Career Growth Advice from Carey Balogh and Lauren Genest, Social Media & Public Relations Leader | Career Tips for Women in Social Media & Public Relations

2B Bolder Podcast – Episode 96
Featuring Carey Balogh & Lauren Genest

Episode Title: #96 Carey Balogh & Lauren Genest, Empowering Voices in Social Media & PR: The Brand Groupies Story

Host: Mary Killelea
Guest: Carey Balogh & Lauren Genest



Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there. My name is Mary Killelea. Welcome to the To Be Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. To Be Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you. Encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the conversation.

Hi, thanks for tuning in. Today, I get to interview two wonderful, successful women who are sharing their career stories and talking about how they have teamed up and become a force to be reckoned with in the world of PR. Carey Balogh, founder and CEO, and Lauren Genest, partner and president, together run Brand Groupies of both service social media, public relations, personal branding and podcast management agency. Female founded in 2015, the agency partners with B2B companies and C-suite leaders who think differently and who are visionaries in commercial architecture, engineering, construction, design and in real estate to build and amplify their brands.

They coined the term SOPR, the fusion of social media and PR because the two go hand in hand. Thank you so much, ladies, for being here and joining me together. This is fun when I get to interview two people at the same time.

Carey Balogh & Lauren Genest (Guest): Thank you for having us. So excited to be here.

Mary Killelea: Okay, so let's start by having you kind of walk us through the background career highlights that prepped you for your success today. Carey, why don't we start with you?

Carey Balogh: Okay. Well, Brand Groupies, we are social media PR, personal branding and podcast management company. And so, I guess the background is the fact that we both were in fashion PR throughout our careers, working with global fashion brands. Lauren and I go way back, and we had such intense training. We were always two seasons ahead. We always put the fashion designer as the face of the brand. So that's all we knew. We knew, two seasons ahead, always what's the next trend? How can we be optimizing everything, being on the cutting edge with the face of the brand out there? And so, I think when we signed with Mancini Duffy seven years ago, it was only natural to apply that fashion lens to the AEC industry. And we were smitten. We said, we love this industry. We both are design aficionados or groupies. And so we found that there was really an opportunity to take these brands and their C-suite leaders to the next level through a fashion lens, because we are always thinking ahead. And so we love working with visionary leaders.

Mary Killelea: Awesome. Lauren, anything to add on that?

Lauren Genest: Yeah, I think coming from fashion, where it was always about telling the story of the brand and the people behind it. People do business with people, not brands. And so we have really applied that training of bringing the story behind the leaders of our companies and clients to life, really kind of peeling back the layers of the onion to reveal different aspects about what makes our clients different, both kind of personal, and then of course, from a professional and business perspective, too.

Mary Killelea: So how did you two originally meet? Was it through work or personal?

Carey Balogh: Well, Lauren was in college with my sister. I've known her since I was, I guess, 19.

Lauren Genest: And Carey was working in the city. I was a communications major at University of Delaware. And Carey was working in fashion. I grew up in Pennsylvania. So fashion PR, I never really knew that existed. I was like, I want to be like her when I grow up. So I followed in her footsteps four years later and ended up doing that for about 20 years in the city.

Mary Killelea: That's awesome. So Lauren, how has PR changed over the last five years? And where do you see it going, I guess, in the next five?

Lauren Genest: Yeah, I think the biggest change has been and this is really since I started down this path, almost, more than 20 years ago. When I started, print was such a huge, that's where everybody wanted to be in print. And these days, not as many people carry around a magazine or even a newspaper the way they used to, but they always have a phone. And so that means the rise of digital media years and years and years ago started to become kind of reshuffled where our priorities were from a PR lens. And what I would say in the last five years is, you know, the rise of podcasts being so popular, and everybody's carrying their phone around and whether they're on the treadmill or they're commuting to work or they're in their car. You know, I tend to listen to podcasts in my car even more than I listen to music these days. So, there's just, you know, this incredible library now sitting out there where you can learn or be entertained. And, and so having our clients guest on podcasts within the industry and outside of the industry has been an incredible driver. And it really helps to fuel our SOPR approach, because we can take that audio content and the video content sometimes that we get from podcasts too, and spread it out in a really strategic way on our social channels for our clients.

Mary Killelea: Oh, absolutely. I think repurposing content in multiple ways is so smart and strategic, really. So, Carey, can you talk to us about how social media has evolved from B2B brands?

