Personal Publicity for Executives Archives - Laurie Pehar Borsh Digital PR

Tactical PR Support: It’s Crucial for Maintaining An Online Presence

Tactical PR support is not merely a desire for businesses and professionals, it’s an essential business tool. In the current era dominated by digital connectivity, professionals are tasked with creating and sustaining a strong online presence.

This new level of visibility can significantly impact career trajectories, networking efficacy, and personal branding. But, today, attaining this “digital prominence” remains a significant challenge.

That’s why I strongly advocate that busy professionals consider hiring tactical assistance from an experienced Digital PR and media strategist.*

Let me explain and outline why tactical, not only strategic, PR help is so necessary for the busiest entrepreneurs, business, and creative professionals:

Unravels the Digital Complexity

The digital landscape is expansive, encompassing websites, social media platforms, content marketing, and email campaigns. Navigating this intricate ecosystem poses a challenge, particularly for those not versed in digital marketing. Tactical help becomes a beacon, simplifying the process and providing a clear roadmap for professionals.

Provides Adaptation to Dynamic Algorithms

Major digital platforms routinely update algorithms, shaping how content is displayed and distributed. Staying abreast of these changes and adjusting strategies accordingly is a time-consuming endeavor. Digital strategists, well-versed in these updates, become invaluable allies in helping professionals stay ahead of the curve.

Mitigates Time Constraints

Professionals often grapple with demanding work schedules, leaving limited time for cultivating and managing their digital presence. Tactical assistance is indispensable when outsourcing tasks like content creation and social media management, enabling professionals to focus on their core responsibilities.

Harnesses Specialized Expertise

Effective digital marketing requires SEO, social media promotion, content creation, and analytics expertise. Professionals may lack the necessary knowledge, making tactical assistance essential. Bringing in specialized professionals ensures the execution of effective digital marketing plans. I’ve been at it since 2003!

Cultivates Brand Consistency

Maintaining a consistent and professional online image is paramount. Tactical help guarantees alignment between a professional’s digital presence and their brand, fostering trust and credibility in the digital realm.

Leverages Data for Informed Decisions

Data analytics is a powerful tool in digital marketing, but interpreting and utilizing data effectively requires a certain skill set. Tactical experts offer guidance in interpreting data, making informed, data-driven decisions, and refining digital campaigns for optimal results.

Rise Above the Fierce Competition

In the global digital arena, competition is fierce. Tactical support distinguishes professionals, enhancing visibility and making them more compelling to their target audience.

Expand Networking Horizons

Digital media opens doors to extensive networking opportunities. Tactical assistance helps professionals identify and connect with key influencers, partners, and potential clients, amplifying their reach and networking capabilities.

Measuring Success Through Data

Digital marketing’s advantage lies in its measurability. Tactics help establish performance metrics and KPIs, allowing professionals to track the effectiveness of their digital efforts and make informed adjustments to strategies.

The Indispensable Role of Tactical PR Support

As the digital landscape transforms how professionals present themselves, many find tactical assistance invaluable. A seasoned PR professional with expertise in digital and social media strategies becomes pivotal in creating a lasting digital presence, ensuring competitiveness and success in the ever-evolving digital landscape. It’s what I do!

A Personal Touch: 20+ Years of Expertise

With over two decades of experience as a publicist and marketing consultant, I bring a wealth of knowledge to help busy professionals navigate and maintain their online presence. Recognizing the uniqueness of each individual’s journey, my goal is to ensure the right image projection and content alignment, essential elements for sustained opportunities and growth. Remember, entrust your personal and professional image to seasoned professionals for optimal results in the dynamic digital sphere.

Discover the details of my services and fee structure by exploring this page. My clients exclusively collaborate and work with me, ensuring personalized attention. I can offer references and, in many instances, accommodate specific budgets, aligning with my clients’ growth as they achieve their business and career objectives.

CEOs’ on Social Media: Absence Can Hurt a Company Brand

In today’s hyper-connected world, social media has become more than just a platform for personal expression. CEOs who engage on social media can powerfully connect with stakeholders, shape brand narratives, and drive growth. Yet, according to 2023 reporting on InfulencialExecutive.com, some 25% of Fortune 500 CEOs remain on the sidelines of social media.

