• The Latest + Greatest from Creative Services: January 2018

    The Latest + Greatest from Creative Services: January 2018

    While you were surviving January, the Matter Creative team was busy creating new work for exceptional clients!

    This month the video team worked on everything from high-level explainers to product launches to recruitment videos. And on the design side, the team provides creative insight into a very important part of the design process: The Moodboard!

    Have an idea you’d like to work with us on? Contact us today!

     

    Video Production

     

    LINKLOFT SOHO

    JBL

    width=Matter produced several recap videos for social to help JBL highlight an event they hosted at a loft in SoHo, where they unveiled an exciting new line of smart Google Home audio devices to 70+ media influencers.
    Watch the Video!

     

    INTRODUCING VYASA CORTEX

    Vyasa

    width=Client Vyasa called on the Matter Creative team to complement a larger product launch initiative by developing this Animated Explainer video introducing their complex deep learning software platform.
    See it Here!

     

    #VARONISLIFE

    Varonis

    width=Varonis is a software company who hired us to create a video showcasing their culture and work environment. They used this video for a sales kickoff meeting, but also on their social channels to promote their work perks and attract new talent.
    Check it Out!

     

     

    Graphic + Web Design

     

    What is a moodboard?

    This month we wanted to share with you some moodboards we recently created for our clients. A moodboard is an arrangement of images, graphics, pieces of text, etc., intended to evoke a particular style or concept for a brand. These boards are some of the first visuals created during the branding process and work as a foundation to reference later on when creating additional assets. This gives us a way to gauge what the client likes or dislikes before starting on any of the other deliverables. 

     

    MAMA ROSIE’S MOODBOARDS

    Mama Rosie’s

    width=As part of a substantial rebranding, the design team began by establishing a new visual style for New England’s #1 selling frozen ravioli company. Three unique moodboards were presented to the client before they whittled them down to one. From here our team had a solid foundation to build out the packaging designs and overall brand identity.
    Moodboard 1, Moodboard 2, Moodboard 3

     

    NEWCASTLE SYSTEMS MOODBOARD

    Newcastle Systems

    width=As part of a larger rebrand, we began by created a moodboard that leveraged many aspects from Newcastle System’s existing branding in more modern and clean style. Some new elements include an updated logo, custom icons and illustrations.
    Check it out!

     

    HUMATICS MOODBOARD

    Humatics

    width=Humatics approached the design team to build out their visual hierarchy by utilizing typography and color. We also worked to establish a style for their icons, graphics and photography.
    Moodboard 1, Moodboard 2

     

    Fill out the form below to schedule a free strategy call with our team.



     

    Matter

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  • Media on the Move: Week of January 22

    Media on the Move: Week of January 22

    The new year started off with questions about whether the rise of robo-reporters and virtual reality mark the end of journalism’s final chapter, while a new poll reports that Americans “believe in journalism,” despite generally distrusting media as a whole.

    The year also began with the end of media sites The Awl and The Hairpin. As reported by The Washington Post, the sites will shut down at the end of January, “the latest niche sites to get squeezed out in an ultra-competitive digital ad market dominated by Facebook and Google.”

    Other notable changes to the media landscape is Bloomberg discontinuing its financial commentary brand, Gadfly, and HuffPo no longer publishing columns from unpaid contributors.

     

    The Atlantic: Elaina Plott joins as a staff writer.

     

    Bloomberg Environment: Bobby MaGill joins as energy reporter.

     

    Broadly: Sirin Kale joins as associate editor.

     

    BuzzFeed: Tarini Parti joins to cover the White House and Nishita Jha is now the global women’s rights correspondent.

     

    Digiday: Jack Marshall joins as managing director.

     

    Gear Patrol: Meg Lappe joins to cover outdoors and fitness.

     

    Glamour Magazine: Samantha Barry joins as editor-in-chief.

     

    Motherboard: Jordan Pearson hired as associate editor.

     

    NBC Today Show: Hoda Kotb became a permanent host, replacing Matt Lauer.

     

    Network World: Brandon Butler hangs up his hat covering enterprise technology to join IDC covering campus networking.

     

    The New York Times: Mike Isaac is leaving for a six month book leave writing about Uber; Lauren Kelley joins as editor and Katie Rogers is hired to cover the White House.

