• Matter Reaches 500 Hours of Volunteerism!

    Matter Reaches 500 Hours of Volunteerism!

    “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” – Arthur Ashe

    I am excited to share that the talented professionals here at Matter have reached their objective of dedicating more than 500 hours of volunteer time to worthy entities and initiatives across five offices nationwide.

    Since the start of the year our dynamite staff served meals at homeless shelters in Boston, Boulder and Newburyport, provided books to needy children in Portland, worked with the Ronald McDonald House in Providence, and all offices walked in “awareness events” for a worthy cause. And that’s just the beginning: on a monthly basis our team has been a force of goodwill by delivering on their promise to give back – and having their time as working professionals be even more meaningful. They’ve rolled-up their sleeves and got things done, and I am tremendously proud.

    We launched our Helping Hands initiative at the end of last year, and it has been embraced with gusto by employees who want to collaborate outside of the office in the spirit of making a meaningful impact on the world around them. In most cases, the monthly event in each office has a waiting list of participants from so many generous volunteers eager to participate. I am so grateful for the willingness the staff has shown to sacrifice both professional and personal time to give back to the communities that we care so much about. Please join me, in tipping my hat to this kind and tremendously generous crowd.

    People in need matter. Helping hands matter.

    Scott Signore

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  • A Newcomer’s Guide to Drone Videography

    A Newcomer’s Guide to Drone Videography

     At this day in age, it’s amazing to think that remote controlled drones (or UAVs) are becoming a part of everyday life. They can be seen in search and rescue applications, lighting scenarios, and of course aerial videography. When it comes to other places it can be useful, the sky is the limit (pun intended).

     

    Let me preface this write-up by stating that I am still a newcomer to the drone videography world. My goal for a while has been to learn any video rig I can get my hands on, and this is the most logical next step. The value in drone videography is obvious as well; shots from the sky add an interesting perspective to your video that simply cannot be replicated.

    At first I was under the impression that someone can go out and buy one of these and use it freely, similar to a remote controlled car- boy was I wrong. Here are a few tips and other things you should consider when becoming a drone enthusiast

    1. Start Small: A drone big enough for a camera complete with all the necessary batteries, prop guards, gimbal, and controllers will set you back at least a couple thousand dollars. Before making such a purchase, I found that buying this $70 drone is a great stepping-stone before graduating to the bigger contraptions. It helps with getting a feel for the controls, air resistance, and aerial maneuvering. It’s also inevitable that you’re going to have a few crash landings, which won’t damage it because of the small size (the drone in the link fits in the palm of your hand).
    1. Take a Class: Flying a drone is not a “plug and play” solution. There are important details such as calibration, course setting, home lock, airport communications, and many other things you need to know that can’t be summed up in a brief YouTube video. I found that taking an in-person course really helped me get familiar with both the drone and the app. The instructors are all licensed helicopter pilots who can address any other questions you may have, and there’s a block of class time that’s used for flight practice.
    1. Stay Current with Government Regulations: The FAA controls all of the airspace in our atmosphere. Whether it’s a few inches above your head or 400 feet off the ground, they are the ones who make the rules. It’s important to read up on their current and proposed regulations, so that you don’t get ticketed or fined for flying illegally. Right now, in order to make money from flying you’ll need to obtain an FAA 333 Exemption, or be a commercial airline pilot. While this paperwork can be easily applied for, it takes roughly six months for it to get approved and sent back. I’m writing this blog in June, and it’s been rumored that the FAA will be coming out with a separate set of drone pilot regulations this month. We’re still waiting on that, which leaves a lot of us commercial drone pilot hopefuls in limbo.
    1. Practice, Practice, Practice: Similar to the first tip I covered earlier in this blog, you can never have enough practice. After all, a great aerial shot cannot be achieved without great aerial maneuvering. Setup a chair or trash barrel in your yard and practice orbiting around it, with the nose of the drone constantly facing the subject. Once you’ve mastered that, give these a try.

