How should I deal with a personal branding crises?

Lesley recently contributed to an article on Total Jobs on how to build a powerful personal brand and in particular they asked her how to deal with a personal branding crises. Here are the tips she shared:

“You need to ensure that every online post you make is in line with your authentic personal brand and how you want to be perceived.

Don’t create a false or inflated persona that can and will easily be uncovered at some point. If this happens online, you will be immediately branded as insincere, lacking in integrity and untrustworthy. People will start to question who you really are and a negative impression can be difficult to shake off.

So what do you do if you are suddenly faced with an online reputation crisis:

1. Try not to get angry and rant, at least online! Take 24 hours to calm down and think about the situation. It may not be as bad as you first think.
2. Consider if leaving it and not adding fuel to the fire is your best option before doing anything. Remember, adding comments will only bring more attention to it.
3. Recognise that people have their opinions and that negative comments are often more about them than you.
4. What character traits are you most proud of and what can you use now to bring about a balance again? How can you reinforce your authentic self most powerfully and quickly?
5. Don’t ever get into a heated discussion online. If you need to, clearly state your position on whatever the issue may be and leave it at that.

Your online brand is becoming the most effective way to build your brand and become known for what you’re great at, but it can easily be ruined too. Be clear about your personal brand and keep on track with every post you make.”

You can read the rest of the Total Jobs article here.