     

    New Yorker: Added a food column and Helen Rosner joins as roving food correspondent.

     

    Outline: Brandy Jenson joins as social media editor.

     

    Reuters: Jonathan Weber is now a global tech editor.

     

    Upworthy: Rebecca Eisenberg left the publication. No news on her next steps.

     

    WIRED: Steven Levy and Jessi Hempel re-joined the publication as co-editors of the Backchannel column.

    Matter

  • Matter Communications Expands Fast-Growing Healthcare Portfolio

    Award-winning public relations and digital marketing agency adds eight new clients across health tech, provider, biopharma and consumer health markets

    Matter Communications, one of the fastest growing PR agencies nationally with in-house creative services and digital marketing groups, announced today the addition of several noteworthy clients to its growing healthcare practice, including its selection as Agency of Record for DocuTAP, a leading provider of on-demand care software and services for electronic health records (EHR), patient engagement, practice management (PM) and revenue cycle management (RCM). DocuTAP was recognized as having the top-ranked urgent care and occupational medicine—Ambulatory/Physician EHR for 2017, according to Black Book Market Research.

    “We included Matter in our competitive agency search on the recommendation of our private equity firm who’d had positive experiences working with them in the past,” said Dusty Schroeder, vice president of marketing, DocuTAP. “Matter stood out from the competition and won over our leadership team with its depth of knowledge, creativity and passion. While our partnership with Matter is new, we are already seeing significant, impactful results.”

    In addition to DocuTAP, other recent additions to Matter’s healthcare roster span enterprise and consumer health tech, care delivery, wellness, consulting, pharma and biopharma, and include:

    • CarePort Health: a digital health company that helps providers optimize post-acute outcomes and costs by guiding patients across the care continuum and tracking their recovery in real-time.
    • Hudson Headwaters Health Network: a nonprofit system of 17 community health centers providing primary care to more than 1,000 patients per day across 5,000 square miles of the Adirondack North Country and Glens Falls region.
    • Ixcela: a consumer product and service that promotes and facilitates improved gut health through easy at home testing, dietary recommendations and proprietary probiotic supplementation.
    • Recordation: a cutting-edge healthcare informatics company revolutionizing how anesthesiologists and clinicians report and access crucial patient information before, during and after a patient’s operation.
    • Sterilis: a health tech company that has developed a patented technology to convert regulated medical waste into harmless, confetti-like material that can be thrown out with regular trash.
    • Vyasa Analytics: a provider of deep learning software and analytics for life sciences and healthcare organizations that helps project teams make better use of their data and advance their research and development goals.
    • ZappRx: a digital health company with a mission to speed the delivery time of specialty medications to patients, ZappRx simplifies the complex prior authorization process and provides a digital bridge between providers, payers, pharmacies and patients, capturing key information for payer/prior authorization, specialty pharmacy requirements and patient clinical history, and driving unique analytical insights.

    “Over the last year we have seen significant investments across healthcare, along with a number of notable companies pivoting, expanding or merging to bolster their position in the market. We believe there is a growing need for strategic PR and marketing support in the space, and the recent additions to our portfolio serve as evidence of our ability to serve the highly competitive and nuanced market,” said Scott Signore, CEO, Matter Communications. “Our new client-partners are all excellent examples of the kinds of brands we want to work with. We recognize the growing need and remain deeply committed to this market, and to pursuing the best and brightest talent to bolster our healthcare team and support the growing portfolio.”

    “I really appreciate the proactive way in which the Matter team reaches out from time to time to make me aware of clients that are bringing innovative health IT products to market, and fresh perspectives to thought leadership circles,” said Jennifer Dennard, founder of #healthITchicks. “The #healthITchicks community has especially benefited from Matter’s ability to identify female founders that are great fits for our editorial projects.”

