How to Make a Powerful Digital First Impression

42 Comments

1. I hope you enjoyed this Tip and interview and found them useful. Most importantly, I want you to put the Tip into action!

   Every day of the Summit, I’m awarding a prize for the Best Comment. So, leave a comment to share what action you’ve taken or are going to take, or your biggest “aha” and how the Tip or interview is making you think differently.

   And remember, you can get input from me here when you comment or ask a question. So go ahead and share what you are thinking and doing with this Tip!

2. I really enjoy this discussion. William is an inspirational leader. He has inspired me to start thinking about my personal brand in an innovative way. Being conformative is comfortable, but being unconventional takes us out of our comfort zone and we feel vulnerable. However, this is how we stand out. A quote from my friend, “Travel on the less travelled paths. Normal is boring”. I guess it echoes the same meaning. Another main takeaway is being authentic and being myself.

   • Hi B Chan, thanks for the kind words and for reinforcing the importance of authenticity! Best. William

3. “Conformity is the enemy of innovation. ” I love the story about the guy who picks up his fun and funny to be who he really is. Also, creating content is very exciting and therapeutic. That’s the benefit of social media. Thank you, William and May!

   • I loved this story as well! I believe in some industries, being authentic might come across as being unprofessional. For this reason, many professionals tend to “hide” who they are. In some cultures, you should not joke around your manager, seniors etc. Otherwise, you would be perceived as unprofessional. What an eye-opener!

   • Hi Maggie,

     Thank you for taking the time to comment. That story of Mr. Funny is my favorite … it really tells the story of the power of being yourself! Best William

4. What a great session! Thank you, William and May! My biggest “aha” is how a lack of clarity about who we are, what makes us great and why should others care influences our branding. In this regard, if we have different passions, superpowers and goals, how can we choose which one to build upon?

   • Hi Doha,

     Yeah…the biggest challenge in personal branding is getting crystal clear about who you are. Some people skip that step. When choosing which element of your brand to focus on ask yourself this: What about me will set me apart from my peers and be relevant and compelling to the people who are making decisions about me?

5. I almost didn’t listen to the video…but am so glad that I did! The passion in William’s voice was inspiring, and the knowledge he shared was yet another way to better ourselves, build confidence, have purpose and in return inspire confidence in others. This was big. Thank you so much!

   • Mary, I am so glad you watched the video…and appreciate your kind words! Thank YOU!
     Best
     William

6. Thank you William! As a start-up founder, I am very familiar with the idea of Validation, and that many aspiring startups fail because they don’t do it correctly, or in many cases, at all. It can be so important to challenge our beliefs and I love the idea of applying that to our self-reflection as well. If done in a deep and objective manner, it can not only shatter inner monologues about ourselves that aren’t translating to others, but it can also help us to uncover false narratives we are living due to negativity bias.

   I encountered this challenge myself, when I sought assistance from a vocal coach to help with my online video presence, because I was convinced I was too boringly academic to ever ever achieve engagement. When my coach challenged me, I realised I had formed that belief based on the opinion of just one person, and was letting it hold me back.

   We are far more likely to remember the negative things people have said about us, even if they are heavily outweighed by positive feedback, and this can form limiting beliefs about who we are and what we can do. So while we need to approach this validation process by ensuring we don’t create an echo chamber of people who will tell us what we want to hear, we also mustn’t put too much stock in people who are only too happy to tear us down. People who are critical about everyone may be projecting how unhappy they are with themselves, so it is important to remember to focus your personal brand on your target audience as well, just as you would when validating your business idea. Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from! Be yourself and you will find your tribe.

   • Exactly, Peta! We all have to struggle with negativity bias – where we give negative feedback a lot more attention than positive. You said it perfectly: Be yourself and you will find your tribe.
     Best
     William

7. I enjoyed this session. Thank you for these great tips for LinkedIn.

   • Thanks for the kind words, Angelique! Best. William

8. Thank you for this informative seminar! I learned that my authentic self is my best self and will focus on that when selling my brand, working with colleagues and interviewing for new opportunities.

   • Bravo! You have a unique ingredient to offer the world! Best. William

9. Outstanding recommendations. To be authentic and spend time figuring out what makes me uniquely worthy. To invest time in myself using LinkedIn as a platform to introduce myself to others. To understand that I can add value. Worth a second listen and read as there is so much meat in this.
   The stories provided a great way to remember key takeaways.
   Thank you.

   • Thanks for the kind words, Randi! Yes, stories are powerful… the stories I collect from people I meet are the most valuable content I have for my presentations and workshops! Best. William

10. Wow, such a powerful session! I’m very grateful to May and William for hosting this topic full of actionable points. I loved the alternative of curating to creating your own content on social media. Now I feel confident to do it, especially as I can thank the author and add my own point of view. I also applaud the virtue of adding “punctuation” to our day: document three items we learned, three we achieved, and three to be grateful for.

    • Thanks so much for reinforcing the Feel Good Trifecta, Adina! I have made it a habit and it really has a big impact on every day! Best. William

11. I have replayed parts o this interview multiple times. The lightbulb moment was when William said this about LinkedIn… “it’s not the place you go to look for a job anymore. It’s the place you go to do your job better and introduce yourself to others.” So many gems in this discussion. Thanks May for providing the prompts and letting William go. Well done.

