#40: Platform to Connect: Move Beyond Dazzle and Build Digital Presence That Serves

Your platform isn't about you—it's about the people you serve and the transformation you guide them toward. The most powerful platforms don't impress people into working with you; they help the right people recognize that you understand their challenges and have the exact wisdom to guide their transformation.

Most thought leaders approach platform building backwards. They start with design trends, aesthetics, or what looks professional. But I've found that the most successful platforms aren't built on what looks impressive—they're built on a single powerful question: Am I building this to connect with people, to hide from them, or to dazzle them? This simple filter transforms every platform decision from guesswork to strategic clarity, ensuring your website becomes an extension of your core resonance rather than a barrier to it.

In this episode, I explore the three motivations behind every platform choice and reveal how to audit your current website or online presence using this framework. Through practical examples and diagnostic questions, I show you how to shift from hiding behind vague language or dazzling with impressive credentials toward genuine connection that helps the right people understand how you can guide them. When your platform is optimized for connection, visitors immediately sense that you understand them and can help—and that changes everything.

IMPACT POINTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

⚡ The Three Platform Motivations – Every platform choice falls into one of three categories: building to connect (making it easier for the right people to understand how you help), building to hide (avoiding vulnerability through vague language), or building to dazzle (impressing rather than serving). Understanding your underlying motivation transforms how you approach every platform decision.

⚡ You Are the Guide, Not the Hero – When you position yourself as the hero of your platform—showcasing awards, credentials, and impressive achievements—you create competition instead of connection. Your potential clients are the heroes of their own stories, and they're looking for a guide who understands their journey and has the wisdom to help them succeed.

⚡ Digital Dissonance Breaks Trust – If your essence, experience, and expression are aligned toward genuine service, but your platform is designed to hide or dazzle, it creates what I call digital dissonance. People sense the disconnect even if they can't name it, and it undermines the trust you're trying to build through your thought leadership.

PEOPLE & RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• StoryBrand Framework
• Billy Broas
• Simple Marketing For Smart People: The One Question You Need to Win Customers without Gimmicks, Hype, or Hard Selling by Billy Broas and Tiago Forte

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