REQ

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing lead of an Agile software consulting firm. We provide Agile-based software solutions to federal, commercial, and nonprofit clients. Our clients span federal agencies in national security and health. We also work with various well-known commercial organizations and trailblazing nonprofits.

In my role, I oversee the company's different marketing initiatives to grow our brand and business and engage with our customers. I report to our strategic growth department. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We hired them for strategic PR services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ helps us with all our PR initiatives across awards and press releases. More recently, they’ve also become a strategic partner regarding content, thought leadership, and many other aspects our marketing department is interested in. 

When we brought on REQ, they started by helping us build our employer branding. This first project aimed to increase our employees' visibility on social media within the technology and consulting industries. For this purpose, REQ has submitted us for various awards for our employees to gain recognition for their work with our clients. 

Regarding content, REQ helps us write award submissions and much of our thought leadership writing. The team also helps us identify opportunities with media outlets to get our subject matter experts’ (SMEs’) opinions on the media. REQ helps us put together these media participations in a way that answers the reporters’ questions. REQ also helps us streamline our SMEs’ ideas into various pieces of content we place across our digital space. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Robin (SVP of PR), and we work with three other REQ team members who are more or less permanently assigned to us, including Eileen (Account Manager, PR). Additionally, REQ brings in other members of different teams, such as social media experts and their editorial team, to help us when needed. 

How did you come to work with REQ?

REQ was referred to our manager by someone she had worked with. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with REQ in July 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our relationship with REQ has been absolutely wonderful. We recently met to discuss strategy and results, and REQ brought forth that we’ve won over 50% of the awards out of around 40 submissions this year. This result is in addition to all the other projects REQ helps us with.

Moreover, the quality of REQ’s work is amazing. Usually, there’s not much to fix when they deliver work. We’ve reached a point where we trust them in our relationship, so we usually only require minor tweaks, such as small grammatical preferences. 

REQ’s team is very approachable, making them easy to work with. I’ve previously worked with other PR firms that could be a bit stiff and inflexible. Meanwhile, REQ is the opposite — I wish other firms could operate like REQ. 

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always within the budget, and deadlines have never been an issue. REQ is usually ahead of schedule. Eileen and I keep closely in touch about the projects’ progress to get ahead of any deadlines. 

We mainly communicate through Slack and have weekly Zoom meetings. REQ’s team also comes into our office for strategic meetings when asked. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Eileen coordinates all our PR efforts and is our primary contact when we want to get a project started or completed. She’s there throughout the process and is very knowledgeable of all things PR and writing — she’s amazing to work with. 

Moreover, Eileen understands our needs; even when we have issues verbalizing what we’re looking for, she provides strategic thought to help us get where we need to be. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by REQ’s work ethic and ability to present themselves as a strategic partner. We’re a small marketing team, so there are some things we can’t fully wrap our arms around. Having REQ as a partner has been extremely valuable due to their sheer knowledge and expertise around the intersection between PR and technology consulting. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If anything, we would like more teammates like the ones we work with! 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t keep REQ at arm’s length; be honest with them about where your company is and what your strategic goals are. Instead of treating them like a PR arm, bring them in as a partner so that you can truly get value from the team’s expertise and willingness to help and try new things.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of sales, leasing, and marketing for Beechwood Homes. We are a private residential developer. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We’ve hired REQ for digital marketing services. We were doing a lot of in-house work, but the digital marketing landscape changes so rapidly that we knew we couldn’t keep up and adequately run digital marketing for a company of our size. We decided to bring REQ in because they had expertise and knowledge that we felt would be extremely valuable for our efforts. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ handles all of our paid search and social media marketing. They are also responsible for SEO and our native and display advertising. REQ provides reporting for our digital marketing and integrates all that information into one central reporting platform. REQ runs the entire digital marketing effort for our North Carolina operations. 

The team is responsible for managing Google Ads, and we recently expanded into Microsoft Ads. REQ also runs our Facebook and Instagram; we create advertisements in-house, and they give guidance on how to move forward with them. REQ creates monthly and quarterly reports to see what’s working and what isn't. This includes analyzing our site and competitor's sites to see where we line up. 