Carey Balogh: Sure, I think, you know, B2C brands were at the forefront. And all of a sudden, people realize, well, I'm expecting this from everything I do, everything I buy. And so B2B had to had to catch up because people expect that technology, that consistency in that, and that messaging. And I think for B2B, it's so important, not only to, share everything they're doing, but for also for talent acquisition. Everyone's on social, no one's running to the website. Oh, my, I can't wait to check out their website. And everyone's on social. So I think it's really important for the brand, as well as the C-suite leaders and actually anyone who is working to develop their personal brand online, no matter what on LinkedIn. It's just so important to be to be consistent and be out there so that your top of mind, the market is so saturated. So, you really, you have to just continuously put yourself out there on social and B2B.

Mary Killelea: So, and I agree with you completely, because it seems like, like I had my own agency for a while, and you had to do a level of education for your customers on what it is you were trying to sell. But now because we all are so immersed in the technology, either through our own personal business or our children, I think it's an easier sell from the need of it.

Carey & Lauren: Right.

Mary Killelea: What is it about podcasting that makes it exciting? Because there's so many different options out there to spread your message. What is it about podcasting?

Lauren Genest: You know, what we found, we tend to just naturally gravitate towards clients who have really dynamic leaders behind them and visionaries. And what we've found is that many people are not very comfortable writing, so if they had to do it, write some answers for a digital interview, or maybe a print interview, but the people we work with are incredibly confident and poised about talking about what they do on a day to day basis and what sets them apart. And so, with a very short time investment, a podcast could be anywhere from 15 minutes, 45 minutes, we found that they can really get their message out there in their own words, in their own tone and inflection. And it's it can be so personal. And then we can really strategically share that out. So, it's a big part of what I do on the PR side for our clients is getting them to guest on podcasts. And then I also we also manage podcasts. So, we see it from both lenses. So, we manage a few podcasts. And we know what we want the guest experience to be like from all the different touch points. And then we launch the episode and then we put it out there on social. So, we actually do you know, the whole A to Z from behind the scenes for a few podcasts as well.

Mary Killelea: That's wonderful. So, when you have a new client that comes to you, do you like say what are your objectives? And then you kind of take from your suite of toolbox and then apply it to them? Because I'm sure there's different comfort levels.

Carey Balogh: Yeah, exactly. I mean, some people, if they do like to write, you know, they could write articles or, you know, of course, mixed with guesting. So, we really try to find out what makes them tick and what where they feel comfortable and we customize our approach around that.

Mary Killelea: I'd love to hear your advice for women early in their careers who are starting off. What should they be considering when thinking about this group?

Carey Balogh: I think it definitely takes a few years to find your groove and find out what works as far as a business model goes and cash flow goals. But I think it's really if you can, the sooner you can find your target market, like who are you serving and what industry. When I first started Brand Groupies, I was serving everyone doctors, restaurants, I even built a website, you need a logo, I got you, I can do it all. I was working like 80 hours a week, and I didn't know when my next project was coming. There was no consistency with retainers. And then that kind of led to okay, now we're going to niche down to social retainers. And then when Lauren came on board and launched our PR division, that made sense. So, I think niching down, we actually, you know, niche down a few years ago into the AEC industry and haven't looked back. And I definitely recommend trying to get there as soon as possible to know who your market is and really go after them because it takes a while.

Mary Killelea: That is great advice. And I think one of the things that scares people the most is leaving business on the table. You know what I mean? But to your point, I think the sooner you can niche down and get crystal on who you're serving, it kind of opens up the floodgates for more of those same clients.

Carey Balogh: Yes, and saying no. That might be another question.

Lauren Genest: We always say it's got to be a hell yes for us to either work with a brand as a partner, have people join our team, you have to be at 110%. We're all in.

Mary Killelea: I love that. So Lauren, for someone wanting to learn kind of the ropes of PR and social, do you think it's better to have experience on the agency side first or working on the client side?

Lauren Genest: So I'm actually really grateful that I had the experience on both. So, I started in-house so that I could understand. I didn't know at the time it was, you know, I was offered a job at a firm in the city and I was offered a job at an in-house and I went in-house and I learned so much because those teams tend to be small and you have to be scrappy and you're really learning from the ground up. And I made incredible connections and then ever since then, so probably since 2003, I've been in an agency and so I never looked back. I love the pace of an agency. I love that no two days are ever the same. It definitely moves much faster but I think I really benefited from having the understanding of what it's like to be in-house and the amount of red tape sometimes and the cooks in the kitchen that could be in-house and having the empathy for, okay, you know, I did that and that was a really interesting training ground and then I really found that I loved the pace of agency life and I really never looked back since then. So, I think having a combination of both, if you can get it from early on, is nice and I think it really helps you understand where your strengths are too. There's lots of people I know that have only ever been in-house because that was the right fit for their skill set. So I think it is a little bit of a different way of having to think about many different brands all day every day when you're at an agency is a different kind of thought process and I feel like that works for some and, you know, not for others.