    With headquarters in Newburyport, Mass., and additional offices in Boston, Mass., Providence, R.I., Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore., Matter is one of the fastest-growing public relations and social media firms in the country. Matter has won seven ‘Agency of the Year’ accolades in the past three years, and has been recognized numerous times as a best place to work. For more information on Matter’s healthcare practice and service offerings you can visit: https://www.matternow.com

    About Matter Communications

    Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying public relations, social media, creative services, search marketing and digital marketing into strategic, content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with five offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer-technology and consumer markets. For more information, please visit: https://www.matternow.com

     

    Contacts

    Matter Communications
    Ryan Lilly, 978-518-4533
    [email protected]
    www.matternow.com

     

    Matter

  • The Evolution of the Social Influencer

    The Evolution of the Social Influencer

    If you’ve ever opened the Instagram app, you’ve likely scrolled through countless sponsored posts and #ads. Whether it’s people you’re following or suggested content popping up on your feed, brands and products are in almost every photo. At times, it can even be hard to tell which images are paid promotion and what’s organic content. Everyone from your favorite D-list celebrities, fitness gurus, and maybe even someone you know personally has joined the community of “experts” promoting brands through their social media accounts—behold The Influencer.

    While it may seem like just a trend, sponsorships and brand ambassadors have actually undergone quite the evolution to get to the modern-day influencer. Plus, according to a recent PwC survey, 39% of people say that social networks provide the main inspiration for purchases; so whatever these influencers are posting is clearly working.

    So how did we get here?

    Good question.

    As consumers, we instinctively want to make informed decisions, so we look for advice to aid us in choosing the right option. Who we are looking to and how we receive that recommendation have changed over time to accommodate the changing landscape of information.

    Celebrities were the original “influencers.” Seeing someone in Hollywood donning a new brand turns heads without even trying, and to hear them personally advocate for a product is even more influential. Celebrity endorsements inspire people to emulate their favorite stars and hone in on the admiration we feel towards them. It is commonly thought that if someone of high status uses a product it signifies the quality.

    Celebrities are human too, though, and when it boils down to it, how much do they really know about fitness equipment, or vitamins, or teeth whitening treatments? So, we eventually turned to the experts for validation. The term “expert” is used loosely here as these influencers vary from certified professionals to someone with a specific interest in a topic such as travel, food, or fitness.

    Regardless of their working title, they are people with experience in a field and an opinion valued by a large following. Consumers take experts’ sponsorships more seriously because they have the knowledge to justify why they choose those products or services. It only makes sense to seek a personal trainer’s advice on fitness equipment, a nutritionist’s opinion on your daily Vitamin C intake, and who doesn’t want to hear 9 out of 10 dentists recommend that teeth whitener?

    Ultimately, admiration and expertise are impactful factors in making a smart buying decision, but what’s even more persuasive is advice from people we trust. When there is an important choice to make or a tricky situation we need help maneuvering, it’s our friends, family and those close to us that provide the advice we are most likely to act on. For this reason, the microinfluencer was born. Microinfluencers have a smaller, but reliable and dedicated following. Readers are able to ask questions and can expect a genuine and timely response. Though they may not reach as many people as experts or celebrities, they have major power in swaying readers’ decisions.

    So what does this mean for us?

    For public relations professionals, this evolution of the influencer is something that directly affects our day-to-day work. We are expected to be knowledgeable about this subject and to have a plan of attack for our clients. Blogger and influencer campaigns can be hugely successful for a brand if carried out correctly, and there are different ways to do so.

    One approach is a self-managed campaign; the PR pros manually run the activation from start to finish. You and your team will decide what influencers will partake, the theme of their posts, the length of the partnership, and will have far more control in the messaging and quality of their content. This type of campaign is precisely targeted to key demographics and often produces exceptional reader engagement. One of the biggest, if not THE biggest benefit from this kind of activation is the opportunity to connect with these influencers and build a relationship. Of course, we want solid content to present to our clients, but beyond that, public relations relies on connecting with people and finding new ways to reach our audiences.

    Fostering a working relationship with influencers can open doors for future opportunities and create an ally in someone who has perspective from both a customer and a media standpoint. While it does require more time and energy to execute a manual campaign on the PR side, the results can be convincing.

    The second option is to use an influencer marketing platform that will pair your brand with a group of bloggers or social influencers to push out content. The third-party typically handles all the logistics and communication with the influencers and will update you with batches of coverage. This method is helpful in reaching a large mass of people in a short amount of time with little effort required from you. It may also help you to rest easy knowing that the quality of influencers on these platforms is still pretty high.

    In my experience, I’ve even seen some of the bloggers I’ve worked with for a manual campaign pop up and write content for a platform activation for the same client, which was reassuring to see that these third-party influencer companies are doing their due diligence to find influencers that fit the brand.