    To sum it all up, it seems like drone flying is a hobby/professional tool that is here to stay. It’s an activity that should be done with safety as the number one concern, and enthusiasts should not rush to the finish line. I’ll leave you with my three favorite drone videos on YouTube (1) (2) (3). Happy flying!

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



    Matter

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  • The Difference Between PR and Marketing

    Public relations professionals know it. Marketers know it. Beyond those folks, however, the difference between PR and marketing may well remain one of the world’s best-kept secrets… until now.

    While both share a common goal of attracting and retaining business, their approaches and roles differ greatly, yet are equally important to businesses of all sizes and industries. Further confusing matters is that these two functions usually work together under the auspices of business development and/or marketing.

    Here’s a quick rundown on the differences:

    1. Focus

    • Marketing focuses on advancing a company’s services or goods (business development)
    • PR focuses on advancing the company’s relationships (media relations)

    2. Function

    • Both are management functions and work closely together
    • Marketing directly contributes to a business’ bottom line
    • PR indirectly supports the business’ goals and objectives, which fuel the bottom line

    3. Targets

    • Marketing targets clients, including other businesses
    • PR targets the media that reaches a company’s desired audiences. The media are PR’s lifeblood, though in these changing times, a dedicated team will go the distance to communicate with a company’s non-media stakeholders, such as customers via social channels (LinkedIn, Facebook) or by creating corporate communications (investors). PR targets the media to reach the following audiences, depending on a company’s goals, and creates outreach strategies.
    • Examples of key audiences include:
      • Current and prospective clients, including other businesses
      • Internal audiences, employees (talent retention)
      • Potential lateral hires and C-suite staff (talent recruitment)

    4. Impact

    • Marketing helps bring in new business
    • PR helps build a positive internal environment and external image
      for a company and its reputation, which helps bring in new business, and attract and retain talent (and makes marketing’s job a lot easier)

    5. Paid, Earned, Owned Media

    • Paid media primarily handled by marketing
    • Earned (editorial by third parties) and owned (website) handled by PR
    • Earned media carries the most weight (this is the top reason why a business benefits from investing in a sustained PR program)

    Making the PR commitment, setting expectations

    The decision to embark on a plan takes thought and time, and there are several topics to consider before making the commitment – and investment.

    • Leadership buy-in. Seems like a given, though buy-in here means that company leaders accept that PR is a strategic long-term partner. Mutual respect and open lines to the top management team is key. A plan won’t work unless trust has been built, and that rapport can only be established through continued contact.
    • Defined goals. A PR department operating in a vacuum is a waste and can be potentially costly. The more defined an enterprise’s business goals, the better; and the more the PR is involved or aware of them from the get-go is best so the media team can create a meaningful communications strategy. Ongoing collaboration is a non-negotiable. Unlike an advertising buy, which is usually a one-off transactional exchange, a PR program is an ongoing relationship, much like a marriage.
    • Set expectations and commit. A robust PR operation is just that. Its mission is to leverage a business’s news of all kinds in the best interest of the enterprise. Sometimes things go smoothly. Other times, not-so-much for one very real reason: The media do not work for businesses. PR professionals know this, and recognize the value of setting expectations with company leaders when embarking on a PR plan. Making sure everyone is on the same page will ensure a positive process, which in turn will lead to more positive results.

    Claire Papanastasiou

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  • Spring Cleaning in the PR World

    The sun is shining here in New England, so there’s hope that the spring season has finally arrived. And, with warm weather and sunny skies comes the thought of spring cleaning – getting the things around you in order so you can make the most of every day. Here are a few tips for corporate-side public relations managers who may want to seize the season and evaluate their current PR agency team and the program they execute:

    First, it’s a good time to audit your PR and social media team’s results against the metrics established at the start of the program. (Frankly, it’s always a good time to do this type of review!) You developed the metrics in concert with your business objectives, so you should take a close look at exactly how your communications program is contributing to your business success.

    Second, it’s also a good time to look at the various components of your program. Do you have a good volume of creative elements that strengthen your message and help you tell your story visually? Or, do you need to do more to get the attention of your key audiences? Remember, more than 90 percent of B2B marketers and 75 percent of B2C companies employ valuable visual content as part of their communications mix. Why? Because it drives revenue. That’s a pretty compelling reason.