Here’s why their reluctance could be a disservice to their companies:

Missed opportunities for brand-building

A CEO is the face of the company. There are still close to By not participating on social media, they miss opportunities to humanize their brand, showcase company culture, and establish thought leadership within their industry. Consumers increasingly expect transparency and authenticity from businesses, and social media provides a direct channel for CEOs to communicate with their audience.

Lack of influence and impact

Social media provides a platform for CEOs to share insights, industry trends, and company updates in real time. By abstaining from these platforms, CEOs forfeit the chance to shape conversations, influence public opinion, and drive meaningful change. In an era where public perception can make or break a company, the absence of a CEO’s voice can leave a void that competitors may exploit.

Disconnect with stakeholders

Investors, employees, customers, and other stakeholders actively engage on social media platforms. By neglecting these channels, CEOs risk appearing out of touch with the needs and concerns of their constituents. Moreover, in times of crisis or controversy, lack of direct communication can exacerbate misunderstandings and erode trust, leading to long-term reputational damage.

Recruitment and talent acquisition challenges

A CEO’s presence on social media can significantly impact a company’s ability to attract top talent. Potential employees often research company leaders online to gauge their values, vision, and leadership style. CEOs absent from social media may struggle to attract forward-thinking individuals who prioritize transparency, innovation, and a strong corporate culture.

Competitive disadvantage

In industries where competitors leverage social media for brand promotion and customer engagement, CEOs who remain disengaged risk falling behind the curve. Social media offers valuable insights into market trends, competitor strategies, and consumer sentiment. CEOs, who do not engage, may overlook opportunities for innovation, partnership, or even crisis management.

Quick thoughts

The decision to engage on social media ultimately rests with each chief executive officer. However, it’s essential to recognize the potential ramifications of remaining on the sidelines. Embracing social media as a strategic communication tool, CEOs enhance a company’s reputation. They can also foster stakeholder trust, and drive sustainable growth in an increasingly interconnected world!

B2B Thought Leadership photo by Alena Darmel

Takeaways From The Annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report

The Annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, Edelman and LinkedIn’s latest collaboration, reveals insights into B2B marketing.

The study examines the impact of thought leadership on B2B decision-makers and C-suite executives, providing valuable guidance for organizations operating in this field.

Key findings from the report highlight the pivotal role of thought leadership:

73% of B2B decision-makers prioritize an organization’s thought leadership content over traditional marketing materials when assessing capabilities.
An overwhelming 90% of decision-makers and executives are more receptive to companies consistently producing high-quality thought leadership.
Thought leadership content can encourage customers to reconsider current supplier relationships, as 70% of respondents reported.
However, resource constraints hinder effective thought leadership, with 50% of respondents citing under-resourcing as a primary barrier.
Quality remains a concern, with only 13% of respondents rating the quality of thought leadership as excellent.

Effective communication is crucial in today’s challenging B2B landscape, particularly in the face of tightening budgets. Thought leadership is a powerful tool for demonstrating value and fostering customer trust, with PR playing a crucial role in shaping narratives.

Joe Kingsbury, Global Chair of Edelman Business Marketing, emphasized reframing challenges and opportunities to capture B2B buyers’ attention. He underscored the superiority of insightful content over traditional marketing approaches, highlighting PR leaders’ opportunity to drive impactful storytelling initiatives.

Ophelie Janus, the Global Head of Thought Leadership at Siemens, emphasized the importance of thought leadership in creating stronger relationships between businesses and customers. She underlined the importance of providing reliable and practical insights to establish trust and create value for customers throughout their journey.

The 2024 report highlights the importance of thought leadership in the changing B2B landscape. It encourages organizations to prioritize quality content and strategic communication to succeed.

PR and SEO: A New Symbiotic Relationship

The Adaptation and Evolution of PR and SEO

The integration of SEO into PR strategies is vital for a robust online presence. There are many compelling reasons why businesses and personal brands need to use SEO to enhance their public relations and online reputation campaigns.

Amplify Website Visibility through Link Building

PR and SEO go hand in hand when it comes to link building. High-quality backlinks from authoritative websites significantly enhance your website’s credibility and visibility. They signal to Google that an authoritative site trusts yours, earning you SEO benefits. It’s that straightforward. By combining compelling PR stories and content with a targeted keyword and link-building strategy, you can achieve remarkable results.

