Brand Disconnect

March 10, 2014 / in General Information, LinkedIn, Social Media, WordPress / by Mic Johnson

Post written by Mic Johnson, Blog Coach | LinkedIn Trainer | WordPress Web Site Guy | Rational Optimist | Jayhawk | Sushi Lover | Cancer Volunteer

There’s a disturbing trend that’s been coming up in conversations I’ve had recently with clients and prospects. I wanted to share it in case it’s something that you or your business is suffering from. 

I call it BRAND DISCONNECT. 

It’s not a difficult concept to get your arms around, but it’s one I see time and time again. Let me give you the two most common examples: 

1. You’re an awesome person. You’re passionate about the product or service you provide. You’re responsible. You’re helpful. You’re enthusiastic. You’re a connector. You’re the best salesperson in your company. People respect you and the work that you do. And on top of that, you’re humble and downplay your success.

But your LinkedIn profile sucks.

2. Your business is awesome. You’ve had great success. You’re coming off of your best year ever. Your employees are happy and engaged. Employees at your competitors want to come work for you. Your company does great things in the community. You and your team take pride in the work you do and make a real difference in the lives of your customers every day. 

But your website sucks. 

These are the two most common examples that come up in my world on a regular basis. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that I need to meet someone because “they’re awesome”. When that happens, often the first thing I do is go and check them out on LinkedIn.

And their profile is horrible. Sometimes there’s no picture. Sometimes there’s no well written Summary. Sometimes their professional headline is boring. Sometimes they have no description of anything they’ve done at various stops in their career. And sometimes it’s all of the above. 

And that’s a problem. Why?

Because LinkedIn is the #1 business/professional network out there today and your profile is the online representation of your personal and professional brand. If your in-person brand is disconnected from your online brand, then you’re doing yourself (and everyone that wants to learn more about you from your LinkedIn profile) a disservice.

And the same holds true for companies and their websites. I continue to be blown away when I hear great things about a company from a friend or business associate, and then I check out the company’s website and it’s (you guessed it) horrible. The look and feel is outdated. There’s no blog or, even worse, there’s a blog that hasn’t been updated in months. There’s way too much content. It’s not easy to navigate. And sometimes it’s all of the above. 

Have you experienced this? Are you guilty of it yourself? What do you think when you come across a horrible LinkedIn profile or website? Does it impact your perception of that person or company? 

If you or your company are suffering from Brand Disconnect, we can help you with LinkedIn and we can help you with your web site and/or blogging. Contact us today!