    Third, take a look at the team supporting your business – are they still coming to the table with high energy and creative ideas? Are they asking the right questions and helping you to strengthen your story before it gets out to the market? In general, are they pumped to be working on your behalf? Your agency team members are representatives of your organization, and your expectations of energy and enthusiasm should be met. If not, it may be time to consider an alternative.

    Fourth, do you have a plan in place to best exploit the results of the team? Leveraging media successes helps any organization get the best ROI on their initiative, and pausing to determine if you are supporting the sales team appropriately is a smart thing to do. In addition to helping these folks to succeed in their job, you have a more convincing way to justify your agency spend.

    And, finally, dig down into your organization’s story-telling – and poke holes so the media doesn’t take that step first! Evaluate the always-changing market and solidify your key messages with new facts that support your positioning. And, seriously consider media training for the spokespeople who are active contributors to your program, as the message is only as clear as the way it is delivered!

    What other steps should we take this time of year?

    Scott Signore

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  • Does your PR Agency “Do” Video?

    The statistics are everywhere: people are hungry for online video. Overall, research estimates that the number of video views among Internet users grows north of 25 percent per year. If you think that number is going to recede any time soon, you’re likely also banking on the fax machine as the future of lead generation.

    So what has this to do with public relations? Here are three ways engaging video can help with any public relations efforts:

    1. On social channels, posting videos increases engagement by 100 percent or more, depending on which survey you read. So, if 50 people click on your text-based post, on average, then you can expect 100 clicks if you include video. More clicks means more chances to attract buyers of your products and services. More eyeballs is good PR.
    1. News outlets are always hungry for great video content that their readership will click and share. If you understand the media landscape for your company, and actively identify the sites and blogs that accept video, you can essentially develop a syndication network for your content. That’s powerful, but the key is that the video has to be entertaining or otherwise add true value. Sales pieces aren’t going to fly.
    1. Quality video can effectively humanize a brand by bringing the viewer “into the fold.” When fans, prospects and others are able to see your culture, hear your thought leaders talking and experience a slice of life from your company, they feel more invested in your success and are more likely to buy from you – or want to work for you.

    The key to all of this is the quality of the video. More is better, but quality always trumps quantity when it comes to using the power of visual imagery for public relations.

    What other ways do you use video for PR?

    Scott Signore

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  • The Importance of a Top-Notch Tone

    Having worked at a number of PR agencies before Matter – and proudly sharing that I had a great experience at each stop! – I can credibly comment on the kind of in-office behavior that helps keep an environment professional even when tension with clients and colleagues arises. It’s important for staff at all levels to operate in a way that supports professionalism in the office, and here are a few recommended ways to keep a top-notch tone:

    First, keep the foul language out of the office. You may be comfortable letting a few choice words fly, but your colleagues may view such behavior differently. In addition to setting a poor tone, foul language demonstrates a meager vocabulary, as if you have so little to say that you need to emphasize your content with brash demonstratives. Don’t devalue your smarts or offend your colleagues, and save any foul language for another venue.

    Second, do the right thing and dress respectfully – if not for you, for your colleagues. If you give minimal thought to your appearance, you’re sending the message that you give minimal thought to your work, too. Perhaps you dress more casually once in a while, but keep in mind that those with whom you interact will form an opinion based not just on how you act, but also on how you look.

    Third, don’t punch the clock – you didn’t sign-up for that type of gig. A career in PR and social media requires you to embrace early mornings and late(r) evenings, and you need to be attentive to activities happening off hours. And, please don’t ignore what you see on your phone or in your inbox – that’s far from the “team player” message that you want to send to your colleagues and clients.

    Fourth, be a self-starter and get things done on your own. If this isn’t clear, I suggest you look around and consider the workloads of your colleagues and support staff. They, too, have things to be done, so spare all of them silly requests and ridiculous inquiries, and get it done on your own. Knowing when to ask for help is a key attribute of good agency leaders, and don’t you want to be perceived this way?

