Brands are alive. They require attention and nourishment. In fact, your brand is the driving life force of your business.

However, there are those who think they can achieve great branding by doing it themselves. The reality is that this is a surefire way to erode trust with your customers and turn away prospects. Below are some tongue-in-cheek tips to kill your brand.

1. Shoot from the hip with your messaging.
   Who needs strategy, right? Don’t waste your time or money researching, planning, and cultivating a relationship with your customer. Punting this will save you a lot of time.
2. Tell the same story as everybody else. “We’re the best!” “Quality is our middle name!” “New and improved.” Whatever you do, don’t make it meaningful or significant.
3. Don’t bother trying to connect with a prospect. You just want to sell them a product, not really talk with them. So keep any shared values and vision to yourself.
4. Hire your friend’s nephew who’s in college. The nephew can help you with all sorts of marketing projects. Don’t be baited into hiring a professional.

Successfully targeted branding requires professional intervention. For your business’ sake, do it right the first time, because you may not get a second chance.