• Enterprising Thoughts on Marketing

    Earlier this week, I led a workshop on marketing for a group of entrepreneurs from Boston’s North Shore at Salem State University’s Enterprise Center.

    Its always great to get out and interact with new people, particularly those who have taken the leap to chase their entrepreneurial dreams and start a business.  Having spent most of the past six years running or co-running my own small business before joining Matter, I looked forward to sharing my personal marketing experiences from my own business and some SMB client experiences, and not just talk about the theoretical aspects. (more…)

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  • The End of an Era

    When I started my PR career in the mid-90s, I remember racing to the corner market on Monday mornings to see who was being featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek. The “cover wars,” as they were known, fascinated me and provided many interesting conversations among my colleagues.

    Bruce Springsteen was the first musician
    to be featured on the cover of both Newsweek and Time magazines during the same week in 1975

    So when I heard last week that Tina Brown, Newsweek’s editor, announce that the publication was going to cease its print operation in December, I had mixed emotions.

    I realize times have changed and print publications need to reinvent themselves, but the thought of Newsweek losing its presence on magazine racks around the country disappoints me.

    Over my career I have seen the rise and fall of many publications, but there is something about Newsweek’s print departure that leaves an unsettled feeling in my stomach and leaves me to ask, “Who will be the next?”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Matter Pitches in for Salvation Army Thanksgiving Food Drive

    Media Advisory

    Who: Matter Communications

    What: Tannery-Wide Collection for Salvation Army Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive

    When: Now – November 16, 2012

    Where: Matter Communications & special-marked bins located throughout The Tannery

    50 Water Street, Mill #3

    Newburyport, MA 01950

    Why: The Salvation Army Thanksgiving Food Drive is an annual collection to help support those in need during the holiday season. Matter Communications will be collecting donations for the drive at its office, as well as marked boxes located in Tannery shops. Items collected through November 16 will be donated directly to the Salvation Army.

    Background:

    Suggested items: Turkey (preferably grocery store certificates to purchase a turkey, as they have limited freezer space), stuffing, sweet potatoes, yams, white potatoes, vegetables, turkey gravy, turkey broth, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, cake mix, pie crust, pie filling, juice.

    “Giving back to the greater Newburyport community is a priority here at Matter,” said Scott Signore, CEO of Matter Communications. “Last year we filled three SUVs full of food and we are hoping for another great turnout this year. It’s important to help one another especially during the holidays, so we’re glad to help make that happen this Thanksgiving season.”

    Contact:

    For Matter Communications: Rachel Schlacter, 978-518-4538, [email protected]

    For Salvation Army: Jeffrey Brunelle, 978-465-0883, [email protected]

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  • NYC dinner parties, joggling and PR

    An article by New York Times writer Nick Bilton hit home, (well, PR home) recently.  Bilton’s Oct. 14 piece, “Disruptions: Seeking Privacy in a Networked Age” referenced a dinner party he hosted at which many of his guests (including Om Malik) were posting to social media sites, all while noshing on pulled pork tacos and clinking glasses filled with red wine.

    And what ended up happening?  Seven photos on Path, six Twitter messages and six Instagram photos later someone (maybe a PR person?) emailed Bilton complimenting him on the lamps dangling above his table. (more…)

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  • Reddit – Advanced Social Media That's Worth Getting To Know

    When people hear the words, “social media,” they no longer only default to considering Facebook and Twitter and YouTube. There are many more options for social networking and social media platforms than ever before, and they all appeal to different types of social users. Are taking photos and videos your passion? Then you’ve got your choice of Flickr, Instagram and SocialCam to scratch that itch. If you’re a Google power user, Google+ will do the trick. Of course, one can’t forget about the dozens of forums that are available for just about every industry and interest out there. The trick for PR professionals is to determine how these tools can augment public relations programs and provide useful information and returns. (more…)

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  • Tweeting for Public Awareness: As Obvious as a Giant Yellow Bird

    There was a lot of chirping and feathers ruffled recently when presidential candidate Mitt Romney mentioned Big Bird during the first Presidential debate. During the deficit-cutting discussion, Romney stated he would cut federal funding to PBS even after admitting “I love Big Bird.” And that’s when Twitter took over.