    And, finally, good PR and social media agencies have channels for sharing feedback regarding client activities or agency happenings. Take the smart high road and maintain a supportive and encouraging vibe – particularly during challenging situations. You have to be practical, sure, but be level-headed in your reaction and your suggested route to success. My experience strongly suggests that professional growth – and business growth! – is stymied by taking any other approach.

    Any other common sense attributes of a professional environment?

    Scott Signore

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  • 4 Reasons Why Digital Video Will Win The Decade

    4 Reasons Why Digital Video Will Win The Decade

    Last week at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer at YouTube, presented the keynote on why digital video will win the decade – and video and content marketers should take note.

    But before diving in, let’s refer back to 2012 when Kyncl made some bold predictions. He said that by 2020, “90% of all internet traffic was going to be video traffic,” and “75% of all video people watched in the US was going to be transmitted through the internet.” Fast forward to the CES 2016 Keynote, Kyncl justified his predictions by educating the crowd:

    • “Cisco predicts that video will actually reach around 90% of global internet traffic by 2019 – so a full year ahead of schedule.”
    • “By 2020…digital video will only reach about 60% of the total pie, not 75, as predicted.”

    However, Kyncl is standing by his latter prediction because he doesn’t think digital video will grow linearly – currently at 25% a year – but exponentially. “So, this being Vegas, I’m doubling down. I believe digital video will overtake TV to become the single largest way people spend free time before the end of the decade,” states Kyncl.

    Per Kyncl, here are four reasons why digital video will win the decade:

    1. It’s inherently mobile

    Bigger, brighter and sharper screens, longer battery life, stronger and faster data speeds, and better sound quality are all trends producing devices constantly improving on the mobile video viewing experience. “And app makers and publishers, from Snapchat to The New York Times, are all investing in making video a core part of their experiences, accelerating mobile video consumption,” adds Kyncl. “And on YouTube, the average time people spend watching video on their mobile device is forty minutes, a gain of 50% year-on-year.”

    2. It’s endlessly diverse

    With digital video, not only can audiences share and search, but choose to consume at their leisure. The mobility is “successfully changing the way we consume video into the way we consume books – you can find one on whatever interests you and consume it whenever and wherever you want,” explains Kyncl. “That openness has led to incredible content diversity. Not only do we have videos on every topic imaginable, entirely new genres of video have been born on YouTube.”

    3. It’s never been more important to music

    Aside from sleeping and working, watching video is the #1 way people spend their time. What’s #2? Listening to music – at just over four hours a day. “And YouTube is a major source of that music,” Kyncl reports, “More than half of all teenagers use [YouTube] as their main way to find and listen to new artists, in large part because we have the biggest and best music library available. If an artist has a live performance, a remix, an acoustic version or an out of print track, chances are you can find it on YouTube. But the best thing about music on YouTube is that music videos can become massive phenomena, whether they’re from established or emerging artists.”

    4. It’s immersive in a way TV can never be

    CES 2016 product and technology trends in Virtual Reality and 360 video are at the forefront of this statement, and leading content creators around the world are using this technology to tell richer, immersive, and interactive stories.

    “Already on Android and soon in iOS, you’ll be able to watch any video on YouTube in VR…making VR truly democratic and primed to grow exponentially,” concludes Kyncl.

    These four reasons and trends all point to digital video’s success during the decade.

    To watch Robert Kyncl’s Keynote in its entirety with compelling cameos from Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects, Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, and Chris Milk, CEO of Vrse, carve out an hour for the video below:

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



    Tim Bradley

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  • 3 Video Trends for 2016

    2015 was a great year for online video – just check out the excellently crafted and entertaining #YouTubeRewind video. And there’s no signs of the momentum slowing as we enter 2016. From a communication professional’s perspective, I’d like to offer-up three trends that will likely have the greatest impact on how video will influence the industry in 2016.

