• Guide to Analyst Relations: Part 1

    Guide to Analyst Relations: Part 1

    As most tech marketers know, analyst relations are an important part of a 360 degree program. Analysts have their finger on the pulse of some of the most innovative technologies available today and their purpose is two-fold: 

    • Help companies position and brand their products through better understanding the competitive (vendor) landscape.
    • Help to educate key decision makers (buyers!), investors and reporters on the best solutions and technologies out there. A favorable write up or ranking in an important industry report can really move the needle.

    The Landscape

    There is a wide variety of analyst firms out there – ranging from the giants like Gartner to one- or two-man boutique shops that focus on a very specific industry/industry segment. Either way, when analyst relations are done right, companies have the chance to differentiate themselves from competition, grow their presence within their industry and sell. 

    But depending on where a company is in its evolution, each has a unique value prop and can serve a purpose in a variety of different ways.

    Don’t feel like your messaging is completely buttoned up? Start with a smaller firm that is more likely to provide feedback on your deck and presentation.

    Want to make the most of an executive’s time spent on briefings? Many analysts (particularly those at tier 2 firms) also contribute to publications like Forbes and ZDNet (or write their own heavily trafficked blogs). A briefing with one of these folks could potentially result in additional coverage outside of research. 

    Have a slew of customer references and fit the qualifications for a major report like Gartner’s Magic Quadrant? Bring on the Tier 1s!

    But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Building relationships with Tier 2 firms is a solid place to start any analyst relations program. 

    Tier 2: Specialized Boutiques 

    We get asked all the time by clients, “Why are these guys worth our time?” 

    In a word. Yes. 

    As mentioned previously these are the folks who often wear two hats – analyst and contributor/blogger. For instance, Jason Bloomberg is both an analyst for Intellyx – the digital transformation experts – and  a Forbes contributor. Dan Kusnetzky is an analyst for the Kusnetzky Group – an IT focused firm – and previously a writer for ZDNet, Network World and Virtualization & Cloud Review. 

    Further, many smaller firms are hyper-focused on a specific industry, and while they may not have the following of some of the larger firms, they are read by the key decision makers within their particular concentration. Securosis is obviously focused on the cybersecurity space while Machina primarily researches IoT & Big Data. These guys are also usually up for an in-person meeting with your spokesperson if they need some extra love.

    But the best part? You typically don’t have to pay exorbitant subscription fees to get their attention. 

    Either way, the best way to start an analyst relations program is to start. Send a few emails, put out some feelers. You’d be surprised at the amount of traction you can get with a little persistence (AKA friendly stalking). 

    Check out part 2 of this series (coming soon!) for a deep dive into what I like to refer to as “The Big 4” analyst firms in B2B tech!

    Matter

  • Matter Celebrates International Women’s Day 2020

    Matter Celebrates International Women’s Day 2020

    International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality. On that note, this year’s campaign theme is #EachforEqual, because equality is not just a women’s issue, it’s a business issue. Gender equality is essential for economies and communities to thrive, and can help the world to be healthier, wealthier and more harmonious. 

    The race is on for gender equality everywhere – in the boardroom, in government, in media coverage, in the workplace and more – and there are so many great women paving the way for others and chipping away at that ominous glass ceiling each day. So, for this International Women’s Day, Matter’s ERG, the Women Professionals Circle, wanted to highlight women who inspire them both personally and professionally. 

    Robin Roberts

    American TV Broadcaster & Anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America 

    To me, Robin has proven to be one of the strongest women as she battled breast cancer and later a bone marrow disease called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). She shared her journey with both while tackling the day-to-day of Good Morning America and beat both diseases gracefully. I love being greeted by Robin’s smile with my morning coffee and she inspires me every day to get up and be a better person.

