• Matter Announces Six Senior Leadership Appointments to Support Rapid Growth

    Integrated Agency’s Strategic Promotions Help Bolster Employee Experiences and Client Expansions Across Key Healthcare, B2B Technology, Consumer and Startup Verticals.

    BOSTON – October 26, 2021 – Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy — announces six strategic senior leadership appointments to individuals driving key growth verticals for the integrated agency.

    As businesses continue to emerge from 2020’s setbacks, seeking new solutions to connect with evolving audience landscapes, integrated approaches to marketing and communications programs are increasingly top-of-mind for global corporations and small businesses alike.

    To help support growing demand for PR and marketing services, recruit top industry talent and create robust leadership opportunities for the agency, the key appointments include:

    Anne Lines to General Manager of Matter East, where she’ll oversee all four east coast offices: Boston and Newburyport, MA, Providence, RI, and Pittsburgh, PA.

    Vanessa Boynton Taylor to General Manager of Precision, where she’ll continue to drive Matter’s division dedicated to growing brands and startups.

    Ryan Lilly to General Manager of Matter Health, where he’ll focus on growing the agency’s booming healthcare practice across key and emerging verticals. Paul Berthiaume has been elevated to Vice President of the group, where he’ll support Ryan in managing new and existing healthcare programs and growth initiatives.

    Jesse Ciccone to Executive Vice President, where he’ll continue to manage marquee B2B tech programs and lead select strategic agency projects.

    Danielle Conlin to VP of Human Resources, where she’ll continue to drive talent acquisition and positive employee experiences through workplace culture, competitive benefits and training/resource programs.

    “These leadership promotions recognize the outstanding contributions by each individual in creating a positive professional experience for employees and clients alike,” said Scott Signore, Principal and CEO of Matter. “It is not only a testament to their respective roles in our agency’s growth and success, but an acknowledgement of the confidence we have in all of them helping us further grow our business as a PR and marketing partner with whom brands want to work with and employees want to work for.”

    For more information about joining Matter’s award-winning team, see the full list of open career opportunities.

    With +225 professionals across offices in Boston and Newburyport, MA, Providence, RI, Pittsburgh, PA, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR, Matter is one of the fastest-growing PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy firms in the country. Recently named to Forbes List of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021, Matter has won 14 “Agency of the Year” accolades and has been consistently recognized as a top place to work.

    About Matter Communications

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

    Contact
    Matter
    Greg Amaral, 401-330-2800
    [email protected]
    www.matternow.com

    Matter

  • Matter Social Second: October 2021

    Matter Social Second: October 2021

    Welcome to another edition of The Matter Social Second — keeping you informed about what’s trending in social media. This month, our social team shares the most important and impactful social media stories from October.

    Click the headline to see the full story.

    Facebook Launches Reels for US Users

    After being in testing mode since March, Facebook Reels have launched. These short-form videos are a similar format to those on Instagram and TikTok, but include the option to share directly into Facebook groups. Facebook is hoping that their focus on communities will help maximize usage and create focused engagement.

    Instagram Retires IGTV

    Instagram’s IGTV has merged with feed videos to create Instagram Video. This change brings a more streamlined Instagram experience where users can now find video content all in one place. With this change, IGTV Ads are now called Instagram In-Stream video ads.

    Instagram Tests Story Likes

    In what would add another engagement element, Instagram tests likes on stories. Instagram currently offers story reactions which are sent via DM to the creator. Likes would live at the bottom right corner next to the reply message box in place of the share arrow (which would be relocated). This means less story shares and yet another metric to track for brands,

    Instagram Tests Select Story Viewers

    We already know and love the “close friends” feature, which allows you to share a story with a select group of friends. However, the close friends list has limitations – you currently cannot edit the list per story. The new feature would allow you to edit the viewers by selecting/deselecting your specific list for each story you post.

    Twitter for Professionals

    Applications are open for businesses, professionals and creators! The Professional Profile will display business information at the top of the profile in addition to optional shop or newsletter links. The option is expected to expand even further within the next month.

    Twitter Tests Ads in Tweet Replies

    Twitter is in the testing stages of a new advertising feature: ads within threads. These ads would be placed within the first few replies of each tweet which is “right where the conversation is happening”

    Instagram Pauses Launch of Instagram Kids

    Instagram was in the works of launching a kid friendly app called Instagram Kids which would show age appropriate content to tween and teen users. The goal here was to improve teen safety on the platform, but after receiving backlash and concerns, the launch is on pause.

