Secrets of On-Line Branding, Part 4

Continuing with Merideth Levensen’s article, point number four is:

4. Behaving inconsistently: Everything from your voice mail message to your blog to your tweets must have a consistent tone. You can’t be wild and crazy in one place and dead serious in another.

I agree.  Inconsistent behavior is not predictable. People hire and buy from those whom they can trust, know, and predict future behavior. If there are questions raised; well, there are plenty of others who are willing to be consistent. I can move on to the next person. Is that what you want?

Some may argue that what “I do in my personal life has nothing to do in my professional life.” Wrong. It has everything to do with character. If a question is raised in one area, the likelihood of it being a risk in another area is high – too high to risk.

In branding, authenticity and predictability are required. You don’t have to follow these rules. You just will frequently not be asked to join the team or be invited to rise to the top.