We’ve all been a victim of it.

You take a gander at a competitor or peer’s social feed and think “Wow that’s so cool, I should do something like that”. You hear about their success with a product or service launch and think “I just gotta do that too!”. That my friends, is ‘brand shiny object syndrome’.

So, you do it.

You quickly create or source a new thing. You start communicating about a completely different topic or niche. You sign up for that automation program that sounds too good to be true (hint – there’s a reason for that).

Before you know it, your offer is something completely different to when you started and you’re not *quite* sure how you ended up there. You’ve lost sight of your goals and everything just starts to feel like it’s short-term and all about survival.

Or you don’t do it. You don’t do anything. And you become paralysed.

This shiny object syndrome doesn’t just hurt your ego, it can hurt your brand too.

Because that’s not at all productive or an effective way to build a solid brand, here’s how you can avoid a nasty case of Brand FOMO or ‘shiny object syndrome’.

Know your brand’s core reason for being

Somewhere between what your audience needs and what you have the capability to offer, there’s a reason your brand exists. Clarify it. Then focus all of your efforts on delivering to that brand purpose.

Get clear about your own values and beliefs

And those of your brand. There’s likely going to be some overlap. As a small business that’s a good thing. You want to be working hard every day on something that feels aligned to your personal values, so it feels natural and right for you.

Know where you want to be in the next 5 years

Then plot out backwards from there what you need to do to get there. Want to be a global brand? Think about what steps will you need to take to achieve it (I’m talking distribution models, collaborators or partners, investment requirements, marketing, etc.).

Create a plan – and stick to it

It doesn’t have to be so rigid that it makes it annoyingly restrictive. In the plan, work through risks and potential barriers that might pop up and keep you from getting your goals. Then list out some contingencies (“if this happens, I’ll do this”). That way you maintain control over the situation and can be confident that you’re still on track.

Set clear objectives

And check in on them monthly/quarterly/annually. Seeing progress against the goals you set out that actually align with your intended direction can be super motivating. It can also mean that those shiny objects are never all up in your face, rather, you simply note they exist and then move back to your path with ease. Bye Felicia!

Now, all of this is not to say that brands can’t evolve. They absolutely can. They can also undergo a major revolution (ahem, pivoting anyone?).

This is about considering where you want to take your brand with a strategic lens, and not just jumping on the wagon of whatever might rear up and distract you from your core purpose. It’s about owning your strategy and taking charge on the decisions that impact your business. Not someone else’s.

If you need someone to talk you off the brand shiny object ledge, I invite you to book a 1:1 Brand Decoder session with me and we’ll get you back on track quick smart.