• Why selecting a PR agency with a national presence Matters

    The opening of our new and expanded office in Boston has me thinking about all of our office locations – 5 nationwide – and how we’ve situated our smart and savvy staff in regions that directly benefit our clients. Here are a few credible reasons as to why clients should consider PR and social media agencies with the depth and breadth of multiple geographies.

    First, it really does help to have team members sharing a time-zone with the writers and editors they connect with so frequently. Matter is as flexible of an agency as I know of – and constantly we speak of getting things done wherever the team or client may be – but it really does make the working situation better when you have the opportunity to react and respond to inquiries at a time of day that makes convenient sense.

    Second, it also helps to have the creativity that comes from varying geographies. What’s smart and savvy in the great northwest may be different than a noteworthy communications trend in greater Boston. Like the way we leverage the strategies and successes we experience when working with both consumer and technology clients, we have the opportunity to learn from happenings occurring in other local markets.

    Third, some prospects and clients gain a sense of comfort knowing the team working on their business “gets” what it’s like to do business in their region. When an agency is able to hire stellar professionals from the local market, they reflect some of the region – and what makes that particular region special – within its walls. They understand local habits and nuances, and ultimately those team members can strengthen the relationship with the client.

    Fourth, there’s opportunity for employees who have the freedom and flexibility to consider growing their career elsewhere – and the positive enthusiasm that comes with embracing a new city or town can positively impact performance. Here at Matter we’ve had a number of employees transfer from an East Coast office to our locations in Boulder and Portland, and their energy and enthusiasm is directly contributing to the positive vibe in each location. And, that positive energy is transferring to the work being done.

    And, finally, and this one is very tactical, having a national presence is extraordinarily helpful for social media monitoring and execution. There’s really no way around it, but starting the work day early – and having the opportunity to end it late – is necessary these days, and having someone in the agency and from the team involved will allow for timely social activity.

    Can you think of any other reasons as to why having a national presence Matters?

    Scott Signore

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  • PR Firm Matter Communications Launches West Coast Office!

    It’s official: after months of careful research and planning, today we open the doors to our new, full-service PR office in Portland, Oregon by acquiring The Hollenbeck Group in Portland. The new office will be run by long-time PR veteran Kent Hollenbeck, who joins Matter as Vice President.

    Effective immediately, Matter Communications has a bona fide West Coast presence strategically located in a burgeoning city full of promising technology and consumer companies as well as PR talent. Moreover, the location positions Matter squarely within shouting distance of key geographies such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Boise, where a healthy number of Matter’s existing clients reside.

    I’m thrilled about this move, which comes on the heels of an earlier announcement that we’ve opened an office in Boston’s Innovation District. Our careful expansion directly reflects the continued health of our business, which is owed to the tremendous work and spirit of our 60+ staff of talented PR professionals.

    Kent and his team are an exciting addition to our staff, and their collective experience working  with technology companies is a perfect complement to Matter’s 10-year history . He’s philosophically aligned with Matter’s approach to client services, which is to say he knows that smart strategy and flawless execution are critical ingredients for client longevity in today’s demanding PR environment.

    To our existing clients, today is a good day because it means we have you covered with a physical presence from coast to coast. And to our new friends in Portland and across the West Coast, I’d love a chance to meet with you on one of my upcoming trips out West.

    Onward and upward!

    Scott Signore

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  • 10 Ways to Be Invaluable to Your PR Firm

    The public relations industry is enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years, because social media is all about engagement, and engagement has always been the lifeblood of solid PR pros.

    It’s what we do, whether it’s building relationships with print media, bloggers or influencers on various social channels. In short, it’s a great time to be in PR, and an even better time to for public relations folks to become indispensable to their respective agencies.

    Here’s what I look for when hiring PR staff, whether they be junior folks looking to cut their teeth, or more seasoned pros hoping to make their mark at a new PR firm:

    1.    Know how to employ modern communications tools and explain the value of these tools to others, including colleagues and clients. Become an expert with monitoring and measurement tools, and develop a talent for communicating the results.

    2.    Be one of your PR firm’s best, most reliable writers. Be the person others look to for help crafting a meaningful pitch or a pithy post for Facebook or Twitter. A PR pro who can write the lights out can generally go far in this business, provided he/she plays well with others.

    3.    Play well with others. Credit your peers for work well done. Do not attempt to climb over the backs of others to get up the next rung of the ladder. Earn it by being aggressive, smart and loyal.

    4.    Be loyal. Don’t be the PR person who drifts from agency to agency chasing dollars or titles. Instead, show your employer that their business is your business, and your gumption and loyalty will be rewarded.

    5.    Become a brainstorming, strategizing machine. Be the person every team wants in the room for creative brainstorming. Practice stretching your mind with brain games and out of the box thinking. Watch how the best at your agency unlock the creative process, and then develop your own style.