Boost Your SERPs Ranking

Securing a spot on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) is highly sought after, and strong SEO is the key to getting there. By optimizing your content and leveraging PR efforts, you can improve your website’s ranking for relevant keywords, driving more organic traffic and increasing brand awareness. Use flagship keywords to add value to your campaigns by making them more search-friendly.

Establish Website Authority

SEO isn’t just about keywords, it’s about showcasing authority in your niche. PR campaigns can generate media coverage and endorsements from industry experts to enhance your website’s authority on search engines. Strengthen your campaigns by aligning off-site content with relevant on-site material.

Elevate the Value of Your Campaigns

In today’s digital age, PR and SEO are intrinsically connected and mutually beneficial. By becoming SEO-savvy, you add substantial value to your clients, business, and customers. Incorporating SEO best practices into your PR campaigns is a sound strategy in today’s online landscape. Imagine the added value to your client if you could amplify the results of a successful campaign with SEO expertise.

Increase Keyword Ranking to Attract Customers

Whether you’re selling products or services, site traffic is of paramount importance. By combining PR efforts with SEO, you can strategically optimize your content to rank for keywords that not only align with your goals, but are also likely to attract more customers and clients. This leads to more leads and ultimately new opportunities. Choosing the right keywords is the trick, and this requires a blend of SEO and PR insights.

Provide Deeper Insights to Clients

While PR campaigns traditionally focus on metrics like reach and media mentions, SEO opens up a whole new world of valuable insights. Incorporating SEO allows you to track metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates. These metrics offer a more comprehensive view of your campaign’s success and help fine-tune your strategies.

Future-Proof Your Skills

SEO tools offer invaluable data insights. By analyzing keyword performance, click-through rates, and user behavior, PR professionals can gain a deeper understanding of their audience’s preferences and behaviors. This data informs future PR strategies and content creation.

Harnessing the power of SEO can supercharge campaigns, improve online visibility, and achieve better results. In an era where digital presence is paramount, embracing SEO as an integral part of a PR strategy is a savvy move that empowers your brand and ensures its continued success.

Laurie Pehar Borsh Personal Digital PR Manager

Personal Digital PR Manager or Producer? Do You Need One?

Do you need a personal digital PR manager or producer? Yes, today’s professionals/entrepreneurs are much more informed about Digital PR, and online reputation management much more than ever before. Thanks to the many amazing coaching, classes and tools available today.

These coaches/classes are fantastic and offer lots of great information and ideas. But I have come to realize that many people come away with information overload. “Where to begin, what to say, when to do all this?” Most business professionals are either too busy, overwhelmed, even too nervous to start, or stick with a personal promotional effort (on and off-line), which is where I come in.

Simple, and effective digital PR production and management services

I recently reconnected with an old friend. She is an established realtor in an affluent area of Los Angeles. She asked me about my PR business and what I was doing these days. I told her that my main focus was to provide super simple, and effective digital PR production and management services for executives and professionals. Especially on the writing and promotion of personal brands online.

She chimes in: “Oh my God, you mean you actually take on the social media stuff for your clients? They don’t have to do it all by themselves? I just took at Social Media Class – and it was packed with interesting and great information… but, it MADE MY HEAD SPIN!”

Hiring a personal digital PR producer is cost-effective

1. Here is an Executive/Professional who understands “the need” for online promotion/reputation management — to keep everything up-to-date and current. and 2. Here is an Executive/Professional who (a) does not want to even deal with this whole online networking, PR initiative stuff, because she is overwhelmed and unfamiliar with it; (b) because she has way too much on her plate already and (c) because she hates to self promote. She couldn’t fathom talking about herself online, but she loved the idea of allowing me to act as her “Digital Publicist.” Help her connect with potential clients/business via traditional publicity and online promotion tactics.

Robust online persona (PR) production and management are a must-have for everyone IN ANY STAGE OF THE GAME.

Personal digital PR manager in your corner to tell your story!

This is the way I see it: People hire stylists, landscapers, builders and housekeepers all the time. My business is no different. Hiring a digital PR manager to produce/manage your online (and off-line) personal PR initiative is not so much a luxury, as it is a necessity. You have to be in it to win at it, as they say. Build an (online) audience, and continue to build that audience to stay visible. Whether you’re constantly looking for new business, customer retention, or job placement, if you build it and keep it built, they’ll come.

