We’re fortunate at Matter Communications to receive our share of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from some of the nation’s leading consumer and B2B brands. No complaints there; we’re working on several right now. It’s certainly better to be included than the alternative. But anyone in the public relations industry understands that being shortlisted for the agency selection process can be a painful experience if there’s an… Read more »
I’m subscribing to Time magazine, again. I am an avid fan. I love the snapshots of timely news complemented by insightful feature stories. I like the balance of world news and localized human interest pieces, and I absolutely love the Light Box. As the picture below of me reading Time when I was eight years old may suggest, I’ve been a fan for a while now…. Read more »
We’re currently in the running for some dynamite new PR and social media business, and assembling our teams and preparing presentations. (By the way, that’s a rather significant process briefly summarized in one sentence!) The decision of who attends which meeting is primarily based on experience that is directly related to the proposed program. The depth of the team is often determined by program scope –… Read more »
There are hundreds of public relations firms in North America, the majority of which aren’t “names you know.” PR firms you’ve heard of are in your mental rolodex for a reason: they’ve done noteworthy work for brands with name recognition. But great PR firms do more than win awards for brands you’ve heard of. They continue to grow, even in down markets. Here’s four things top… Read more »
On the heels of the NFL draft – the opportunity for football franchises to pick the very best available college players for any positions on their teams – I’m thinking about the characteristics of professionals that are most valuable to public relations agencies. (I’m also hung-up on the fact that the Miami Dolphins drafted a player from much-beloved Marist College – a first-time happening in school… Read more »
I understand we have a new crop of summer interns starting soon, and thought to share some tips on how they can make the most of their time here at Matter. Public relations internships embody the term, “You’ll get out of it what you put into it,” and not only do interns gain valuable experience, but when approached intelligently, internships are often the foot-in-the-door that recent,… Read more »
Have the bright lights that once shined on your new and exciting website felt dimmer lately? Has the proliferation of social channels – and the opportunity provided to publish content in all shapes and sizes – negatively impacted the power of your homepage? Have the highly interactive platforms that provide an active voice and fully transparent perspective minimized the relevance of your website? If the answer… Read more »
Often in this business, you find yourself so far down in the weeds that determining what’s working well isn’t obvious. The smarter agencies have measurable metrics – something championed here at Matter since our inception eleven years ago – that ensure programs stay on track and achieve the results sought after by our clients. That being said, here are a number of ways that you can… Read more »
As our creative team is in the process of producing a satellite media tour that’s reaching no less than 25 national media outlets today – from the studio here at our office – the increased importance of solid distribution channels is on my mind. It should be on yours, too. As our business has evolved over the past decade, the quantity of channels for disseminating key… Read more »
As a three-time recipient of a “Best Place to Work” in Boston award from the Boston Business Journal, a distinction I’m proud of for obvious reasons, I was puzzled to learn that in 2014 public relations firms like Matter Communications will no longer be able to submit. Those days are over. Here is the explanation sent to our agency by BBJ publisher Chris McIntosh: I’ve decided… Read more »
In a world that embraces creative content, one of the best ways to leverage the many smart and savvy resources in an agency like Matter is to hold a brainstorm. Inviting a group to discuss new and exciting ways to bring a message, product or platform to key audiences always yields valuable results. That is, when the brainstorm is a well-run! Here are a few ways… Read more »
Our agency celebrated St. Patrick’s Day last week – it was a hoot, by the way! – and our family did more celebrating this past weekend. And, naturally, I’m making plans to celebrate again tonight. In the meantime, I thought to share five reasons why this holiday is an annual highlight for so many of us: First, it’s authentic. It’s a tradition for those of Irish… Read more »
It’s NFL playoff time, and the New England Patriots are again looking like league leaders. With a weekend win over Indianapolis, our boys are packing their bags and preparing for what will surely be a tough test when they play the Broncos this coming weekend. The recent performance of the Patriots reminds me a lot of the results generated by the top-notch public relations and social… Read more »