    6.    Have your own unique work style, but be comfortable within the agency parameters and know when to flex your individuality to the benefit of clients and/or teammates. Nobody wants to hire a robot – we just want folks to execute like a well-oiled machine.

    7.    Have a sense of humor during times of adversity. Be comfortable laughing at yourself when times get tough. Your co-workers will sense whether you’re out of control or simply set-back, and the ability to smile through the pain separates the goods from the greats.

    8.    Speaking of “the greats,” the best people in any business turn challenges into opportunities. They don’t spiral into an abyss of complaints and despair. They are solvers. They provide solutions. And they aren’t afraid to fail.

    9.    Don’t be afraid to fail. But if you do fail, do so quickly and then brush yourself off and try something new. Your clients aren’t paying you for the status quo; they want you to positively impact their revenue. That requires being smart and bold.

    10.           Be bold – but smart. Bring big ideas to the table, but always make sure they’re grounded in business fundamentals. Have a rationale that you can sell, and make sure you actually believe it can work. Hit a few home runs with smart ideas and trust me, your boss, and team, will covet you.

    That’s my roundup of ways to be invaluable at your PR agency. What’d I miss?

     

    Scott Signore

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  • 3 Things Senior Marketing People Get Wrong about Working with PR Agencies

    When you’ve run a PR agency as long as I have – ten years and proudly counting – you begin to notice patterns of behavior from the marketing folks who are your prospects. There are a lot of brilliant CMOs and marketing VPs who are great at their jobs, but aren’t quite as skilled at picking the right PR partner because they evaluate faulty criteria.

    Here are three things some leading marketing honchos get wrong:

    1.       They think they need to hire an agency in the same city

    The thinking goes that if the company hires a PR firm in the same zip code, they can better manage the relationship and have regular face-to-face meetings with the PR team. It’s a logical thought process, but in reality geography should be a non-factor. We have clients all over the country, and meet with them whenever needed. We’re also always connected via email and IM and phone calls, so to clients it’s really no different than if we were located next door to their office.  That said, geography is a deal-breaker for some marketers, which is a pity when the best PR firm for their business resides in a different state.

    2.       They think that in PR, it’s all about “who you know.”

    The reality is, it’s who you can get to know. Listen, folks, relationships are valuable in PR. But here’s the thing: the turnover is extraordinarily high in the publishing world, and the PR firm that knows how to start conversations with the right reporters at the right time with the right pitch is the one who will win long term. Today, PR is more about storytelling than “calling in favors” to friendly reporters, especially when they’re increasingly measured by click-throughs and social shares these days. Advertisers don’t care who you know. They care that people are clicking on stories and seeing their ads, and reporters know it.

     3.       They hire too many vendors to perform related strategy and services

    I’ve encountered a number of prospects and clients who have kept separate vendors for PR, social media and creative services such as video and infographics. What makes most sense from a storytelling perspective is to find a single firm that excels at all of these disciplines, for two reasons: First, there are cost-efficiencies to be gained from bundling these services, which is great for the bottom line. Second, and perhaps more importantly, an agency that does all of the above can more tightly integrate messaging than can a collection of disparate vendors. Plus, who wants to manage several vendors when one outstanding firm can do a better job?

    I’d love to hear from marketing execs and fellow PR folks to get your perspective.

    Scott Signore

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  • Matter Communications Wins Best Places To Work – AGAIN!

    I try to reserve this blog space for insights about public relations, social media and marketing, but every now and again something happens at our PR agency that deserves comment.

    A few days ago my firm won the Boston Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” award, marking the second time in two years we’ve collected the honor.

    To me, this is perhaps the highest form of praise for the work we’ve been doing over the last 10 years: our people, nearly 60 strong, are largely happy, feel challenged, and genuinely enjoy working in the trenches with their peers as we kick ass and take names for our clients.

    I’ve always believed that happy PR people = happy clients, and our client retention (far better than industry averages) seems to confirm that suspicion.

    As we continue to grow, it will doubtless be challenging to make sure we’re providing a stellar work environment for everyone here at Matter. But we’re sure as hell going to try.

    Our people are our currency, and without these hard-working, smart, aggressive men and women, all of our jobs get harder and decidedly less fun.

    So cheers to our entire staff. I’m proud to call you all “my team.”

    Scott Signore

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  • 7 Traits of a Solid PR Pro

    7 Traits of a Solid PR Pro

     Having been around the block a while, I believe I have a good understanding of the personal characteristics that are commonly found in a successful PR professional. At a minimum, these are the traits of the folks we seek when filling key positions here at Matter Communications.  In my humble opinion, PR people need to be…

     Business-minded

    What’s the end goal? That’s what PR people need to consider, frankly more often than they do typically. The PR activities we execute daily establish a company – put it on the map – or contribute to a larger initiative designed to help it do more business. While vague, that’s appropriately described. Before acting, a PR person needs to determine: how does the desired result contribute to the bigger picture of business success?

