Is the emperor wearing clothes?
Sex, religion, politics, and other brand poisons. There is a very simple way to see how your brand is being regarded by likely clients. Fire up your favorite search engine and do a search for your name. The reason for this exercise should be obvious to you. That is what your customers are doing.
What is the first impression result? One of your college party photos on Instagram? Your profanity-laden Facebook attack on a troll?
Do a quick audit of all of your social media. Are your likes, posts, photos, shares, snaps, memes driving people to your brand, or away from it?
Sex, religion, politics, and other brand poisons
If your brand has nothing to do with solving problems in the first three of those topics, stop weighing in on them in the name of your company.
The internet gave voice to every topic imaginable — and even some things once thought unimaginable. As your finger hovers over that comment, image, or video, ask one question. Will this association with your brand help or hinder it? Will your brand endorsement bring positive or negative attention to your product, service or brand image?
Leave the topics of sex, religion, and politics to the professionals in those gladiatorial arenas. Your expertise is better served to promote your brand values.
So, if your brand is suffering from A.D.H.D., it may be time to eliminate some of the unnecessary distractions.
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” — Steve Jobs