    • Awww thanks, Ed! Yeah… we all need a mindset shift when it comes to LinkedIn. It has become my go-to social media platform for learning, building relationships and getting inspired. Best. William

12. William’s positive energy and enthusiasm for this topic came through the screen as I watched. The way he presented the information and engaged in dialogue with May was an additional lesson in first impressions. I’ll be taking a closer look at my LinkedIn profile following the tips in this video, but I’m also going to re-watch the interview to see what I can learn from William’s vocal tone and variety, body language, etc… to understand what it was that drew me in so instantly. I believe video calls will be part of the new normal post-pandemic, so learning how to let my enthusiasm shine through the screen will be helpful for my growth.

    • Yay, Deanna…VIDEO is the most important communications medium to master moving forward. Bravo on committing to becoming a star on video. And thanks for your thoughtful feedback!! Best. William

13. This video really spoke to me! It is so applicable to our world today and gives great insight to the adjustment. William really recognizes how awkward it can be to start this journey in our virtual world that many of jobs are working in today. It was so encouraging to hear that even though it is awkward if we push through it it just gets better. I also appreciate all the LinkedIn information. I currently do not have an account but am ready to make one. Thank you very much!

    • Hi Veronica… when you get your LinkedIn account, be sure to connect with me. Will be fun to stay connected. Thanks for sharing your experience with the video. Appreciated. Best. William

14. I love what William said about your personal brand guiding you through your career to help you with your life purpose and where you want to go by aligning with your values. The 6 drivers of personal branding: purpose, goals, differentiators, passions, values, superpowers, and giving people a consistent experience like the story he shared about Richard Branson. I find it interesting how William talks about being your unique self and how that contrasts with the executive presence session yesterday and the comment about looking the part of an exec in terms of mirroring the uniform while balancing that with authenticity. Can we be our true selves while wearing the “uniform”?

    • Hi Seema, Here’s my thought. I think there are a few basics that are required for every role so that we can be taken seriously…but just a few. The most successful (and happiness) execs I know are the ones who clearly stand out because they are willing to be themselves and not play a role. It took me decades to fully live it! Best. William

      • I totally agree, William. I think it’s important for people to own their mojo and have that be their ‘superpower’. I think leaders unintentionally sometimes coach people to be more like themselves, whereas they should actually celebrate the diversity and personal style each person brings to the table and encourage that, rather than having try to get people to conform to a certain image of what they think leadership should be. I find the best leaders are the ones that don’t wear the cardboard mask and are absolutely true to themselves and to others, with all the frayed edges that come along with that.

        • Bravo, Seema! Well said!

15. Thank you for the LinkedIn tips to strengthen a digital brand #Cmk2021

    • Thanks, Charlotte for taking the time to share your thanks. Appreciated! Best. William

16. I love how William brings authenticity into the mainstream. Up until now, most discussions of authenticity which I have heard have happened in the context of women’s professional groups, and especially women seeking success and balance in traditionally male-dominated fields. William flipped authenticity from something that is personal trait to be fiercely protected into a selling point to influence others and create value for others. Thank you, May and William. The

    • Hi Natasha… well said: Fiercely Protected! Thanks! Best. William

17. I was told that my approach online and on my resume was too creative. I love to create things and make them self reflections of myself. I used to color on one of my resumes and I was told that it was not “serious-looking”. I’m not a bland person so I thought I would show that by using color. I tried black and white but added an aesthetic but still not “serious enough”. On LinkedIn I use word imagery and storytelling in my bio I was told again “not serious enough”. Maybe I need to find employers that value creativity? Or do I need to find another innovative way to describe myself? Does this make sense? Loved the session!

    • Hi Farrah, I think life is too short to try to fit in and play a role every day. I believe that really human-centric organizations WANT you to be yourself. Creativity is valuable to any organization! #BEYOU Best William

18. Authenticator- my how must in 3 lines show you who I am

    • …. or at least be interesting enough that the viewer will click ‘see more’ to get the whole story about who you are, Christine! Thanks for the comment. Best. William

19. I really enjoyed the discussion about how anything can be your brand as long with you run with it. As someone who also is often described as just “nice”, this made me realize that this is actually an asset, I just need to learn how to utilize it. I will definitely take away this sentence: “There’s a place for every single one of us to deliver exceptional value.”

    • NICE is fab! We live in the relationship economy..we are not robots… we need a giant dose of NICE every day. Thanks for bringing it! Best. William

20. Personal branding has always been such a daunting topic for me. I thought it is for people who have reached a certain level in their career or those thought leaders and then the issue of how you dress. But through this session i have learned so much.It is not as scary as i though and i am now energised to take action especially with my LinkedIn profile.
    I absolutely love the concept of ‘punctuation’.Our adult life can really feel like an endless treadmill at times so taking time to pause and reflect is something not to be taken for granted.

    • Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughtful words, Elang. Appreciated. Thrills me that you’re going to take action on what May and I discussed during the session! Best. William

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