You could be damaging your personal brand every day without even realizing it. Here are three habits that could be killing your image online:
1. Should you really be liking that post on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn calls out your likes and comments on posts in your connections’ activity feeds. What does this mean? Anytime you click “like” or add a comment, LinkedIn displays with your name and avatar on desktops or just like mine below in the mobile app:
How it hurts your brand:
When you like or comment on an “edgy” image or post, connections scanning through their feeds see those postings too. A perfect example is an anti-abortion posting that appeared in my stream this week accompanied by a upsetting graphic photo and blurry text. The image landed in my feed after my connection’s first like, and then continued appearing in between posts every time he commented. Opinions aside, he probably doesn’t want that to be the first image that pops into someone’s head whenever his name or his company’s comes up, right? Right.
2. Are you rushing through your Inbox?
A lot of us try to power through emails as quickly as possible, we want to be seen as efficient and responsive.
How it hurts your brand:
Typos, misspellings and sentences that just don’t make sense can make the savviest professionals look less intelligent. Slow down and read your emails out loud before clicking ‘Send’. Whether you’re sending it from Outlook or your iPhone, taking the extra two minutes can make a difference. Another smart and fast fix is using Hemingway, an app that helps you send concise email messages that always read well.
3. Still sending chain emails?
I still receive these on occasion, usually from relatives, but occasionally from a colleague. A long list of other people’s email addresses and some unreasonably large image attachments usually come in tow with these messages.
How it hurts your brand:
Chain emails are impersonal and aren’t relevant anymore when anyone can easily share photos and postings on Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook in seconds. Feel like sharing? Why not hop onto one of those networks? You’ll definitely look more tech savvy.
Which personal brand killers top your list? Share your top three in the comments below!
More Than Words 