5 Potential Disadvantages to Personal Branding

However, it has evolved a lot today, thanks to the influence of social media. Today, if you have to succeed in any business, promoting your personal brand is absolutely necessary.

Simply put, personal branding means how the people you contact remember you. It is your persona, both offline, and online. However, while you should do whatever you can to improve your personal brand, you should be aware about the 5 hidden disadvantages that are attached to it.

#1 Investment Vs Returns

Many people believe that personal branding can be established in a short time. This is completely false. Most of the successful entrepreneurs who have a strong personal brand today, have done their share of hard work, and spent hours and hours in the process, to reach where they are today.

For instance, one of the most popular marketing geniuses, Neil Patel, had built several successful companies, and spent days and nights developing content strategies to create a brand of his own. That's what it took to make him truly successful.

One of the risks involved with personal branding is that it requires both time and energy, and you may not get returns worth your investment, at least for a long time. In fact, there is no guarantee of ROI at all. Thus, you need to realize as soon as possible if it is working for you or not, so that you can invest your resources in other areas, that are more viable.

#2 Retaining Authenticity

Charisma, confidence, and enthusiasm, are some of the integral components of personal brand development. However, these qualities should come from within. People can detect facade rather easily, and if you force or fake your persona, then you will have a hard time succeeding in your goals.

Even if you have the essential personal branding traits, it can be difficult to stay on the right path after a while. As you start making more and more connections, it can be exhausting. At times you might deviate from your natural personality, just to fit in, or to make a good impression.

You may not even be aware of your actions, and slowly the insincere behaviour can get the better of you.

#3 Becoming a Brand More Than a Person

There is a huge difference between a brand, and a personal brand. There is no personality, or life in a brand, but a personal brand is associated with human qualities, emotions, and feelings.

A product won't have as much an intimate effect as your personal connection with some other person. Thus, when you promote personal branding, it is important that you don't end up becoming a brand in the long run.

A big risk with personal branding is associated with job opportunities. If you are not careful enough, you may make your brand artificial, or impersonal.

For instance, if you focus on interacting with your connections on social media, and other forms of online platforms, and minimize personal one to one interaction, then when potential companies that wish to hire you, may judge you solely on your online branding.

#4 Losing the X-Factor

Vagueness doesn't sell. There is a lot of competition in almost every niche today. Thus, it is important to avoid pigeonholing yourself, by associating yourself with a unique space.

If you are unsure about where to start, then you can focus on the domain you are interested in, or are a part of already, and then narrow in down even further to something that's not dominated by anyone else.

Without a unique angle, your personal brand won't last for long, as it will be lost in the multitude of already existing hundreds of thousands of personal brands out there.

Apart from finding your X-factor, it is also important not to settle with a certain branding. Make sure you show others you other qualities, your other X-factors. You don't want your name to be associated with one single thing, or quality.

This is a terrible thing that often happens to actors. They get famous for one particular kind of role- angry and protective dad, the new chocolate boy, etc. and then all the roles they start getting are based on the similar character.

#5 Unintentional False Marketing

When you are passionate about personal branding, it can be sometimes difficult to draw the line. For instance, let's say you start blogging about a subject that you are not really expert at, but you do it nonetheless to reach a wider audience.

Then, a few days later an influential personality in the business world wants to partner up with you. How do you deal with this situation? Do you tell the truth, or you "fake it, till you make it"? Without even you knowing you have projected a side of yourself, that is not really true, and this has created problems.

Sometimes you can end up overselling your brand, in order to stay ahead of your competition. This can have serious repercussions.

Personal branding can be quite helpful, and rather indispensible in most cases. However, you have to be careful. By being calculative in your actions, and watching your behaviour you can strike a balance that brings desired results, and prevents damage.