    So which is better, you ask? Both…and neither… It really depends on your client and what your goals are for the campaign. Manual initiatives offer more control over all aspects of the activation and can be a good fit for more technical announcements or things that require a more thorough explanation, but they can also be very demanding and need to be kept well-organized.  

    Using an influencer platform can ensure viewership and help generate buzz during a lull in news. It all comes down to knowing your client needs and most importantly, adapting to the times and working with today’s influencers in the most effective way possible. Influencers have adapted to consumers, and now it is time for public relations professionals to adapt with influencers.

    Matter

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  • How to Create a Successful Video for the Healthcare Industry

    How to Create a Successful Video for the Healthcare Industry

    All the usual principles of creating an impactful video — such as authenticity, clear storytelling, lively pacing and compelling visuals — apply to healthcare, but there are also a few industry-specific tips we’ve cultivated over our years of shooting videos with healthcare organizations. Follow these tips to avoid common pitfalls and land on a final product that’s all the more effective.

    Avoid Medical Jargon

    Let’s start with an organizational overview video (which should be priority #1!). When describing your organization and its mission it’s best to steer clear of any potentially confusing medical terms and or technical jargon. Instead, strive to foster an emotional bond with your viewers by focusing on how approachable, personable and compassionate the organization is. This is a story that is best told through your people, and that should appear consistent from the C-suite to reception. The trust and warmth you establish with your prospects, partners and the industry at large will serve as the stalwart foundation for every other message you share with them.

    …Unless You’re Creating Long Form Content

    Once you have your high-level overview video completed and you’ve established the human side of your brand, video is a great option to delve deeper into specific clinical, regulatory, or technical topics. Still, keep a conversational tone and consider using on-screen text or motion graphics to reinforce the spoken word and improve information retention. And as always, keep the videos as short as possible.

    Proactively Address the Anxieties of Your Prospects

    Your viewers are likely watching your video because they’re looking to solve a problem, whether it is related to their personal health or the health of their organization. Take their most common anxieties or concerns and incorporate reassuring responses into the messaging and visuals of your video. Take a step outside of your organization, product or service and put yourself into the shoes of those you want the video to resonate with. This will help foster that emotional bond we talked about earlier.

    Account for the Perspective of All Key Players

    The most compelling, well rounded stories often include the voices of medical professionals and the patients or people they impact; not just one or the other. This isn’t exclusive to just physicians and patients, it could be a doctor and a nurse or an executive and a network administrator or a medical assistant and a pharmacist. The point is that each side speaks to entirely different aspects of your messaging strategy, which together can form a more cohesive, complete and impactful picture. People relate to the experiences of others wearing similar shoes, but they also benefit greatly from the perspectives of their bosses, caregivers, partners, etc.

    Healthcare Workers are Busy and Often have Unpredictable Schedules

    It seems obvious, but I can’t count the number of times we’ve had healthcare-focused interviews nixed at the last minute. This is particularly true for physicians, who are often on call or must attend to emergencies.  We’ve learned from experience to always schedule our subjects when they’re least likely to be called in, and we always have a plan B,C and D, just in case. 

    We hope these tips help you produce even more engaging and impactful healthcare videos for your organization. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, and happy shooting!

    Gabe Gerzon

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  • Value-Based Healthcare Needs Value-Based Public Relations

    Value-Based Healthcare Needs Value-Based Public Relations

    The concept of “value” is something that is very much top of mind right now in the healthcare industry. Many of our clients are trying to define, express and establish their value proposition with prospects and key stakeholders. Many are trying to answer whether or not they are ready for the impending shift to value-based care. All this rumination about value inspired us to give some thought to our own value, as healthcare-focused PR practitioners, and the overall value of PR in healthcare.

    At the most basic level, our value to healthcare organizations is defined by our ability to illuminate their organizational significance and differentiators to key stakeholders, and the industry at large. More specifically, what we offer boils down to the amount of quality coverage and or content we can help to generate around the themes that matter most to you. While quantity is important, quality is also key. Our role as communication specialists is to deliver results that map back to our clients’ business goals and help to achieve them. Today, the power of healthcare PR can help organizations cut through the densely populated and extremely competitive space, and improve the bottom line.

