Introduction: Bridging the Gap Between Corporations and Communities In the modern business landscape, large corporations often struggle with an image problem: they’re viewed as inaccessible giants, disconnected from the everyday experiences of ordinary people. Thought leadership offers a powerful tool to bridge this gap, transforming impersonal corporate entities into relatable characters in a story that everyone can understand and appreciate. Key Takeaways: Large corporations face challenges in appearing relatable. Thought leadership can humanize these corporate entities. Personalizing the ..read more

The statistics are truly startling — a bad reputation can cost a company up to 90% of its revenue. Since a 90% cut in revenue is a death sentence for most firms, nothing is more critical than preserving brand image and preventing reputational damage. So how can an executive or company protect their image and safeguard their brand in a modern world? How can they ensure they are noticed for all the right reasons? Here are seven surefire ways to improve image and avoid a bad reputation: 1. Clean up the premises. Dirty or ill-maintained surroundings are a huge turnoff, and every speck of dirt ..read more

You’re probably sick of hearing about influencers these days and how all it takes to become one is amassing a relevant social following, whether that’s at a micro-level of a few thousand social followers or fans in the millions. However, marketing yourself to simply gather a large number of followers actually isn’t (or, at least, doesn’t have to be) the misguided quest for superficial Internet stardom it may seem like. Frankly, it’s those questionable connotations that make business executives and leaders more attracted to another, seemingly more professional stat ..read more

As an executive, you have worked hard to get where you are. You’ve experienced a lot in your field. You’ve had to deal with a variety of challenges and work out solutions to them. You have unique insights. Being an expert in your industry, those insights matter. Business-people looking to reach the C-suite, entrepreneurs who want to improve the way they work, and even lay-people looking to become more productive or innovative — they can all learn from you. You have something to offer. People can learn from you. You matter. The best way to share your insights is through content. You may have in ..read more

If you want to get something published, you’re unfortunately at the mercy of the gatekeepers — AKA editors. It doesn’t matter what kind of writing you do or how long you’ve been doing it, the art of the pitch is an essential part of getting your work out there.   Here are the essential ingredients for a successful pitch in the age of email: Persistency It is easy to give up when all you hear is silence, but it pays to be persistent. On average you can expect to email the editor 6-8 times before receiving a positive response. Sending those emails at strategic times can improve the odds of ..read more

In August 2018, Google released an algorithm update which impacted the core methodology of Google’s search. The purpose of this was two-fold. To resolve “fake news” from unreliable sources (primarily shopping, health, wellness and financial) and, To protect consumers from misleading web pages, products and offerings. Google’s John Mueller said in the 166 page General Guidelines document that the purpose of the program was to increase search quality ratings; “Your ratings will be used to evaluate search engine quality around the world. Good search engines give results that are helpful for use ..read more

Guest posts have a history almost as long as blogging itself. A few years ago, they became incredibly fashionable as a quick-and-easy way of building cheap links for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. Unfortunately, the tactic was so overused that it became increasingly ineffective, even dangerous. It’s still possible to guest blog for links, but it takes skill, finesse, and more than a little caution. But that’s far from the end of the story. Even if you put aside the SEO benefits, it remains a powerful technique that brings plenty to an online business, and for relativ ..read more

One of the first hurdles you’ll face as an executive is building your reputation–your leadership influence, your attraction quality or whatever you want to call it. This is why so much stock is put into the executive’s brand these days – the stronger the personal brand is, the easier it will be to convince people to take what they perceive is a risk on the brand pitch, stance or position. The Online Leadership Influencer These days when you hear a name or think of engaging in services, the first thing you might do is is a little due diligence. You meet someone in the lobby of a hotel. They wil ..read more

What Is Executive Presence? In some ways, executive presence is simple. This is because it’s something you can feel without even understanding it cognitively. Occasionally we feel trusting of authority figures. Surprisingly, this can even occur when we’ve just met them. This common experience speaks to the transformative power of executive presence. But what exactly is executive presence? Executive presence is the spirit that wafts into the room alongside a good boss. It is the air of leadership, confidence, and authority embodied by someone in full command of their executive ..read more

Since time immemorial media relations, or some variation of it, has been used to influence public opinion on brands, products and services. Back in the day, old-school media relations would involve calling up “Danstun & Frank Publishing Co.” (not a real company) and ordering some pamphlets, perhaps a spot on the local town’s wall and, if lucky, get a mention in the local paper. Prior to digital media and TV, newspapers were the only real source of information outside of one’s bubble and every column would be scoured for interesting tidbits, news, property sales, insights, products and opin ..read more