As technology markets become increasingly specialized, their messaging and strategies will require more nuance for the greatest impact. Public relations agencies must adapt when working with tech clients in various industries. Industry-specific practice groups are one of many ways PR agencies can continue to create value for their clients and ensure they’re reaching the right audience.
Practice groups create dedicated teams to work with clients within the same industry. They allow teams to focus on similar technologies and hone their expertise in their respective industries. This allows the practice group and its individuals to continuously learn and evolve its processes to best serve its clients over time.
Treble recently announced the formation of an enterprise technology practice group to add to its growing list of groups. By leveraging the history of successful engagements with venture capital and growth equity-backed startups and venture capital firms, this practice group will help enterprise technology companies move upmarket.
Treble’s Senior Vice President, Matt Grant, will lead the group with his nearly 20 years of experience in marketing and communications.
Grant has a proven track record of building and implementing PR strategies that drive sales and revenue growth. As a data-driven communications leader, he builds PR programs with the right blend of strategy and execution to accelerate brand awareness, media coverage and differentiated messaging.
In this Q&A, Grant talks about his excitement for the agency’s newest practice group and its potential for clients.
Why did Treble decide to launch an enterprise practice group now?
We’ve learned a lot from a decade’s worth of working with emerging brands on the path to becoming enterprise companies. The time seemed right to apply that knowledge in a holistic, organized way to serve the needs of this growing segment. The data backs us up on this, as 57% of our new business this year was from enterprise customers.
We know that as companies grow, their goals change. In addition to expanding their brand awareness and market visibility, they’re focused on bringing in qualified sales leads, hitting their sales numbers and growing revenue — all hard numbers that the board of directors is interested in. And Treble’s experience integrating programs with earned media, demand generation, paid media and thought leadership content provides a roadmap for them to reach the right audience to achieve their goals.
How are you positioned to lead the practice group, and how will those enterprise-focused teams be staffed?
For nearly 20 years, I’ve specialized in helping B2B technology companies develop marketing and communications strategies that directly impact companies reaching their next stage of growth. Much of my work has contributed to successful acquisitions and IPOs. I specialized in bringing awareness to companies that are market disruptors, moving them to leading brands in their space.
I’ve also worked as a VP of global marketing and communications — the same position as many of the people who come to us with PR questions. And just like they’re doing, I drove the planning, development and implementation of marketing strategies, sales enablement, communications and public relations activities. So having an understanding of the challenges they’re facing gives us terrific insight into how to achieve the results they’re after.
As for the team, we’ve handpicked the group based on their experiences bringing the right blend of PR and technical know-how to strategize well with enterprise tech partners. By providing tech media with expert resources from these more established brands, we strengthen our relationships with reporters and editors who cover a particular industry.
How will this practice group affect how Treble works with enterprise technology companies?
Because our dedicated Enterprise Practice Group is made up of former marketing executives, communications pros and business journalists, we know the pressure that’s placed on in-house PR and communications teams to drive sales and revenue growth.
And we know there’s also a new audience to reach beyond the typical IT buyer. Companies at this stage want to capture the attention of C-level executives and other key decision-makers who can drive strategic partnerships and perhaps even exits.
Treble’s plan to satisfy both of those needs involves executing some quick wins while crafting a strategic plan to build long-term trust and authority.
Similarly, what value proposition does this practice group pose for companies interested in working with Treble?
With Treble, clients can expect consistency between the new business pitch team that initiated contract conversations and the team assigned to your account. The leadership team works on the front lines with media and clients to support their accounts daily. We maintain this consistency so our teams have a greater historic knowledge and contextual understanding of a client’s unique challenges and goals. Our client feedback lets us know that this methodology is refreshing to work with and provides top-tier value and service.
Our already nimble structure, coupled with the development of more specialized practice groups, gives us and our clients more creative freedom and say-so with campaigns. Treble’s management style allows us to pivot quickly and provide an extra layer of added value across all accounts.
How does creating an enterprise technology practice group better position Treble against its competitors?
Treble can provide the offerings of a full-service agency while operating in a boutique fashion. This makes our team agile, nimble and specialized when working with clients of different sizes, structures and industries.
By allotting a team with deep agency experience, Treble has a unique position and insight into what is needed on the PR side to increase the visibility of our clients and drive business and sales goals. My in-house experience sitting in a global VP marketing role and my current experience as SVP at Treble allow the practice group to be led with confidence and expertise.
Similarly, Treble’s competitive advantage is the expertise our team members bring to their accounts across all facets of marketing. Because we’ve selected a team with diverse skill sets, strengths and professional experiences, we can strategically implement PR programs and strategies that drive business and help clients reach their next stages of growth.
The enterprise tech market is competitive and noisy, so to truly move the needle for sales and business, executives are looking to PR agencies like Treble to help them transform from a challenger brand into a market leader.
Do you see Treble continuing to expand its expertise in developing PR strategies for B2B technology through industry-specific practice groups?
The short answer is “yes.”
As we’ve grown our team by 33% this year, Treble will continue expanding in new areas of expertise and business overall. While our current focus is on landing successful PR wins in B2B tech, we’re looking for opportunities to expand our reach in all areas of tech.