    As anyone reading this likely knows, healthcare is in a constant state of flux. Whether hospital, health network, technology vendor, insurer, retailer or patient, the longstanding “roles” of healthcare organizations and individuals are evolving and the lines are blurring at a rapid rate. While continued change is all but certain, many questions remain regarding the future of healthcare. The shifting sands make it more important than ever to plant your brand flag and establish your organization’s value in a clear, concise and differentiated way. Enter public relations – but not just any public relations.

    If you are thinking about upping your PR game and working with an agency partner, here are a few things you should keep top of mind to ensure you get the greatest value for your investment:

    1. Trust is everything

    Not only is it imperative for you to put trust in your PR team to do the job you’re putting in front of them, but trust them as your partner and an extension of your team. At Matter, we strive to immerse our healthcare teams into our clients’ respective industries. Supporting a diverse portfolio of healthcare clients requires and results in a deep knowledge of the industry as a whole. This helps us to clearly understand where your organization fits in the jigsaw puzzle that is healthcare. We work diligently to learn not only what your company is offering customers but how your company works, its culture and the talent behind the products and or services. It’s important to make sure your agency team is a trusted extension of your internal communications, marketing and leadership group.

    2. Depth of knowledge and media savvy

    The healthcare field is extremely crowded and competitive. Without the right strategy and support, it is very easy to spin your wheels and get lost in the crowd. One of the best ways to break through the noise is by working with respected media and industry influencers. Partnering with a PR agency can help your organization build its reputation by demonstrating subject matter expertise, bringing new compelling ideas to events, shaping industry narrative and showcasing your company as a thought leader. It is all about making the right relationships and telling the right stories to the right people. Because we are deep in healthcare, we are well equipped to propose and explore a bevy of trends and media relationships to identify the stories that will resonate with the media that matters most to you and your stakeholders.

    3. Measure what matters

    If done correctly, PR can help drive traffic to your website and ultimately assist with your businesses’ financial success. It can help with direct lead generation, partnerships, fundraising, crisis and any number of things tied to public perception and awareness. When working with an agency, there needs to be a very clear and shared understanding of the overarching goals or value that you hope to achieve. There is an old stigmatism that PR is not measurable and, while it’s not always black and white, we have tools put into place that allow us to measure our success as a team and how it is impacting your business. At the end of the day, we want to get you in front of the right audience to impact the key performance indicators that are most important to your organization.

    4. A trusted and proactive advisor

    By choosing the right PR agency, you are not only choosing a partner and extension of your team but a trusted advisor. This means communications should be two-way. While you will often take the onus of telling your agency what to do, the right partner should also be willing to proactively suggest timely communications and strategies based on what they are seeing in the market. This is particularly important in healthcare, where there are so many evolving rules and regulations. Your agency should be constantly learning and tracking shifts in the industry and proactively flagging news of consequence and or value to your organization. Regardless of the situation – whether it’s a crisis, expansion, acquisition, etc., — your PR agency should be ready to assist in any scenario by providing sound messaging and advice based on the latest happenings in the industry.

    As we continue to contemplate “value” in healthcare, public relations will continue to play an essential role helping healthcare organizations maintain a positive and innovative reputation. While every industry can undoubtedly benefit from a strong PR program and or partner, the stakes seem particularly high in healthcare right now. When looking for the right PR partner for your healthcare organization, make sure they know and are passionate about your industry and organization. Ask yourself if you trust their guidance and depth of knowledge, and make sure they are accountable to the measures that are most important to the success of your brand.

     

    If you are giving any thought to your PR program in 2018, you should definitely check out some of Matter’s other healthcare specific posts like “Health Tech Influencers Worth Watching.”

     

    Interested in learning more about Matter’s healthcare practice and how we may be able to assist your business? Contact us today.

     

     

    Matter

  • Employees vs. Influencers: Are They Really That Different?

    Employees vs. Influencers: Are They Really That Different?

    Leveraging social influencers is a common strategy to help boost brand awareness. Using their social platforms, influencers help spread the word about a particular product or brand campaign via photos, videos and personal anecdotes. As a result, brands reach a new audience in hopes to garner more brand fans.

    Though influencer programs are commonly associated with consumer clients, business to business (B2B) companies shouldn’t rule out the strategy. In fact, B2B companies would be surprised to learn that they need to look no further than their own employees to help catapult their brand in their respective industry.