    Need help ironing out more social-media best practices for your brand? Reach out below and our team will be in touch.

    Hannah Osmani

  • THE LATEST + GREATEST FROM MATTER VIDEO + AUDIO: Q3 2021

    THE LATEST + GREATEST FROM MATTER VIDEO + AUDIO: Q3 2021

    Thank you, clients and collaborators! 

    If there’s one thing we’ve learned this quarter, it’s that Rupaul’s Drag Race is essentially untouchable, winning its fourth straight Emmy for Outstanding Competition Program (and sixth for its incomparable host). And that Kate Winslet as Mare of Easttown could easily order a hoagie at Wawa’s without causing a stir. And another thing, if Shang-Chi and What if… are any indication, the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be awesome.  

    And, speaking of awards, the Matter Audio and Virtual Events teams went three for three at the Academy of Visual and Interactive Arts’ W3 Awards for our work producing MassTLC’s On the Tech Trail, Season 2  and the CVS Live Better virtual product launch. Not bad haul for such a prestigious contest! 

    Wait a second… you know what? We’ve actually learned a lot this quarter, in no small part due to the massive projects we had the opportunity to work on. From narrative podcasts to 3D-animated promos, brand anthems to legacy pieces—Q3 was jam packed with amazing clients, new ways of collaborating and output we’re excited to share. Check out our Q3 2021 Video + Audio reel, and scroll down for a few specific pieces we’re especially proud of. 

    https://matter-video-services.wistia.com/medias/tt053wvknh

    Vicarious Surgical’s “More Capable” robotics podcast 

    When Vicarious Surgical approached Matter about PR for their upcoming IPO, their leadership saw the value in tapping as many content channels as possible. So, we all agreed a podcast made perfect sense to drive awareness and brand affinity. The biggest challenge? Timeline. We only had 10 weeks to produce and publish an entire season of a show. Now, our small but mighty original audio team loves producing podcasts, but 10 weeks is a very rapid turnaround for something of this scale, especially while we’re all still working remotely; so, on top of our other projects, we found novel ways to develop concepts, collaborate on scripts and record interviews with roboticists and entrepreneurs. Honestly, the whole process was kind of a blur, but after all that focused effort, we have a three-part robotics podcast that we love. Check it out wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! 

     

    Hitachi X Happy Cow Creamery Case Study

    “You have to keep giving back,” says farmer and Happy Cow Creamery owner Tom Trantham about the reciprocal relationship a farmer must have with nature. He knows firsthand that if you only take and never replenish, eventually the earth just stops giving. But how this plays out isn’t isolated to the individual farmer and his or her plot of land or herd of livestock. No, because while you can’t control nature, you can monitor it and optimize your relationship with it to minimize loss and maximize usable output. And in that way, Hitachi’s Social Innovation program empowers farmers like Tom to survive sustainably. With sensors and other smart technology, Hitachi facilitates human interaction with nature in ways that won’t negatively impact the environment. They call this approach the Internet of Living Things. And we had the privilege of sending a team down to Happy Cow Creamery to learn all about how technology can give back to nature, too. 

    Immersive Labs’ “Global Cyber Exercise” Promo 

    Anybody who works in technology knows that cybersecurity is a hot topic. And many in the cyber industry take the same approach: build a fortress of software around your business and hire a crack IT team to manage it. But Immersive Labs sees defense against cyberthreats a bit differently. To them, a business is only as prepared for the ever-changing nature of threats as the least prepared employee is. So, they offered a free opportunity for businesses worldwide to test the cyber capabilities of all their people, not just the “geeks in the basement,” with their Global Cyber Exercise. In this short but sweet promo, we got to flex our 3D animation muscles. Look out for an extended application of these visuals in the brand anthem we’re currently producing for them. 

    Looking for help with your video marketing strategy or starting your branded podcast? Fill out the form below to schedule a free strategy call with our team.  

    Nick Murray

  • MEDIA ON THE MOVE: September 2021

    MEDIA ON THE MOVE: September 2021

    Although it happens every year, adjusting to a new season can be tough. And adjusting to a new job can be even harder, no matter how long you’ve been in the industry.  

    Similar to September’s shift in weather, there have been major moves across beats within well-known outlets like The New York Times and HuffPost.

    As we transition into fall and look to finish the year strong with top-tier coverage for our clients, here are the media moves to keep a close eye on.  