Mary Killelea: Carey, as you built your company, how, what skills, I guess, would you say are essential for, you know, your tribe, your family that you're building?

Carey Balogh: Sure. Well, it's always, trust is always number one because without trust you can't do anything. I'd love to, trust everyone we're working with and let them do their thing and get excited about it. Also, a natural desire to be customer service oriented, I guess you could say, because we give 200% to our clients so we kind of want them to feel that excitement and that they can't wait to deliver the highest standards to our clients and also if someone's curious to be excited to learn, we're never done learning continuously researching and what's next on social. Okay, what are the trends in LinkedIn? Constantly learning is something we strive to do every day.

Mary Killelea: Is there anything from a resume standpoint that you look for? I mean, like if someone has a psychology background, would you consider them if they have this new love and passion?

Carey Balogh: Yeah. I know. I know. Yeah, I think we look at if they're, you know, we go right to their, you know, social channels and I love it when college students are on LinkedIn and they're actually posting. I think, you know, even if it's just once a week, I don't know, whatever, just being out there and just showing that they're hungry for it.

Mary Killelea: That's good. And I think that's important to say LinkedIn because I think a lot of people, the younger generation might not think that that's relevant, but it's so relevant, especially for sure, and future employees looking how they are connected, how they interact.

Carey & Lauren: Absolutely. Yes.

Mary Killelea: It's smart. What advice do you have for young adults who are in the job market about social and being smart about what to post on LinkedIn?

Carey Balogh: I know. We always, we start with our clients by doing a whole brand discovery session. We do brand pillars. So, we're very clear from day one exactly what the pillars are. And, you know, we also go through in, you know, community engagement, what re okay replies to say, you know, you never want to start anything online if it's, I don't know, not very often there's something negative, but we have pretty clear brand guidelines for clients. And I think for them online, I think you have to think about what you're posting because people, your employers are looking, everyone I talk to, they go right to social to connect with people, especially if they're looking for a social job. You know, we want to kind of see, are they, you know, what are they posting? And is it professional too?

Mary Killelea: Lauren, what strengths do you see each having as female leaders that help your business be so successful?

Lauren Genest: You know what, I think having worked for others in the fashion industry for so many years, we really got to learn how we wanted to run and shape a company on our own terms and what kind of people we wanted to partner with. And so, I think it's been really unique to kind of, Carrie had started this for years. And then when I jumped in really our values, I think for the type of company we wanted to be part of partnering with people that are kind and visionary and doing things differently, because in the AC industry, social and PR are not really top of mind. And so we've found that we're almost having to break through kind of the norm of what's been done and shape out a different way of doing things from the way that this more traditional industry has been kind of portrayed themselves for years. And then I would say, like Carrie said earlier, I think we almost give our clients a concierge level of service, we are so passionate about the people we work with and for, and we really see them as true partners. You know, Carrie always says, we want to be invited to the holiday party for our clients, because we really envision ourselves as almost their in-house team, We don’t happen to sit in-house, but that's very much how we kind of behave and conduct ourselves on a daily basis.

Mary Killelea: That's wonderful. What does to be bolder mean to you, Carey?

Carey Balogh: I think it's continuing to move forward, no matter what obstacles come in your way. Especially being an entrepreneur, I think, just through the years when, you could just give up and think, why do we keep doing this? But just keep going and really have that end vision in mind and just say, we're going to, it's going to happen. We're going to get there no matter what. So going with the ebbs and flows.

Mary Killelea: That's great. Lauren?

Lauren Genest: I think, you know, to carry on what Carey said is also just to constantly be pivoting where we do feel like we're always learning. And I mean, we're just having that conversation this morning, as we look to plan 2024, what do we learn this year? And what are we going to do a little slightly differently next year? And, what are our goals? And so constantly be looking ahead and saying, okay, how can we, how can we do it better next year?

Mary Killelea: That's awesome. I love that. I always love the answers for my guests because no two are ever alike. I love it. Okay, Carey. So in the digital world we live in, having a strong personal brand and understanding who you are and what you value is so important. What do you tell someone when they're building their own personal brand?

