Don’t Ride on the Bandwagon!

Don’t ride on that bandwagon that you see before you. It is a digital mousetrap for the public image of your business.

As soon as I see the next story line begin to trend, you can already imagine the bandwagon that will follow it. Everyone appears to feel privileged to put in their two cents on the topic. For some reason, most people are still oblivious to the fact that these comments reflect on every aspect of your life.

This commentary is in no way directed at those that live and embrace certain topics in their daily life. This commentary is directed at the fair weather fan that is looking for the next big thing to attach their name to. This can apply to both the pro opinion and con opinion of the latest trend. You need to find your identity and own it. Know who you are, be what you are, and live what you are.

So, for those bandwagon businesses, owners, or employees, this could carry a negative connotation for your public image. If you suddenly have significant swings in the perception of your business, then how are your customers supposed to build trust in your brand? For example, you may not agree with Chick-fil-A and their policies, but you will always know where they stand. That is why I mentioned that you need to know who you are in my previous paragraph. Please use Donald Trump and Caitlyn Jenner as points of reference. Are their opinions and lifestyles controversial? Yes, of course, they are. Do they both know exactly who they are? Yes, they absolutely do! Did they have tens of thousands of people crawl out of the woodwork to voice their opinions? Without a doubt!

I am not here to judge what is right and what is wrong, because those answers are different for every person on this earth. Look inside yourself and own it!

As a bandwagon player, you constantly lend yourself to criticisms for your behavior. So, my recommendation is to stay off the wagon. Refuse the temptation to become a public hypocrite. Stand firm as an individual. Stand firm as a business. You will never be able to satisfy 100% of the potential customers out there, so don’t try to.

Matt Carneghi | @carnaghimd1