is printed online go into damage control mode as quickly as possible. Staying true to your brand will help you to avoid negative publicity; however you can’t make everyone happy all the time. Be prepared with a disaster recovery plan using search engine optimization tactics if this situation arises.
> Keep your private life, well . . . private. This is especially true with the proliferation of social media. Filter what you say online. No matter how well you manage your personal filters, those you interact with online may not be as diligent. When in doubt, keep it off the internet!
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