    Financial Moves:

    • Sabrina Escobar joins Barron’s as the markets and trending news reporter.
    • Meera Jagannathan has been named the inequality editor at MarketWatch and will be responsible for shaping coverage of the financial dimensions of race, identity, and inequality in all forms. 
    • Alyson Shontell will join Fortune as an editor in chief, after wrapping up her position at Business Insider.

    Political Moves:

    • Grave Ashford, at the The New York Times, has been promoted as a reporter covering politics and government from the Albany bureau.
    • Huffpost welcomes Liz Skalka as a politics reporter covering the GOP.
    • Evan Lambert joins NewsNation as their Washington, D.C., correspondent.

    Entertainment Moves:

    • Jessica Cruel, previously the content director of Allure, has been named editor in chief.  
    • Marisa Dellato, previously from the New York Post, joins Forbes as a news desk reporter covering breaking news, arts, and entertainment.
    • Sarah Mosqueda, a popular lifestyle and food writer, joins TimesOC, a news publication by The L.A. Times, as a feature writer. 

    Science Moves:

    • Monisha Ravisetti, recently a science reporter at The Academic Times, joins CNET as a science writer. 
    • The Wall Street Journal welcomes its newest commodities reporter, Hardika Singh, who will be covering energy and metals in Columbus, OH.
    • The Information welcomes a new opinion editor, Jillian Goodman, who most recently held the deputy editor position at Bloomberg Green. 

    Matter

  • Why a UX Strategy is Fundamental to Website Design

    Why a UX Strategy is Fundamental to Website Design

    User Experience (UX) is a relatively new term that’s become more utilized within the last decade. Our definition of UX is built around creating a dynamic, empathetic, engaging, yet simple, experience for users — leading them to complete a task geared towards agreed upon strategic business goals. Whether the user’s task is to complete a purchase, sign up for a newsletter/blog/demo or simply learn something new, the UX strategy simplifies the actions necessary to complete the goal.

    Before designing a new or existing website, there are a few UX strategies and fundamentals you need to utilize: establishing business goals, researching and creating audience personas, framing a sitemap and information architecture, strategizing user flows, and building out wireframes to guide a visitor through your web experience. Like we said, a few. Without these fundamentals, a website structure is simply a guess of how the user will interact with it, which in turn, could eventually lead to high bounce rates and low time on site.

    Business Goals

    The first fundamental step to take before creating a new website is defining business goals, which will help measure the website’s success. Questions we ask to define business goals include: What do we need a user to do/accomplish? How does the website fit into our overall marketing communications plan? How could a new website help differentiate your brand in the marketplace?

    Tracking and measuring these goals can be done by following the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-Based) framework. This framework was developed by business consultant George Doran in 1981 to guide strategy and content creation. Once completed, these defined goals can be measured through the website’s analytics and user tracking tools.

    Audience Personas

    After finalizing business goals, the next step is to create audience or buyer personas to help define your target audience and inform messaging that creates emotional connections between them and your brand.

    Once researched and organized, each persona will have a focused output that includes information about their job title, activities, goals, challenges, influences and more. This knowledge will help guide the user flows and advise how a persona will interact with the website and its content. 

    Sitemap

    Following audience persona research comes structuring the sitemap. The purpose of a sitemap is to gather and organize the hierarchy of the website’s information, otherwise known as information architecture (IA). It’s a bird’s eye view of each web page, outlining how content is prioritized and how each piece is linked together throughout the site.

    User flows

    User flows are visual diagrams that demonstrate how a persona would navigate a website and its content. The purpose of a user flow is to ensure a user is taking the simplest route necessary to complete a goal-oriented action, such as a purchase or sign-up.

    Depending on a business’s goals, a user flow starts at the point where a user enters the website. A user may enter from a search engine, social media, banner ad, lead nurture email or a direct website link. The user flow then continues by mapping out each step the user takes until they reach the point where they complete a goal-oriented action. User flows can also be created in tandem with sitemaps to make sure both work together cohesively.

    Wireframes

    Wireframes are typically “sketches” of each web page’s structure and content placement that are developed before adding design elements, such as imagery, color and graphics. The purpose of a wireframe is to prioritize content and structure flow, ensuring user-friendly functionality. It also provides the designer and strategy team a way to quickly assess whether a structure is worth pursuing or not — without dedicating unnecessary design time early in the strategy process.

    Conclusion

    For a website to deliver on business objectives, function properly, and ensure low bounce rates and high search visibility, implementing these fundamental UX strategies are vital to a website’s success.

    Does your website need to be redesigned with a focus on UX? Reach out below – we’d love to help!

    Matter

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