Company Overview

Carrie On Communication is an independent communications and publicity consulting agency representing a diverse clientele in higher education, retail, food service, legal and finance.

CHALLENGE

Efficient Implementation of Concurrent Communication Strategies

To meet the wide range of communications’ needs of its clients, Carrie On Communication needed to maximize workflow efficiency, especially in finding and targeting media contacts. (click to tweet )

“Some of my clients look at publicity and media exposure as an advancement and supplement to their reputation and as business growth opportunity. My B2B clients see the value of a national hit in a traditional publication, but they see even greater value in trade publications that are very specific to their field which can ultimately lead to new business,” said Carrie Butler, founder of Carrie On Communication. “Being able to generate interest by investigating niche publications and seeking mass media opportunity at the same time for each of my clients is key, but can be a challenge.” (click to tweet )

The agency was looking for added value in three specific areas:

Broad and comprehensive media database: The capability to reach a wide audience andtarget niche markets was critical   
Efficiency and ease of use: As a boutique agency, time management is key. Carrie On Communication sought one streamlined process provided by a single solution.
Access to outside markets: While Carrie On Communication was very familiar with local players, it needed access to national contacts to cater to its growing customer base.

APPROACH

Using Cision Communications Cloud™ as a Single Solution to Target and Reach Multiple Niche Markets

Carrie On Communication turned to Cision Communications Cloud to help meet its customers’ needs while improving workflow efficiencies in the following areas:

Broad and comprehensive media database

Using Cision, the agency created hyper-targeted media lists to crystallize its outreach. First, they build a list based on keywords, then narrowed it down by contact type. They next ran a search using the “Talking about” function, which allows them to identify which contacts specialize in any specific topic and also discover which among them are currently talking about that very topic. This unique functionality was key to reaching the right contacts with the right pitch at the right moment.

“The advanced platform enables me to easily identify the right people and the right subjects, and also to email directly from the platform,” said Butler. “The ability to do that is priceless and worth every penny spent and then some.”

Efficiency and ease of use

Small agencies wear multiple hats for their clients and so being efficient is critical to success. To achieve best results, Carrie On Communication streamlined all of its earned media activities with a Cision’s single integrated platform.  

“Prior to Cision, I was very diligent about doing one-on-one pitches,” said Butler. “It’s been a practice of mine doing independent research about who is writing about what, but it is very time-consuming. With Cision, I can do a very targeted search, find the right contacts, create a targeted list and email to the list directly from the platform. It is extremely powerful, time effective and has generated incredible results.”

Access to outside markets

Cision provides the world’s largest, smartest media and influencer database. With access to more than 1.6 million media contacts, outlets and editorial opportunities, Carrie On Communication gained unprecedented access to contacts outside its immediate market.

“I have personal connections with local journalists, but as my business expands nationwide, Cision empowers me to reach new audiences and build new connections with influencers,” said Butler. “For example, I recently had to target a specific industry in Ohio. Thanks to Cision, I was able to find the right contacts at the right new stations, all while creating new relationships and delivering on results for my client.” (click to tweet )

RESULTS

Increased Visibility and New Business Wins  

“Before using Cision Communications Cloud, we would be very lucky to get one interview or one meaningful connection,” said Butler. “Now it’s not uncommon that I receive multiple requests for interviews or content contribution for the same pitch. It shows how solid the contact list is and how well it’s categorized within the system.”

Successful results include:

Lead generation for an LTL shipping client after being featured in a prominent logistics publication.
New business win for an attorney specializing in helping new yoga studio owners with legal requirements, following coverage in a niche yoga magazine.
100 media hits and several requests for interviews for a data analytics client specializing in trend analysis during the US election.
Secured an interview with the New York Times for a business school professor wanting to share findings of his research paper. Initial pitches received a half dozen requests from high-level publications.

“If it wasn’t for Cision, I don’t know who else I would turn to to get this level of service,” said Butler. “Cision is the gold standard in my mind.” (click to tweet )

FUTURE PLANS

 A New Way to Demonstrate ROI

As an introduction to the many features of Cision Communications Cloud, Carrie On Communication was focused on using its targeted outreach capabilities. Future plans include putting the platform’s rich monitoring capabilities and in-depth reporting to full use demonstrating ROI for their clients and showcasing results for the agency as a whole.

“With so many capabilities all in one place—from note keeping, organizing contacts in second and third tier, to gathering insights and measuring results of campaigns—there is a tremendous amount of capacity for what can be done with this platform,” said Butler. “And lots of potential that I haven’t even tapped into yet.”