Did you know that a 500-mile radius of Columbus, Ohio drifts down to Georgia and includes big cities such as Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Chicago, Memphis and Atlanta?
I didn’t think so, which is why one of the reasons I love writing for the clients of Catalyst. Every case study article that I land for a magazine opens the door for research, learning, and discovery. For a writer who likes to learn new things, it’s like letting a kid loose in the candy store. And with the information essentially at your fingertips (thank you, Google!), it can be easy to find the answer to almost any question.
As a public relations professional, I think one of the areas that separates our team from competitors is our commitment to research. My colleague Christina Scott, who is also an Account Executive, and I bring news and journalism backgrounds into public relations, which is a win for our clients. Why?
Because we know how to dig for information that eludes others. We have the myriad of responsibilities and duties of all public relations professionals – customer satisfaction, project management, working with media – but if there is one key distinguisher between our team at Catalyst and other agencies it is our diligent research. Having been on the other side of the news desk, we’re willing to do the groundwork that makes our clients’ stories stand out.
Christina Scott, hard at work!
One of the great joys as a writer is finding information that’s not common knowledge, like the 500-mile radius around Columbus. This came to light while researching a story about a fire at a facility in that community. The facility’s website says it serves customers in a 500-mile radius, which piqued my curiosity. I had no idea the ring could extend as far south as Georgia and as far east as Massachusetts.
I have unearthed some other nuggets of information in the past few months that I found particularly interesting. In doing an article about a project at Hilton Head Airport for a client that manufactures stormwater chambers, I learned that Arnold Palmer was the first person to land a plane there. ‘The King’, as he was known in golf circles, has been widely credited with establishing Hilton Head as a vacation destination. I relish the thought that I might be the only person to establish a connection between Arnold Palmer and stormwater chambers.
When I speak with students, one of the questions I get frequently is: “Is it hard?” My stock answer is: of course, it’s hard. But if you love what you’re doing, it’s not work. It’s enjoyable, so it doesn’t feel hard. I have been employed in places where I didn’t enjoy coming to work – now that’s hard! There’s nothing worse than going to a job and watching the clock hands move.
Catalyst team on Halloween, 2017.
Christina and I are part of a terrific team that researches every aspect of our business thoroughly. It’s a mindset that extends from the top with President Melissa LoParco to our newest employee, Greer Hardy, who will undoubtedly blossom into a PR star.
We all want to deliver the best information we can find so that our clients can make the best choices for their business. Whether it’s a marketing brochure, a social media program, a press release or a magazine advertisement, our extensive research shows clients new and creative ways of thinking. In the end, the goal of all our energy is to give our clients a boost to their bottom line.
-Tom-