    Employees as Brand Advocates

    Our B2B clients have employees who are widely known as thought leaders and innovators in the spaces they operate in. Through the many conferences and tradeshows they attend and speak at, executives are able to organically build their professional network and make connections with similar leaders. By meeting in a professional setting, the majority of the connections executives make via their personal social channels are probably similar to the connections the company is striving to reach on their corporate channels.

    However, with their busy schedules, it’s likely (and justifiably so) that the last thing on executives’ minds is their LinkedIn profile. Sure, they accept connection requests every so often, but are they sharing company news or industry trends? Businesses must view their employees’ social presence (or lack thereof) as an opportunity to grow brand awareness, and an excellent starting platform is LinkedIn.

    Leveraging LinkedIn to Increase Brand Awareness

    As of April 2017, LinkedIn now claims 500 million registered users, with two new members joining the site every second. While the platform used to be thought of as primarily a job recruitment network, it’s now more widely used amongst company leaders and executives to drive conversation with others in their respective industry around trends they’re seeing, new industry data or to share opinion pieces, just to name a few uses. As a company, it’s important to demonstrate to your employees how they can join the conversations and also start their own. By developing personal content and engaging with like-minded professionals on LinkedIn, your employees can amplify their profiles and help boost overall brand awareness.

    Before beginning content discussions, it’s important to make sure that executive profiles are streamlined and appeal to the correct audience. Particularly, the headline and summary need to be rich with keywords specific to their profession as they’re the first two sections LinkedIn members read. For the headline, instead of the executive’s current title, they should highlight key areas of interest and expertise to quickly catch the eye of potential new connections.

    Because LinkedIn works like a search engine, including SEO keywords in the headline also makes it easier for executives to be found in relevant searches. Then, their summary should provide a high-level overview of their unique specialties to help paint the picture of their successful career path. The summary can also highlight personal interests, especially if those interests happen to connect with their career of choice. For example, a Chief Marketing Officer might be inclined to share that they’re passionate about storytelling and digging into market research.

    Not every executive performs the same job or has the same interests in the industry, so setting personalized content objectives is important. This not only helps the executive reach connections on a more personal level, but with each executive generating different content, the company is also able to show off its wide range of skills. Content can range from sharing articles about the company to future-thinking industry articles, such as autonomous vehicle predictions or where artificial intelligence will be in twenty years, depending on their line of work.

    Additionally, executives have the option to create articles themselves around any topic that is of interest to them, rather than only sharing external links. These articles are similar to blog posts and appear on LinkedIn Pulse where others have the option to begin following that person to view future stories. Alongside posting on their own pages, it’s important for executives to make new connections – whether that’s with other people in the industry or with relevant LinkedIn groups. Of course, posting regular content and executing new relationships is time consuming, so there are platforms that can help guide your employees to post the most appropriate content for your brand.

    Employee Advocacy Platforms

    To ensure all employees can become brand advocates, there are tools that make it easier for employees to share content on an ongoing basis.For example, Bambu is an employee advocacy platform that businesses can instate for their employees to make it easier for them to amplify their brand’s reach across social networks. Bambu allows any employee with access to the platform to draft suggested posts for sharing across LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to then be shared by their colleagues.

    While Bambu gives employees the option to draft content, with other content readily available, it cuts out creation time and encourages employees to post more frequently. Other platforms, such as Sociabble and Trapit, offer similar services to help make brand advocacy a company-wide initiative.

    A Comprehensive Social Media Approach = Business Success

    Overall, initiating employees as brand advocates ends up benefiting the business as well as the employee. By providing social counsel, businesses have the opportunity to reach a wider audience through employees’ channels and employees may also grow their professional network and skillset.

    Keeping up with industry trends and maintaining a social presence is just as important for businesses as it is for their employees, and a cohesive business approach to utilizing social media can help everyone increase their awareness and become more engaged.

    Want to talk more social? Get in touch.

    Matter

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  • What’s New in the World of Social Media? 1.12.18

    What’s New in the World of Social Media? 1.12.18

    The constantly evolving world of social media is ever-changing and marketers, business owners and even the daily Facebook user should be aware of the updates. Make sure you are subscribed to our blog to get the monthly news and updates on all things social media sent right to your inbox. Let’s see what happened this past month.