     Flexible, nimble, go with the flow

    I can’t think of a business/career/gig that requires as much flexibility as public relations and social media. Plans, particularly those of clients’, change with nutty regularity. The successful PR pro needs to adapt and, throughout any transition, help clients achieve communications and business success no matter the programmatic direction. Social media channels present the very obvious need to be nimble: one Facebook post can change the tone of a day. In addition to being reactive and responsive, PR pros need to have the ability to professionally deal with whatever comes their way.

     Writing skills, a must have

    To be great at PR, one needs to have decent/good/better writing skills. While content development has taken on a more expansive meaning of late – see Matter Creative Services for some fun and exciting content that we are creating for clients –  the foundation of the PR agency gig is still in keystrokes. Verbal articulation, creative thinking and a positive personality are all obviously critical characteristics for any profession, but in PR better-than-basic writing skills are imperative, with colleagues and clients demanding everything from compelling blog posts to finely-crafted press releases and everything in between.

    Early in a career, be a sponge

    Becoming a well-rounded, consistently reliable and savvy PR person takes work.  The ramp-up to achieving such a lofty standard varies greatly depending on the individual, but no entry-level professional punches into a new job and immediately begins counseling the world’s biggest brands on the highest-profile communications issues. Most newbies make an impact, but there’s a difference between that impact and other more senior decision-making. There’s so much to learn in PR on a daily basis, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve loved being a PR guy since I first interned in the field. And, there are plenty of dynamite bosses and colleagues to learn from, another reason I’ve loved my career. The best young professionals “get” that experience can be gained from closely watching co-workers, carefully noting their accomplishments and learning from their challenges.

     Later in a career, don’t be afraid of learning more

    As the expression goes, learning is endless and that’s so true when it comes to the ever-evolving PR field. There’s so much to gain in every interaction with a colleague or a client, and in every first-hand experience – from a methodical, well-laid out plan to a crisis situation. The best PR pros know to embrace all that is happening around them and best leverage that data to improve as professionals.

     You have to care about news

    No matter the market, category or industry any PR person works within, they need to care about what is happening, both in their core sector and in the broader world. They need to be on top of news and trends, so that they can leverage what they know to craft story ideas that best position their client, topic, etc., within the most timely, topical conversations being had in the media and on the street.

     Thick-skin

    PR people get shot-down often. It’s a common occurrence and there’s nothing wrong with that. Amid great editorial success, we get shot-down pitching more than our fair share of story ideas, bylined articles and profile pieces. While we enjoy much strategic and tactical success when working with clients, we also get shot-down presenting ideas for new programs or programmatic approaches. It’s part of the business – and you need to roll with the circumstance. Critique and criticism are common, and is something that needs to be embraced and learned from to survive happily at any PR firm.

     Have I missed anything important? If so, let me know.

    Scott Signore

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  • Stop Calling us PR “Practitioners!”

    Stop Calling us PR “Practitioners!”

    Somewhere along the way the PR industry got a bad rap. Maybe it was one too many gum-snapping, vapid airheads masquerading as public relations pros that tarnished our field. They’re a rare and feckless creature, but they have and do exist.

    Just as the newspaper business has caricatures of hard-boiled, cigarette-smoking, bourbon-swilling reporters, the public relations industry has its own cartoonish persona that undermines the very real, very important work being done.  It’s not fair. It’s not accurate. But it’s there.

    Enter the term “PR Practitioner.”

    Practitioner, you see, is a serious-sounding word which is supposed to add credibility to the profession. PR Practitioners aren’t empty-headed – they’re strategic!  PR Practitioners aren’t eye-candy; they’re brainy, and laser-focused on results!

    And so on.

    Never mind that the reality has always been far different from the perception of PR people. The overwhelming majority of PR pros, male and female, are highly educated and extremely capable of driving a client’s business forward. We are the people you want in the room during times of crisis, for example, because we understand how to effectively communicate to all audiences.

    PR agencies have long argued, and rightfully so, that their firms deserve a seat at the boardroom table alongside marketers and advertisers to make the case for bigger PR budgets.

    Notice I didn’t say marketing practitioners and advertising practitioners? Our fellow industries don’t feel the need to overcompensate by tacking on an “official-sounding” word to their jobs. PR people shouldn’t either, and the reality is: they don’t.

    Show me a PR person who describes himself as a “PR practitioner” at a cocktail party and I’ll show you a person who will be standing alone very quickly.

    My fellow PR pros know we’ve earned our stripes again and again, helping businesses achieve serious growth metrics, so can we just stop using silly words in some lame attempt to validate our existence?

    Our PR agency is called Matter Communications, because matter has substance, and because results matter. You don’t have to be a brain surgery practitioner to know that’s what’s most important.

     

    Matter

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