    1. Mobile Video

    50% of video views will be via mobile in 2016. And more specifically, the biggest video platform of them all and the one that reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S., YouTube, supports that more than half of their video views come from mobile devices. Adults in the U.S. spend an average of 5.5 hours watching video each day, with 1 hour and 16 minutes of that on digital devices. Mobile video should be the biggest consideration for online communicators, especially in public relations and content marketing.

    2. Attention Spans and Viewing Habits

    Mobile devices and their connected counterparts (aka TVs) will continue to contribute to video viewing behaviors and ultimately increased attention spans. 81% of consumers watch videos longer than 10 minutes, and 65% watch videos longer than 30 minutes. Holistically, the number of hours people spend watching videos on YouTube has increased by 60% year-over-year. For mobile YouTube audiences, the average viewing session is now greater than 40 minutes. One interesting tidbit to note is that the weather can actually impact viewing habits; viewers watch 29% longer in cold weather while consumers watch 6x more video content on mobile devices during warm weather.

    3. Demand and Advertising

    According to Cisco’s staggering numbers, video traffic will be 69% of all consumer internet traffic in 2017 and could reach 80% by 2019. Fortunately, video converts better than any other medium according to approximately 70% of marketing professionals, likely due to the fact that the average click-through-rate for video advertisement is higher than any other digital advertisement.

    1+1=$

    YouTube’s mobile revenue has doubled year over year, and according to an eMarketer study, mobile ad spend will top $100 billion which accounts for more than 50% of the digital market. Despite all this, there’s still a huge opportunity for digital content marketers and advertisers in 2016, as only 24% of brands are using online video to market to consumers.

    Ultimately, video will have a remarkable role in how audiences engage online, as well as greatly influence content marketing and advertising budgets in 2016. Research shows 60% of companies who have a documented content marketing strategy rate themselves highly in terms of effectiveness, so it’s very important to have a documented video strategy for – and proceeding into – 2016.

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    Sources:
    https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/en-GB/statistics.html
    http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Mobile-Ad-Spend-Top-100-Billion-Worldwide-2016-51-of-Digital-Market/1012299
    http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/ip-ngn-ip-next-generation-network/white_paper_c11-481360.html
    http://www.codefuel.com/blog/video-marketing-statistics-for-2015-the-next-big-thing-is-here
    http://kantarmedia.us/insight-center/reports
    http://www.emarketer.com/Article/US-Adults-Spend-55-Hours-with-Video-Content-Each-Day/1012362
    http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/26719/2015-will-be-the-year-of-video-marketing
    http://www.reelseo.com/50-per-cent-video-views-mobile-2016/
    http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2016_B2C_Research_Final.pdf

    Tim Bradley

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  • 3 Things to Look for When Watching a Video Sizzle Reel

    3 Things to Look for When Watching a Video Sizzle Reel

    At year’s end, most video production houses should be recapping their latest and greatest work into a short video for the world to see. Also known as the “sizzle reel,” this video showcases said video house’s best work and truly provides good insight into the group’s production value, quality, aesthetics, and knowledge in industry. This best-of-the-best video is ultimately edited very intentionally to project or parallel the type/style of video the House wants to be creating in the future, so I’m offering some tips of what to look for when watching a video house’s sizzle reel. If you’re a B2C or B2B content marketer or business in need of a video and researching production houses, keep an eye on these key elements within a sizzle reel:

    1. Production Value

    A simple quality control check, ask yourself this question: does this look good to me? From drones to jibs and image stabilizers to dollys and sliders, there’s nearly an infinite amount of production gear readily available to video producers to create dynamic video that help craft your story and detail your message. A professional video house should be using ALL of them, and not resting on the laurels of any given one. The sizzle reel should exemplify all facets of production tools and techniques. And two major things that are equally as important as the video quality are the lighting and audio. Lighting sets the tone and mood of the picture so working beyond just natural lighting is important. And many splashy sizzle reels tend to omit audio clips and soundbites, choosing to let the music bed do the talking, but we all know that audio can make or break a video so it’s important to provide examples of professionalism.