    Someone on PBS’s social team was certainly paying attention that evening. One report claimed there were 17,000 tweets per minute for “Big Bird” and 10,000 Tweets per minute for “PBS” at that point in the debate – and PBS saw its window to make this social media trend work in its favor.

    PBS bought the phrase “Big Bird” on Twitter. With this ad buy, anyone who searched for “Big Bird” on Twitter saw an ad for PBS which said “PBS is trusted, valued and essential.” The ad directed people to valuepbs.org, which had statistics about the network and its public service initiatives and how much it actually costs taxpayers per year.

    What’s the point here? One comment led to an uproar on Twitter and through social media platforms. It was a shrewd PR move to get that ad buy and direct traffic to its own site. With satiric Twitter accounts, tweets and memes floating around, PBS saw an opportunity to educate the public about its programs and remind people about its role in public service programming. The public’s attention was already turned to one of the most famous birds in the country and PBS leveraged social media to increase awareness without issuing any decisive statements.

    Big Bird even made an appearance on Saturday Night Live. And while it was seven hours past his bedtime (he is only six years old, you know), Big Bird chose not to “ruffle any feathers” himself by commenting on Romney’s statement.

    But really, who’s going to forget about an eight-foot tall talking yellow bird on a show that capitalizes on political blunders?

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  • Raising Awareness for a Cause through Social Media

    All kinds of companies, organizations and enterprises are vying for attention in today’s world with a compelling story to tell. But how do those in the not-for-profit space get their voices heard? After working at multiple nonprofits around the country, I’ve found that getting attention and media coverage can be difficult no matter what, but for nonprofits, who aren’t always on the public’s radar, getting noticed becomes even harder. Here are 4 best practices to help nonprofits get noticed.

    1. Tell a story

    While all organizations have a story to tell, nonprofits are often seen as sources of credible information due to the on-the-ground nature of their work. Nonprofits can use this to their advantage. Everyone knows that the best way to engage a reader is with a strong introduction, and nothing is better than a personal narrative. Not only are nonprofits credible, but part of what makes them so trustworthy is their unique ability to draw from a multitude of impactful stories that demonstrate how their work is improving the lives of real people. Any kind of interesting personal story will do the trick, successful is best – just be sure to include rich and powerful details.

    2. Use all media platforms, but be consistent

    It’s not all about media coverage. Social media has democratized the media space and nonprofits now have the ability to share their message with a larger audience in a multitude of ways. Social media, blogs and websites can all be used to engage an audience and highlight upcoming news and press coverage. To do so, the messaging across these platforms must be consistent, tell a compelling story and clearly explain what the organization does and why. If the content is scattered, the audience will scatter as well.

    3. Stress the so what

    For members of the general public and the media, the most easily understood part of what nonprofits do is why their work is important. It’s easy to conceptualize why we would want to help people in developing countries have a better quality of life, or help children in our own country get access to a better education. Protecting the environment and providing clean water and adequate food to our fellow man needs no introduction. This work has a real impact in the world and nonprofits need to be sure to clearly make that connection to the broader picture in their media outreach.

    4. Offer unique exclusives

    Nonprofits have access to a unique and inspiring group of people. These are the idealists, the dreamers, the part of the population that go out of their way to make this world a better place. That energy is contagious. By offering up interviews with policymakers, executives, major donors, and even those who’ve benefited from the organization’s work, nonprofits can stand out. There’s always room for a fresh and empowering perspective.

    Looking for a partner to help you reach your social media and PR goals? Fill out the form below and let’s chat.

    Matter

  • Matter Launches Studio-C Creative Services Group

     

     

     

    September 30, 2012

    NEWBURYPORT, MA—Technology and consumer public relations firm Matter Communications has launched an in-house creative services group, Studio-C. The new group is designed to help brands develop visual content—from video to infographics—to support social and traditional media relations and marketing programs.

    “Countless surveys and statistics highlight the fact that engaging audiences today is about more than words: visual content makes brand messages stick better than words alone in both social and traditional media programs,” says Matter CEO Scott Signore. “Social platforms have created a confluence of the ability to serve up, and the demand for, compelling graphics, video and photos.”

    Creative services capabilities include video production, social media content, photo shoots, logo design, infographics, presentation design, marketing and sales collateral, invitation/event signage design, and website refresh/touch-ups.

     

    http://www.holmesreport.com/news-info/12431/Matter-Launches-StudioC-Creative-Services-Group.aspx

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