    – Emma Gielata 

    Beverly Feinberg

    Former Nurse at Brigham & Women’s Hospital 

    The women in my family inspire me every day. My mother has taught me that you should treat the people in your life with empathy and understanding, and to offer help even if you don’t always receive equal return. I also try to live by the rules of my Great Great Aunt Becky who was sent to America for her participation in a resistance toward anti-Semitic laws in the early 20th century: be fierce, and sometimes, blow things up to create change (figuratively of course!).

    – Alexis Feinberg

    Helen Fallon

    Honors Program Director & Journalism Professor at Point Park University

    From my first day at Point Park University, Helen Fallon was invested in my success. As a professor, she challenged me to become a better writer. As a boss, she allowed me to lead projects with confidence and work with a diverse group of fellow students. Through her nonprofit, The Fallon Travel Fund, I was able to travel to New York City, Washington D.C., and Italy with my some of my best friends while learning and experiencing wonderful things. Throughout my time at Point Park, Helen became not only a mentor to me, but a friend as well. She has supported every project, internship, and job offer that has come my way. She has offered advice and support at every turn as I’ve navigated the start of my career and I consider meeting her a privilege.  

    – Beth Turnbull

    Christina Bruen

    Former Executive Director of International Education at Umass Dartmouth

    Last fall, my mother retired after a successful career in higher education, most recently as the Executive Director of International Education at Umass Dartmouth. While I’ve always greatly admired my mom personally, it wasn’t until I attended the retirement party that her colleagues threw her that I fully understood the magnitude of her impact professionally. Her colleagues, peers and students spoke of her utmost professionalism, her kind heart, her work ethic and her insatiable desire to keep learning. It’s one thing to think your mom is a super woman, it’s another to realize that others think so too. As my sisters and I stood around listening, we reflected that our mother’s legacy was not only felt in her professional community, but also reflected in each of us. As a single mom, she always put us first, but also worked hard to carve a professional life for herself – rising to be well respected in her field and in the community. To say that she paved the way for us, as a feminist, an executive and as a mother, would be an understatement; we each are working mothers and successful professionals in our respected field. (And I’m the only one without my masters – what a slacker!)

    – Laura Peck

    Elexis Schroder

    Founder, SchroderHaus Marketing Communications

    This International Women’s Day, I’d like to shout out Elexis Schroder, someone I truly admire. She’s a mentor, kick-butt communications professional, business owner, mom and friend – and she does it all with a smile on her face. When I met E, I was a PR student with no agency experience, and she took me under her wing to show me the ropes, ultimately leading me to my career at an agency, and specifically, at Matter. Thank you Elexis, for teaching me what it’s like to be a strong and confident woman and PR professional.

    – Dani Kraycik

    Nicole “Nikki” Eaton

    Group Director, Digital Marketing Solutions, Epsilon

    My sister is hands-down the most inspirational female to me and has been a role-model my entire life. She gives her all to everything and finds ways to manage her personal and professional life flawlessly. Not only does she have a senior level position at a large organization, she also has two young active children, she finds the time to dedicate to her physical and mental well-being on a daily basis, and somehow is still able to attend every family event and friend gathering throughout the year! Admiration, inspiration and appreciation are just some of the words that come to mind when I think of Nikki.

    – Danielle Conlin

    Lisa King

    Public Relations Executive and Actress, New York

    Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by the women I’ve worked alongside, but my very first manager left a deep impression on me. My first job out of college was at a boutique PR agency in New York City, where I was lucky enough to have a manager who believed in me and led by example. She was enthusiastic, respected and confident, and showed me the value of hard work.  We are still in touch years later and she was even one of my references when I applied to Matter. Thank you, Lisa, for your sparks of energy!

    – Jill Gross

    Matter

  • Three Trends to Watch Coming Out of Together Digital 2020

    Three Trends to Watch Coming Out of Together Digital 2020

    That’s a wrap on this year’s Together Digital 2020 Kickoff Meetup! Created in 2016 by Founder, Alaina Shearer, Together Digital, is an organization dedicated to accelerating the advancement and growth of women in digital by giving them the most powerful tool in their arsenal: one another.

