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Ruby Media Group CEO Kris Ruby was thrilled to speak at “Entrepreneurship Week” at Microsoft’s Flagship Store on Fifth Ave. Speakers included Stephen Hersh, Mark Gold and Kristen Ruby.
Personal branding can help solidify you in the public eye as a subject matter expert. But the value is so much greater than landing on page one of Google or tier-1 media results.
Personal branding drives revenue.
Establishing an entrepreneurial personal brand can help in many ways. For example, imaging being consulted on investment deals or being asked to join a business in an operating capacity for a share of equity because you are the go-to expert? These are the perks of PR.
Being publicly perceived as the go- to expert in your industry leads to tangible benefits, increased customer conversion rates, and higher retention.
Investing in personal branding can yield significant returns in terms of professional and business growth, making it a valuable growth strategy for entrepreneurs.
PR is an annuity that grows over time.
The gains are incremental and exponential. The real power of PR is the accumulation of it and how that impacts public perception of your authority.
If you are seen as the go-to authority, you can demand higher rates, and you will be sought out for your opinion.
The business of expertise is shaped by PR, influence, and perception, and someone who is not seen as an expert is ultimately taken less seriously than a competitor who is.
What is the value of personal branding in PR?
Becoming a recognized subject matter expert in your industry can provide several tangible benefits, including:
- Increased credibility and brand authority: Being seen as an expert lends credibility to your opinions, strategic recommendations, and the products/services you offer, making potential clients/customers more likely to trust you and do business with you.
- Higher visibility and demand: As an industry expert, you’re more likely to be sought out for media interviews, speaking engagements, and consulting opportunities, which can lead to greater exposure and more business opportunities.
- Pricing power: Experts often command higher prices for their products, services, and expertise compared to non-experts in the field. Public relations directly influences pricing power over time. The more PR you accumulate, the higher you can charge for your time and services, because the value of your brand increases.
- Enhanced networking and collaboration: Your status as a media expert can open doors to new professional connections, partnerships, and collaboration opportunities with other industry leaders and top corporations.
- Thought leadership opportunities: Being perceived as an expert allows you to establish yourself as a thought leader, which can result in paid speaking engagements, writing opportunities (e.g., articles, podcast interviews, books), and a stronger personal brand. Getting featured online builds your domain authority and signals to Google you are a trusted source of information.
- Increased influence and impact: As an industry expert, your opinions and insights carry more weight, allowing you to have a greater influence on the direction and policies of your industry. If you care about shaping the future of your industry, PR is not negotiable. No one will take you seriously if they don’t know who you are. It is nice a nice to have, it is a must have line item.
Use social media to build your personal brand.
How do you use social media to build a personal brand?
Personal branding Makeover
Here are 5 tips to build your personal brand on social media and give your brand a personal branding makeover:
1) Archive old posts on Instagram that no longer align with your brand identity. For example, maybe an old post was way too filtered and no longer fits your brand aesthetic. Or perhaps the photo is blurry or had minimal engagement or likes. Archive it for now on Instagram and clean up your feed. Your Instagram feed should showcase the personal brand you want to be aligned with.
2) Check to make sure your old Twitter accounts haven’t been hacked. Recently, I searched my name on Twitter and found an old account with my name, photo, and company name that had been hacked by another user. The user changed the handle name but was still using my name and personal details and tweeting from it. I emailed Twitter right away and they suspended the account. Search for your full name on Twitter and make sure none of your accounts have been compromised. Make sure you aren’t sabotaging your personal branding efforts if someone else is tweeting with your name!
3) Clean up your LinkedIn profile. When was the last time you updated your LinkedIn profile? Set aside a solid chunk of time to do this because it is pretty time intensive. Organize all of your latest projects and professional achievements and update your profile so that it reflects who you are today in your career- not who you were when you first joined LinkedIn.
4) Update your Facebook cover photo. Maybe you created a Facebook cover photo for your personal brand when you first started a public figure page. However, if you are using an outdated headshot, it is time to update it! Personal branding photos should be taken within 1-3 years. I know it can be hard to let go of a photo you love from 8 years ago, but when people meet you in person, the photo you use to market yourself online should be indicative of what you look like today.
5) Remove yourself from data broker sites. There are several different online directories that share your personal data that you may not have even thought to check. Just because you aren’t checking them doesn’t mean others aren’t! The good news is that some of these directories will allow you to remove yourself by sending an opt-out email. The bad news? It can often be an arduous process, but it’s worth a shot! Again, make sure you aren’t sabotaging your personal branding efforts if online directories have negative things to say about your reputation. Do your best to clean this up so that your personal brand is in alignment with what can be found about you on the Internet.
All of these PR strategies are worthwhile when developing a personal brand. I have personally used these strategies for building my own brand as a PR strategist and national TV commentator. We also deploy these strategies for our PR clients who hire me to help define and build out their personal brand.
MORE PR TIPS: Executive Personal Branding Tips on Indie Hackers
Personal Branding PR Agency for CEOs | Ruby Media Group | NYC
Ruby Media Group (RMG) is an award-winning Public Relations and Personal Branding Agency based in Westchester County, New York. Ruby Media Group has over 15 years of experience in securing tier-1 media coverage and publicity for Executive thought leaders in newspapers, magazines, TV shows, podcasts and more.
Ruby Media Group creates high profile personal brands for CEOs and Executives. Contact us today to build your executive presence online.
KRIS RUBY is the CEO of Ruby Media Group, an award-winning public relations and media relations agency in Westchester County, New York. Kris Ruby has more than 15 years of experience in the Media industry. She is a sought-after media relations strategist, content creator and public relations consultant. Kris Ruby is also a national television commentator and political pundit and she has appeared on national TV programs over 200 times covering big tech bias, politics and social media. She is a trusted media source and frequent on-air commentator on social media, tech trends and crisis communications and frequently speaks on FOX News and other TV networks. She has been featured as a published author in OBSERVER, ADWEEK, and countless other industry publications. Her research on brand activism and cancel culture is widely distributed and referenced. She graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication with a major in public relations and is a founding member of The Young Entrepreneurs Council. She is also the host of The Kris Ruby Podcast Show, a show focusing on the politics of big tech and the social media industry. Kris is focused on PR for SEO and leveraging content marketing strategies to help clients get the most out of their media coverage.