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Doing Business in 2009

At Articulate, I and the other members of the Articulate Leadership Team (ALT) present a company update every quarter, and we did the Q3 review this week.  At the first-half update in July, we actually upped our company success metrics based on trends we saw heading into the third quarter.  And we’re ahead of our goal so far, a fact that we are all quite proud of.

A few observations:

• Our current clients are stable and looking toward more aggressive marketing in 2010.  Six Articulate clients actually increased their PR spend in the third quarter.
• We’re continuing to build on our long-standing relationships with our clients, adding seven former clients back to the roster so far this year.
• Five new companies signed with Articulate in the third quarter – we’re seeing strong growth from marketing services companies and financial technology firms this year, a testament to our ability to quickly ramp and excel in new industries.
• The depth of our work has shifted as well this year.  We’re doing more strategic and consultative projects, from message development workshops to media and presentation coaching to Social Media 101 seminars, and we look to expand these capabilities in 2010.

There was a report this week that the recession is over.  I’m not so sure that means recovery yet, but there are strong signs that technology and B2B services firms are more hopeful that 2010 holds plenty of opportunity, and the smart companies are getting ahead of the pack by maintaining and growing their investment in PR to outpace their competitors as other industries begin to renew their spending.

By Laura Grimmer

Talking ‘bout a Trust Evolution

This morning I attended the Trust Summit breakfast briefing at the Harvard Club in New York.  The event consisted of a panel moderated by Robin Carey, CEO of SocialMediaToday, and included “Trust Agents” authors and social media gurus Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, along with David Maister and Charles Green, authors of the original book on trust, “The Trusted Advisor.”

Whether it’s with services, software or something else entirely, today’s speakers talked about how we can move the needle.  As the panel pointed out, the idea of trust isn’t anything new; however, the ways in which we can engender that trust are evolving.  The questions become not only about what to say and where and how you say it, but also what value you bring to others.  It’s often immeasurable.

So how do we become a “trust agent” or trusted advisor?  Challenge the status quo with social media.  Be helpful and interested.  Deviate from the script.  In other words, be ready to take some chances and for the mistakes that come along the way.  The bottom line:  if you stick with what you say you believe and actually do it consistently, you’re on the right track. 

I never would have dreamed that I’d say this, but I think Vanilla Ice was onto something.  Chris Brogan quoted him, giving one of the best pieces of advice about how to get involved in social media:  “Trust, collaborate and listen.”  The rest, and valued relationships, will come along the way.

By Katy Zack

A Lesson from “The Boss” … Keep it Fresh

A few weeks ago, I saw my fifth Bruce Springsteen concert with a coworker (@markvh80) and, as usual, it was amazing.  It was so good that I bought tickets to see him again next month too.  For a guy who’s been around since before I was even born (I won’t reveal the year, but let’s just say the man’s been around the block a few times), he certainly knows how to keep it fresh – making his shows consistently exciting and different for veteran fans, but edgy and appealing for new fans as well.

In a moment of dorkiness (there are many), I couldn’t help but see a parallel between Bruce keeping his material fresh and the fact that Articulate has such long-term clients, which is a rarity in the PR industry.  Hear me out here.  The PR industry is notorious for high client turnover.  It is rare to see a firm and a client together for more than a year or two.  But that’s not the case here at all.  In fact, most of our clients have been with us for many years – and take us with them when they leave one job for another.  Why is this?  We keep it fresh. 

With long-term relationships, it’s so easy for things to get stale.  We go out of our way to switch up the PR program before it gets to that “blah” stage.  The technology industry is constantly evolving – and that means PR has to as well.  If you’re not trying new things, thinking outside the box (even though I hate that term) and taking risks, you don’t stand a chance.  From a PR perspective, you might have a nice six-month project under your belt, but no long-term relationship.  It’s our responsibility to push clients to think differently and take chances.  How can you blame them if they dump you after a year of the same-old thing?   

Before you get snarky about it, I am not saying that I’m the Bruce Springsteen of PR (although if you want to call me that, I’d be totally OK with it!).  But there is definitely something to learn from a person who’s been around for that long – and inspires such loyalty in people.  

Now, if he’ll just sing “Rosalita” at the next concert I’m at, I can die in peace!   

By Megan Garnett

Who Owns Social Media?

A very interesting article in AdWeek this week caught my eye:   Who “owns” social media programs within a company?  Is it marketing?  Corporate communications?  Customer service?  HR? 

Social media still means – and should mean – different things depending on your target audience.  Consumer marketing is very different from B2B marketing for a reason:  The person you’re selling to and your target market.  A customer-service initiative on Twitter makes perfect sense for the makers of Tylenol, who are communicating directly with a wide swath of the general public on critical issues near and dear to their hearts.  But for a software maker who sells to an IT buyer in a vertical market, airing grievances or addressing complaints in a public forum could have a deleterious impact.  After all, does everyone buy software for the same reason (to cure an ache or fever?) or implement it the same way (take two every six hours?)?