     

    Hit the Snooze on Facebook

    On December 15th, Facebook launched a new feature they call the “Snooze” button. According to TechCrunch, the option, available via the top-right dropdown menu on a post, will hide any content from a person, page or group for 30 days. Snooze joins a number of actions that users can take to control their News Feed. Unfollow, report, hide and see first are other options Facebook gives their users to customize their page and experience.

     

    Hashtags Can Be Followed Like Handles on Instagram

    Hashtags, which have long been used to group together conversations around a particular topic, can now be followed in the exact same way that users follow an account. Clicking on a hashtag now brings users to a screen that provides the option to follow the tag; after doing so, users will see top content associated with that hashtag in their feed, the same way they would from a friend or from a company.

     

    Instagram Adds Two New Ways to Save Stories

    Good news for Instagram users who sometimes wish their Story would stick around a little longer. Thanks to a recent Instagram update, Stories will now be automatically saved to users’ private archives after they expire. Users will also have the option to re-share those Stories on the platform, either as standalone posts or through the new Stories Highlights feature.

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    25 Million Businesses (and counting) are on Instagram

    According to Adweek, in 2016, Instagram began testing business profiles. They became available in the United States in June, and globally later that year. Today, 25 million businesses have joined and are actively using the platform. Adweek also notes that Facebook released data showing that more than 80% of users follow at least one business, and that 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile per day. This growth further proves that brands, especially consumer brands, need to be present on Instagram.

     

    Facebook Tests Mass Brand Messages for Messenger

    Facebook Messenger, the standalone app for chatting through Facebook, is the third-most-used app in the U.S., but isn’t a big revenue source (yet) for the social network. Facebook’s long-term goal for Messenger is to have it serve as the main conduit between consumers and businesses, but so far, that’s mostly been on the custom service front. According to Social Times, they’re now testing a way for brands to send mass messages, with a paid component allowing those companies to reach more users. In an effort to prevent spam, businesses would only be allowed to message users who have already opened a thread with them.

     

    LinkedIn Tries TV Advertising

    Oprah’s speech got most of the attention coming out of the Golden Globes, and understandably so. However, those in the social media world also noticed another interesting thing. LinkedIn took out a spot during the awards show, and the creative direction of that ad was all the more intriguing. As Social Times observes, the ad was careful to show people from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds, which indicates that LinkedIn is trying to position itself as a network for all people of all professions.

     

    Facebook Dealing with Fake News

    In the wake of the 2016 election, Facebook has taken quite a few steps to tamp down on the disinformation and ‘fake news’ that made waves last year. As some may remember, one of Facebook’s ideas as to how they could solve this was to mark controversial articles as disputed and bump them down in the feed. In addition to that, Facebook has now started floating additional articles next to the ones in question as a way to add context and give users more information. According to Adweek, an information button has been added to selected articles. When clicked, this feature will bring up related articles that allow users to make an “informed decision” on the content they are seeing.

     

    Want to talk social media for your brand? Contact us today.

    Matter

  • What Really Counts As News?

    What Really Counts As News?

    You know you have to keep the drumbeat going.

    Luckily, you have plenty to talk about. Soon your company will be launching a new flagship product, showing it off at a major tradeshow and conducting a series of introductory webinars. What’s more, you’ve been told the case studies you’ve amassed could make for an excellent whitepaper, and your advice is solicited so often you’re thinking of starting a blog on Medium.

    You are your PR team’s dream, and you know it.

    Naturally you put in an order for no fewer than six press releases for the next three months. And you’re baffled when the PR team says, “Oh, um…No.”

    Why “No”?

    Almost all brand milestones can be leveraged for coverage or content development, but that doesn’t mean they all warrant press releases. “Why the hell not?!” you ask. “These are huge developments for our company!”

    Yes, they are. But yours is not the only company out there making strides, and yours is definitely not the only company your favorite journalists will be hearing about during any single hour.

    Press releases are a valuable method of communicating significant milestones in a clear, organized fashion. But, there are other ways to give your company’s news a chance to shine without forcing it to compete on an uneven playing field.

    Let’s take a look at some of your options:

    Great for press releases.

    These milestones convey prominence, authority and growth. They cement your company’s place in your industry.

