Picture yourself meeting with a highly influential individual for the first time. If they looked you up on LinkedIn or Google, would you be confident with your digital presence?
This question makes even the most successful professional squirm and launch into explanation mode. But this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, by following just a few simple steps, you can curate a digital presence that exudes confidence and competence.
Elevate your digital presence
Building a distinct personal brand requires consistency across your digital touchpoints. I have many clients who are business owners, senior executives, coaches or consultants running million-dollar-plus companies and are only just developing their personal brands.
They’re high performers, super successful in their field and eager to take their career to the next level by building their thought leadership profile via LinkedIn, podcasts, coaching/mentoring and other business offerings. Some have a basic digital presence, yet half the time, it falls short of representing who they are, what they stand for and the successes they’ve had.
Most will sound professional, but their personality across the screen remains non-existent. Others fail to communicate the value and solutions they can offer. Here’s what you must know: people are looking for you. They’re seeking someone to solve their problems. That might be you, but not if your digital presence is sparse, non-existent or half-finished.
What’s killing your digital presence?
It feels like a struggle, you’re unclear on where to start, it’s time-consuming and another thing to ‘tick off’. You know you need a consistent digital footprint, but higher priorities get in the way. Or maybe you tried and were frustrated and exhausted from wrestling the flashing cursor.
I get it. It won’t be fun if words or writing about yourself isn’t your strong suit. First, establish where you’re at and identify the next steps for building your digital presence. Because your brand is a 24/7 billboard – minus the billboard price tag.
1. Your LinkedIn profile
• Have you got one?
• Does it represent who you are, your vision, values and successes?
• Have you optimized it with a distinct URL, polished photo, profile banner and succinct headline?
• Is your past experience backing up your summary?
• Do you make yourself approachable and easy to get in touch with?
Building your digital presence starts here if these basics are not buckled up.
Upping your LinkedIn game will give you these results:
● Opportunity: A strong LinkedIn professional identity opens you to a global network of more than one billion users worldwide.
● Create a network you’re passionate about: It’s a powerful networking tool that enables you to connect with peers, recruit talent and stay current on industry trends.
● Build trust and authority: When written right, a credible LinkedIn profile can position you as an industry leader.
● Thought leadership central: Publishing articles or video content, participating in groups, and sharing quality insights increase visibility and engagement with your ideal audience.
● Extends your reach: A consistent digital presence attracts speaking engagements and interviews, allowing you to share insights and expertise beyond LinkedIn.
● Elevated reputation: Attract relevant connections and new opportunities. Earn more money. Build an esteemed reputation through the quality of the content you share.
2. Your personal brand website
According to Google Research, it takes approximately 0.05 seconds for users to form an opinion about your website. Sounds scary.
In just 50 milliseconds, people will decide to stay or leave. However, another report indicated that ‘a website’s written content can impact the overall user experience and the success of a business’ online presence’. Cha-ching!
So, while your ideal clients and customers may not hang out at your digital pad for hours like they do on LinkedIn, your brand messaging (if it’s distinct and compelling) will keep them there longer.
Call me old-school, but I always jump on a business’ website. If their brand messaging makes my eyes glaze over, I’m out. If short, punchy and compelling brand messaging sparks my curiosity, I’ll stay longer.
If I’m on your site, I want to determine if you’re a credible business. Do you have runs on the board? Are you someone I want to hand over my hard-earned cash to? Will you help me solve my challenge?
Your brand messaging must be consistent with your LinkedIn profile. Competition is fierce, but developing a commanding digital presence will keep you in the game.
There’s room for everyone to succeed, but those with genuine and compelling brand messaging will trump those without it.
Partner with a creative copywriter
The biggest setback is a wishy-washy or stiff and clunky voice. Knowing what you stand for and why you want to build thought leadership in a particular area will create a clear pathway for everything you share.
● Personal brand copywriters are messaging experts: They help you find and develop your personal brand voice to communicate with purpose, clarity and power. Your voice already exists; you need someone who can draw it out of you and create distinct phrasing and messaging that genuinely represents you in the marketplace.
● Time efficiency: Hiring a copywriter lets you focus on core responsibilities while ensuring your digital platforms are consistently updated with high-quality content.
● Strategic branding: Creative Copywriters bring a strategic perspective, aligning messaging with branding and business objectives to maximize impact and resonance with your audience.
If you don’t have clarity, you won’t communicate with power. A professional copywriter can help you build the commanding digital presence required to take your leadership game to the next level.