    I had the opportunity to attend this year’s conference on behalf of Matter to hear women from all facets of the digital industry — including software engineers, digital/data analysts, UX/UI designers, lifestyle influencers, digital marketers and web strategists — put forth some insights on what we can expect in the marketing and public relations industry in 2020. Below are a few themes and trends that stood out this year:

    #1: Privacy

    Have you noticed you need to accept terms and conditions on most new website that you visit? That is not going away, says Marilee Yorchak (Executive Director, Digital Analytics Association). California has already adopted GDPR standards and 19 other states will follow them by the end of 2020. Make sure your company policies are compliant.

    #2: Rise of Micro Influencers

    According to Gabriella Wesley (Marketing & Communications Manager + Influencer), big brands are moving away from using their entire influencer budget on the Kardashians of the world. Instead, they are pivoting to micro influencers or those with up to 10,000 followers to drive impact and spread their spend. In addition, they are picking these micro influencers in markets like Denver, Portland and Austin – rather than in New York City or Los Angeles – to reach their target audiences in a more authentic way.

    #3: Ethics & Data

    Personalized content continues to perform at a high level but think about how much data those new algorithms need. Understanding the ethics of data and design are critical to prevent mismanagement (and avoid potential lawsuits) according to Jill Farley (Senior Web Strategist and UX Architect, Palantir.net). For example, how much info on a doctor’s appointment form is TOO much? Share the minimum of what you need to in order to protect your data and know where it’s going.

    That’s our take on the trends coming out of Together Digital. What trends or developments at the conference stood out to you this year? Let me know.

    Matter

  • Takeaways from RSA Conference 2020

    Takeaways from RSA Conference 2020

    Spectacular sunny blue skies greeted the 36,000 plus attendees at this year’s RSA Conference (RSAC) in San Francisco, the 25th annual gathering of the global cybersecurity industry and vendor community. And throughout the week, the weather remained gorgeous and the mood upbeat and energizing.

    Despite COVID-19, otherwise known as the 2019 coronavirus, which prompted major brands like AT&T, IBM and Verizon to withdraw from this year’s conference and the city of San Francisco to declare a state of emergency, RSA 2020 went on as planned, although attendance was understandably down about 20 percent from last year.

    The theme of this year’s conference, “The Human Element” proved to be extremely fitting, if not downright prescient.

    The keynotes, including We the People: Democratizing Security given by Wendy Nather, Head of Advisory CISOs at Duo Security (now Cisco), focused heavily on the role that we as humans play in cybersecurity. 

    Five Matter clients attended, including Attivo Networks, Auth0, Egress, Sectigo and Perimeter 81. Marketing and technical team members from three of these clients made the trek from the UK and Israel. These clients collectively took home a major prize haul, garnering an impressive 23 industry awards from leading organizations including SC Magazine, Cyber Defense Magazine, Info Security Products Guide, Cybersecurity Go To Market Dojo, Info Security. Three clients were featured in CSO’s Hottest new cybersecurity products at RSA Conference 2020 article, some rather rare editorial real estate given the hundreds of new products and solutions unveiled during RSAC 2020. 

    Overall, media presence was fairly strong, but like overall attendance, seemed to have taken a dip from previous years. This may or may not be a function of the coronavirus fears, but rather the continued media consolidation, cost cutting and many moving to a paid model for content and video assets. Feedback our teams received ahead of time from press and analysts indicated that the sheer size of RSAC has become a bit of a turn-off for some. Industry analysts seemed to outnumber reporters and editors and many of the attending reporters spent most of their time in the keynotes, breakout sessions and reporting on news at RSAC and elsewhere from the press room. During my two full days of the show I don’t recall seeing many editors walking the show floor other than for scheduled meetings with vendors. And one veteran cybersecurity journalist told us that during his four full days at RSAC, he spent a total of 45 minutes on the show floor. 