    • Major client wins
    • New products
    • New partnerships
    • Major new initiatives or causes
    • Significant hires
    • Awards
    Great for media alerts.

    These milestones aren’t significant enough to knock anyone off the front page, but their urgency still warrants some timely attention from the media.

    • New/re-designed websites
    • Event participation/attendance
    • Webinars or seminars
    • Major product promotions
    • Annual reports
    • eBooks or whitepapers

    Great for proactive pitching or contributed content.

    These milestones are best suited for informing more in-depth coverage, or positioning your company as a formidable competitor.

    • New case studies
    • New comparison data
    • Event-related insights
    • Industry insights/newsjacking
    Great for social sharing and direct customer engagement.

    Advanced targeting allows you to connect your audiences to the elements of your brand that mean the most to them.

    • Employee highlights
    • Client/customer highlights
    • Brand/team/product images
    • Product promotions
    • Common customer questions
    • Recruiting efforts

    It’s 2017, of course, so that’s hardly the end of it. Your news might be better in a compelling video. Your data could live as an easy-to-grasp infographic. Your annual report could be divided into gifs and blog posts. The possibilities are actually endless, with the right creative team at your side. Just remember to keep your expectations for results in check, no matter what you’re announcing, or how.

    Don’t force yourself into a single communicative box. Recognize that there are different types of news, which can all be designed and re-purposed to meet the needs of different types of audiences. It may seem complicated, but your efforts will produce results that are well-rounded, far-reaching, and key to your company’s growth.

    Vanessa Boynton

    ,

  • Three Ways to Ensure Top Tier Visual Content During a Photo/Video Production

    Three Ways to Ensure Top Tier Visual Content During a Photo/Video Production

    You have a client production locked-in, with actors, gear and your team ready to go. Many times, a production can already be an ever-changing game of tetris, and adding any more tasks to the table or cooks to the kitchen can make-or-break an otherwise smooth day. How could you possible try to squeeze another layer onto an already super booked production day?

    With a little organization, you could utilize what is already happening on set and capture some content gold to promote different areas of your business. Here are three tips to help you succeed:

     

    #1: The Beauty Shots (Marketing)

     

    Let’s take a recent production with client, Sea Cuisine, that was a photography-centric shoot for their new packaging and branding. In order to capture additional content we had to be efficient, so we broke everything into studio “pods.” Pod #1 was in the kitchen, capturing all of the cooking/styling action. Pod #2 was our content priority, capturing the final stylized plates. And last but not least, Pod #3 was our “action” set. We had two models who interacted in different scenes working with a variety of products. Each pod had someone stylizing the food, the set for the plated dishes, and directing actors in different scenes. Ultimately, organizing things around the priority Pod #2 (beauty shots of the full plates) as well as combining pro photography and videography in each pod, we were able to get a ton of valuable mileage out of each dish.

     

    /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <h1><b>#2: The Behind the Scenes Shots (for Insight)</b></h1> <p> </p> <p><span style=Often Marketing Directors need to justify the spend of a production, so a “Behind the Scenes” recap can help provide a platform to do just that. Whether you are able to station individual videographers or photographers to capture content alongside the production, or you have someone to float getting different shots, there is a lot of mileage to be found in having an extra, dedicated camera.  Behind the Scenes content can be used in many ways both for your company and brand such as:

    • A custom reel (like a short video case study) showing off your creative process and end results.
    • A teaser for all the good things to come.
    • Blooper reels (these are always fun!)

    Check out this reel we made mixing some behind the scenes and final footage from the shoot:

     

     

     

    #3: The Social Media Shots (for Engagement)

     

    Maybe you don’t have the the additional hands or cameras to capture a lot of extra professional content, but everyone has a smartphone! Have the extra team members on set take pictures of what is going on; putting sets together, models getting hair and makeup done, putting gear and rigs together, and snap a picture of the actual production happening. This is a great way to engage with your audience via Instagram feeds that day. Who doesn’t like a boomerang? Your social media followers will feel involved in the process of all the good things to come, and be excited about it!

    Check these out at @seacuisinemeals

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    All-in-all, there’s never enough content you can capture, and there’s a lot of mileage to come from any production. Keep in mind these three tips to ensure you’re creating a content gold mine.

    Ready to work with our award-winning creative team?

    Fill out the form below to schedule a free strategy call with our team.



     

     

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