A few ways to consider how social media supports some critical business initiatives:
• Hiring:  Tools like LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and Twitter can be invaluable as a way of quickly targeting and conveying the firm’s attributes and business needs.  Owners?  HR and Corporate Communications.
• Customer Relationship Building:  Social media is a great way to build public and limited-access venues for furthering and improving relationships with your current customer base.  As user conferences wax and wane in viability, social media puts your customers in direct contact with you, and if you want, each other.  Owners?  Sales, Marketing and Corporate Communications all carry the weight.
• Publicity:  Owners?  Corporate communications and Marketing work hand-in-hand in broadcasting company news.
• Thought Leadership:  Owners?  Corporate communications and Marketing again.
• Brand Enhancement and Management:  Owner?  Marketing, with Corporate Communications in a support role.

For businesses that sell to other businesses, keep your end goals in mind, and apply social media accordingly.

By Laura Grimmer

Higher Education vs. Real-World Experience: A Happy Medium?

I read a blog post today on Journalistics where the writer discussed his feelings on the APR (Accreditation in Public Relations).  There has been an ongoing debate in the public relations (PR) industry about the value of the APR program, and it made me think about the value of a PR education as a whole.

I must preface this by telling you that I am currently working toward a master’s degree in PR and corporate communication at NYU – so I definitely see value in higher education.  I chose to pursue this because my undergraduate degree is not in PR, and I assumed that further education would be the best way for me to understand my new profession.  While I’ve been lucky enough to have a full-time job in PR while attending classes, I now realize that my education would not have been nearly as helpful without on-the-job experience to supplement it.

Listening to a professor tell you how to interact with the media or compile a strategic communications plan is one thing, but it’s not as relatable as doing it yourself.  I find that it’s just as valuable to learn on the job from your coworkers as it is to learn in a classroom.  At Articulate, Laura Grimmer has developed “The Articulate Way” program, which encourages employees to work together and rely on one another to expand their knowledge base and grow their careers.

I learn new things from my coworkers every day and I believe that this knowledge can’t be learned through a classroom or accreditation alone.  While I can’t say that I’m for or against the APR program, I think that whatever higher degrees or accreditation we pursue in PR has to be supplemented with daily interaction on the job.

By Ashleigh Egan

Why Do I LIke Fall?

When you’re a kid, the change of seasons marks large events like back to school, Christmas or summer vacation.  As you grow into adulthood, it starts to have very different meanings. 

October rolls around and I start thinking about things like planning for the next year, tradeshow season and cleaning out my closet.  Whatever the case, the fall has us reflecting on the past nine months and recalibrating to ensure we close out the year stronger than ever. 

This year, much like last, has been very different though.  I think many are still looking at the past nine months and just hoping to come out alive.  I’ve gathered that sentiment from a lot of people, but, thankfully, I don’t feel it here.  Instead, we’re doing what we usually do in the fall – taking a look at the past three quarters, learning what we can from business trends and “lessons learned” and focusing on coming out on top.  In fact, Articulate announced that it added six new clients to the family just last week.  Talk about finishing up the year on top! 

So, why do I really like the fall?  (Beside my birthday!)  It is a time to realign priorities; it’s when we see the light at the end of the tunnel, the last leg of the race.  Happy fall!

By Kate Corcoran

Never Underestimate the Power of Relationships

In an industry as networking-heavy as PR, it’s easy to meet a lot of people, swap business cards and never come away with any valuable connections for your business.  It’s even easier to see clients come and go and relationship fade along the way.  While for some, it might be easier to forget people and move on, I’ve definitely learned that maintaining relationships is probably the single most important thing you can do in business.

Earlier this week, we announced that Articulate signed six new clients.  While they are companies we’ve never worked with before, they aren’t all “new” – and none of them came out of thin air.  A whopping 90 percent of those companies were clients we’d worked with previously, who changed companies, started new ones or were direct referrals from current Articulate clients and partners. 

The best part is that it’s not an anomaly.  It’s our business.  We have an 80 percent client retention rate and we get more than 70 percent of our new business from referrals or standing relationships. 

It’s well known that it’s cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one.  So pick up the phone.  Send out an e-mail.  Follow up with people you’ve worked with before.  It goes beyond networking – it’s about smart business.  I got an e-mail yesterday from someone who used to be a spokesperson for one of our clients.  I stayed in touch with her while she was in between jobs, helped her network with folks, etc.  Yesterday, she had her first day at a new company – and I was the first person she reached out to.  Never underestimate the importance of relationships.

By Meghan Attreed