    After these essential fundamentals, it’s important to dive a little deeper and acknowledge the editing choices and techniques showcased in the sizzle reel. Shot selection in a sizzle reel is important to acknowledge because every video editor should be very deliberate in any video project; each shot should tell it’s own story in some way. In a sizzle reel, each shot should highlight some facet of the video house’s production value: camera movement, framing, lighting, audio, video coverage type, and/or industry knowledge. Lastly, bonus points for advanced editing techniques such as timelapses, transitions, overlays, color grading, motion graphics, animation, etc.

    2. Industry Knowledge

    In a 1-to-2 minute sizzle reel, there’s plenty of opportunity to showcase one’s expertise in any particular industry. Especially when, to reiterate, the sizzle reel is a video house’s opportunity to present the type of work they want to be doing. As a content marketer, it’s important when reviewing a sizzle reel to note what type(s) of industry said video house has produced work with/for because each has it’s own opportunities and challenges. Primarily working with an industry that’s based mostly outdoors vs. working indoors is probably the most obvious, but others include: product vs. service, people vs. places, and action vs. static.

    Working with a creative services group that’s in-house of a PR and social media agency offers a wide berth of industry perspective and knowledge that ultimately translates cross-businesses. Not being stuck in just one industry can open up possibilities for how you look at other projects, and allows for fresh perspectives as well as best practices when creating different types of videos.

    3. Story-telling

    A video house’s expertise can fall under any number of arenas: company explainers, thought leadership, company or product launches, testimonials, recruitment, lifestyle, event coverage, social media, live broadcasting, etc. And obviously a sizzle-reel is a compilation of many such individual stories. But it’s important that the sizzle reel should tell a story within itself as well. A content marketer should be able to watch the sizzle reel and have a good understanding of the video house’s service offerings as well as the expertise they can bring to the table.

    If you’re a content marketer who plans to produce engaging and compelling video, we’d love to brainstorm your ideas. What types of video do you intend to create? Check our Agency Reel:

     

    Tim Bradley

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  • Infographic Best Practices

    Infographic Best Practices

    Data, data, data… how can we make the communication of data quick, clear and interesting? Of course an infographic. Love it, great idea. But not all infographics are created equal. So what makes one stand out as effective and unique? Well, in my first couple of months here in Studio C at Matter Communications, I was tasked with creating a couple of these information graphics one of which ended up in Times Square in New York. I figured this was a good time to share some infographic best practices for creating and laying out an infographic.

    Start with a concept

    Depending on who the client is and what their data is about, deciding on a visual direction is the first decision you’ll make. For example, one of the infographics I created recently was for a company that tracks food safety. With that in mind, I selected visuals for the infographic that reinforced their story. Fish on a plate, pizza, bread—all of these visuals were either used as basic illustrations to give greater context to the information, or were turned into representations of the data.

    Keep it short

    One of the bigger challenges I’ve come across is a client submitting long explanations for each data point. Focus on a visually interesting number or percentage is usually distracted by a long statement expounding on the data. While there should always be a description of the data—so it makes sense and is true to the facts—some clever copy editing can help de-clutter the design returning the reader’s attention back to the most impactful parts.

    Charts and graphs

    Here is an opportunity to have some real fun. Since you started by selected a visual concept, you can now turn a regular pie chart or bar graph into something interesting that stregthens the concept. In my example earlier of the food safety client, I used a flat vector style for the design and selected different foods to be in the layout. In one area of the graphic I cut a loaf of bread in two, making one section of bread just about 2/3 of the entire loaf. The data was refereeing to how 2/3 of the respondents of a survey answered a certain way. This visual representation of the data was certainly more interesting then a generic chart.

    And Some Technical Thoughts 

    When it comes to color and typography, less is more. But you can get a lot of mileage out of just a couple of typefaces and a few colors. My first suggestion is to stick with a client’s visual corporate standards. Choose fonts and colors that are on brand and work well together. The key is to choose a font that has a large family — many weights and styles. This will allow you to create emphasis, texture and contrast to the typesetting. As for color, use a few “percentages” of a color to create depth. Both of these strategies will lend the overall layout a uniform feel while presenting variety in the design.

    Have fun creating your next infographic. I know I will!

    Matter

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