    Whether this was an anomaly or the shape of things to come, we’re inclined to find out. Matter is planning a “Media Pulse” follow-up poll to provide deeper and broader perspective on media attendance and feedback of the event overall. Stay tuned for those details.

    Other observations, takeaways and noteworthy points: 

    • Major kudos to the entire RSAC team. What is normally a several month grind in planning and preparation was undoubtedly ratcheted up this year given the coronavirus. RSAC communicated early and often – and highly effectively – to update attendees on the situation and precautions that attendees needed to be taking.
    • The lobbies at the St. Regis, Four Seasons and the W hotels were among the places to be. Each was a constant beehive of activity with meet-ups taking place from early morning straight through until evening. Many vendors reported using this space to augment or in lieu of a show floor exhibit.
    • As usual, evening cocktail receptions and parties such as the Security Marcom event at Thirsty Bear, Margarita Monday@RSAC!, the Cyber Risk Alliance at the Keystone and the annual SC Magazine Awards dinner were once again oversubscribed and gave RSAC attendees a chance to let loose once the sun went down.
    • At the keynotes, breakouts and booths, popular topics of discussion included diversity and inclusion, but also privacy, machine learning and artificial intelligence, DevSecOps, secure access service edge (SASE), policy and government, applied crypto and blockchain. And, for the first time, open source tools, product security and anti-fraud got their moment to shine.
    • Finally, congrats to SECURITI.ai, which was named RSA Conference 2020’s “Most Innovative Startup” by a panel of expert judges during the fifteenth annual RSAC Innovation Sandbox. They will be a company to watch in future years.

    Given the sheer size of RSAC, we have only scratched the surface here on event highlights. What would you add to this list?

    Tim Hurley

  • Matter Communications Acquires Calypso, a Marketing and Branding Agency in Portsmouth, NH

    Matter Communications Acquires Calypso, a Marketing and Branding Agency in Portsmouth, NH

    Strategic Expansion into New Hampshire’s Seacoast Marks Matter’s 7th Office Nationwide

    BOSTON – March 3, 2020 – Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in public relations, social media, creative services, and digital marketing — today announced its strategic acquisition of Calypso, a Marketing and Branding Agency based in Portsmouth, NH. Calypso has a 20-year history of serving worldwide clients in several high-profile industries, including the energy, finance, and healthcare sectors.

    Matter’s latest acquisition adds a seventh office nationally — the fourth in New England — and provides a viable pathway into the burgeoning business community along the New Hampshire Seacoast. In addition to reaching new clients in the region and nationwide, Matter’s new Portsmouth office presents an opportunity to attract local PR, marketing, and creative professionals to support the agency’s sustained growth.

    “Calypso has long been a crown jewel in Portsmouth’s thriving public relations and marketing community, and it’s exciting to welcome this highly-skilled team to our agency,” said Matter Founder and CEO Scott Signore. “I’m equally thrilled to provide their diverse clients with an expanded set of PR and social media services as well as a much broader geographic reach. Calypso’s PR, branding, and web design professionals perfectly complement Matter’s award-winning integrated marketing team,” Signore added.

    Immediately, Calypso clients will have full access to Matter’s significant agency resources, including experts in PR and social strategy and execution, as well as skilled videographers, designers, and digital marketers. Additionally, they will benefit from collaborative resources across Matter’s offices nationwide.

    “Calypso’s core competency will strengthen Matter’s go-to-market approach as a provider of fully-integrated programs for businesses in all categories,” said Calypso Founder Kevin Stickney. “Our work will fit seamlessly with Matter’s expertise in messaging, public relations, and social media,” noted Calypso Managing Partner Houssam Aboukhater. “Working together gives us the opportunity to offer prospects and clients more robust and comprehensive programs.”

    Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

    To learn more about Matter’s new Portsmouth office, click here.

    About Matter Communications

    Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency, unifying public relations, social media, creative services and digital marketing to create strategic, content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with seven 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, visit matternow.com.

     

    Contact

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    Sara Pudvelis, 978-518-4535

    [email protected]

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