Carey Balogh: So I think, again, we always go back to our brand pillars, what are things that are important to you and kind of go all in on a few things and talk about that over and over again. And also start posting on LinkedIn and really just start building that and thinking about different, whether it's different themes or sharing articles, even if you're in a certain industry and you love reading, you know, this weekly blog or something it's just sharing, sharing things that you're digesting and say, hey, this inspired me. What do you think? Like easy things like that, but at least to just be proactive because no matter where you go in a company, like even if you change companies, your personal brand will stay with you forever. So, I think it's important for every level, every level of, you know, during your career.

Mary Killelea: Lauren, anything?

Lauren Genest: I also think that, you know, being open to maybe having a little bit of a different opinion or being a bit disruptive and not always going with the norm, especially on LinkedIn, I think, you know, we see that our clients that push the envelope a little bit and maybe you're talking about it in the, in the office, but you don't necessarily want to put it out there on social. But sometimes that, that really can lead to some interesting debate, which is fun.

Mary Killelea: You know, that's such a good point because I think those that do share their own authentic opinion get noticed, but I will say me, who I work for a company, I tend to like self like, oh, do that or not.

Lauren Genest: I know, I know. I think that can be, it's easier probably for, you know, some entrepreneurs to do that, right? Because they have less to lose maybe.

Carey Balogh: Yep. Yeah.

Lauren Genest: So I think you have to, you have to walk a fine line with that one.

Mary Killelea: What would each of you tell your 20 year old self?

Lauren Genest: Oh, gosh. You want to go?

Carey Balogh: I know. I guess I would say to stop being such a people pleaser and, and say no more, more often to protect, I guess myself and my goals, I think just really, I think that's it. Stop saying yes so often and oh, I can help everyone. I want to help everyone. It's only so much you can do.

Lauren Genest: Yeah. I would say take more risks maybe. And, you know, I would have loved to have been in this position even sooner. So I'm happy with where we landed. So yeah, maybe take more risks.

Mary Killelea: Lauren, how do you avoid burnout?

Lauren Genest: You know, that's a great question. I think we try to because we're B2B, I think when we are in fashion, we were definitely burned out. I mean, all the time. It's just, you know, it's just a ragged, it's a grind. And I think that we were really intentional. We came to this, to at least when I came to join Carrie, at Brand Groupies, you know, that the work life balance was at the forefront of what we did. Our children are still at ages where they like to hang with us and they're still home. They're teenagers now. And so I think with B2B, it actually has given us, you know, even more flexibility than B2C because there's not that drive every day for a cash register to be ringing the way that with the fashion, you know, it had to be where we're constantly promoting every single day. So, we I think, are just incredibly strategic with the time that we have in the office and planning ahead as much as possible and then dividing and conquering.

Mary Killelea: That's fabulous. Carey, anything to add to that?

Carey Balogh: Let's see, make sure you exercise, eat well. I know it's hard as you get over. Let's see. I think it's just always making sure you have that balance and do things, you know, for yourself and put family first. So I think making sure that that's the key driver. And, you know, being really thoughtful about your schedule and making sure that you don't overwork, because I could work till two in the morning every single night. I'm gonna laugh at Lauren's up like at four. So the two of us are, we cross paths and we're like, we'll have weeks that are crazy. We're like, we can't do this. We have to like, you know, take a breather. So I think it's like checking in.

Mary Killelea: Where do you guys see the future of PR and social media going? Do you see, you know, creator economy, if you will, is so relevant right now or so popular. Everyone, I guess, is trying to become an influencer in their own space. Do you see that like lasting?

Lauren Genest: It'll be interesting to see if it, you know, if it does last, it doesn't feel like it's going away anytime soon, I would say, you know, I think that for the future, I think for me, I'd love to see more people kind of taking advantage of the fusion between social and PR, the way that we do, because I think that if you're investing in PR to then not take it and just really stretch it out as much as possible in a strategic way on social, is not the best use of your funds. So, we definitely see I would love to see more of that happening in the future.

Mary Killelea: It has been so fun and so informative. Thank you so much. And I know we work together because some of the guests that you have pitched my podcast. So, it was really fun to meet you in person.

Carey Balogh: Thank you so much.

Lauren Genest: Thank you very much for having us. It was really fun.

MK: Thanks for listening to the episode today. It was really fun chatting with my guests. If you liked our show, please like it and share it with your friends. If you want to learn what we're up to, please go check out our website at 2bbolder.com. That's the number two, little b, bolder.com.