Contact me!

Today, Personal Branding Is More Important Than Ever

With social media and the gig economy, it has become essential to embrace personal branding. Here are the reasons why it’s more important than ever.

Whether you know it or not, you have a personal brand. Internet search results are the first impression people will have of you. Is it a good one? Is the information you are sharing across LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media sites consistent?

Whether you have a date or a job interview, chances are someone is going to Google you to learn more about who you are. The question is, do you want to allow your online reputation to take on a life of its own or control the narrative? With the proliferation of social media and the gig economy, it has become essential for everyone to embrace personal branding.

What is personal branding?

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is famously quoted as saying, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” The term “branding” used to be reserved for businesses, but with the advent of social sites and the gig economy, personal branding has become fundamental.

A personal brand is a unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are. It is how you present yourself to the world. Effective personal branding will differentiate you from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers.

Building a personal brand

Whether you’re an employee or entrepreneur, cultivating a personal brand has become more important than ever. One reason is that it is more popular for recruiters to use social media during the interview process.

According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and 43% of employers use social media to check on current employees.

Personal branding is also beneficial from the employer’s perspective

Companies should encourage employees to build strong personal brands because it’s good business. When employees are allowed to represent their company at conferences or events, they are not only developing themselves but also providing the organization more exposure. Employees can help acquire new customers and retain existing ones when they are viewed as trustworthy thought leaders.

Contract Workers Need a Personal Brand

Another reason personal branding is valuable is that the gig economy is not going away anytime soon. The average person switches jobs every 2 to 3 years, and freelance and contract workers now make up 43% of the U.S. workforce.

We’re seeing only one trend here, which is that the gig economy is big and getting bigger. Companies will do just about anything to avoid hiring full-time employees. Add to that the fact that there is no job security anymore, and workers are increasingly aware that they need to work differently if they want to create any sort of stability for themselves.”

As a result, workers need to be able to clearly communicate who they are and what they do to stand out to prospective clients and employers. If you aren’t effectively managing your online reputation, then you run the risk of losing out on business.

Personal branding masters

Developing a great personal brand doesn’t happen overnight. It’s imperative to be able to communicate your purpose and mission to your audience in a genuine way. Here are some examples of famous people who have built incredible personal brands through hard work, consistency, and long-term focus:

Oprah Winfrey:

Oprah is undoubtedly the queen of personal branding. She is continually building equity in her brand which has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. Oprah has always stuck to her core competency: challenging millions of viewers to live the best lives possible by understanding their potential. By being true to herself, she has inspired millions to be their best selves.

Richard Branson:

Richard Branson is undeniably one of the most visible, successful, and well-known men alive. He has continually stayed true to his core values, including adventure and risk-taking. By being himself, he has often done exactly what other business leaders cautioned against, including crazy publicity stunts like dressing as a flight attendant for a competing airline. His unorthodox style and commitment to his passions have helped him create a powerful personal brand. Branson says, “Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealized, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character, and no public trust.”

Marie Forleo:

Marie Forleo is an inspiring teacher, writer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She has mastered the ability to share impactful content in a humorous and engaging way. With a following in over 195 countries, Marie challenges her fans to change the way they live in order to change the world. Her website reflects that of a personal branding expert, highlighting her authenticity and passion for helping others.

Gary Vaynerchuk:

Also known as Gary Vee, Vaynerchuk got his start by hosting a video blog on YouTube called Wine Library TV. In March 2009, he signed a 10-book deal with HarperStudio, reportedly for over $1 million, and released his first book, Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion, in October 2009. Now, he’s one of the most successful marketers in the world and has attracted a huge loyal following. Vaynerchuk says,” Your personal brand is your reputation. And your reputation in perpetuity is the foundation of your career.”

Whether you’re looking for a better job or more sales for your company, personal branding is a given. You don’t need to be Oprah or Richard Branson to have a great personal brand. It’s a matter of continually crafting and curating your digital presence and keeping it real! Honesty, transparency, and authenticity are what will differentiate you in the long-run.

This article was originally written by executive coach, Caroline Castrillon.

Laurie Pehar Borsh Digital PR