REQ provides keyword analysis and research for our company, and we implement their recommendations. The team works closely with our in-house developer to optimize all our components. They also create blogs and have been responsible for creating infographics. REQ is responsible for our CallRail services and adds extensions to our campaigns to track everything more effectively. This helps our understanding of where we should be spending our marketing efforts. 

What is the team composition?

We have about nine people that work on our account. This includes Kiana (Account Executive), Katherine (SVP, Client Service & Operations), and Davinia (Client Service Fellow),

How did you come to work with REQ?

I met a REQ team member when I interviewed them for a podcast. My company was extremely impressed with REQ's approach and their team's talent, so we decided to move forward with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2022, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’ve seen increases in site traffic, rankings, and overall business conversions. Our businesses are performing unbelievably well, and we consider the engagement a massive success. Their quality of work is extremely high, and we see results because of it. 

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

REQ always stays within budget, and they are on top of everything. We consistently communicate with their team and are organized in presenting information and tasks that must be completed. We have weekly meetings and meet monthly to discuss successes and places that could improve. We also have quarterly meetings where REQ reports everything to our higher levels and goes more in-depth about plans to move forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re constantly working and trying to improve their techniques to make their strategies most effective. We also appreciate their expertise and knowledge because they work with other clients and bring that outside knowledge to the engagement. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We would like the quarterly reports to be given to us sooner so we can fully review them. We have to put some of the analytics into a digestible format for stakeholders, and if we had a little more time to do that, it would be appreciated. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Determine how you want to communicate with REQ and have everything lined up so you know where information is going. You need to be consistent in your primary contacts and be clear about lines of communication and the approval process. Sometimes things get lost in translation because we have so many steps to this process, and creating a better system for communication will help new clients be successful in their engagement. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the former senior marketing communications manager at Invicti Security, a web application security testing company. Invicti Security primarily focuses on dynamic application security testing and API security.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We hired REQ to help support our external media relations efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to scale our brand awareness efforts and build relationships with the media. More specifically, we wanted more support with some of our vertical focuses, primarily in the federal government space and public sector space. REQ had some really good relationships in place and could help support some of our connections in those public sector verticals.

Their primary tasks were press releases and byline content, including writing articles for us. REQ also helped us with writing and awards submissions support, just helping to scale our efforts to be able to do more with less. Furthermore, they secured many media mentions in various articles and interviews for us.

During the process, they were always open to our suggestions. As a team, they were very good at setting expectations and suggesting helpful solutions. REQ always provided guidance and support in a direction that was going to help us get the best result, even if it wasn’t the original idea that we internally thought of.

 What is the team composition?

Three full-time teammates worked on the account. I worked closely with Katie (EVP, Client Service & Strategy), Emily (Account Director, Public Relations), and Scott (Senior Account Executive). Additionally, there was an intern on the account.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Emily is an all-star, and on top of all deliverables at all times. She is extremely organized and makes hitting the end goal a top priority. She is very competent and willing to help work with spokespeople, create messaging on their behalf, and jump in whenever there is a problem that needs to be solved. She is truly a rockstar and an easy person to work with. I can’t say enough good things about Emily.

How did you come to work with REQ?

My manager worked with REQ in a different position. We were evaluating different PR partners, but we interviewed REQ because of the established relationship already in place. 

From the initial call, they displayed professionalism, and it was obvious that they did their research. I instantly felt that I could trust them. They deeply understood the media landscape, what our goals were, and how to prioritize efforts to best meet our goals.

After they sent a proposal, we had them meet with our CMO just to make sure we were all on the same page when it came to our goals. Things got started relatively quickly after that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with REQ in December 2022. The engagement is scheduled to conclude in June 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

This past quarter we submitted 10 awards and won six. The team at REQ played an instrumental role in our success with awards. We reached an 85% Share of Voice which is very strong in dynamic application security against our competitors. Our goals were 12 placements per month, and they blew that out of the park every month and quarter. 

The REQ team focused on high-quality placements and made sure we reached our goals by dividing the types of placements between our key verticals. They made cyber and tech a priority but also looked at opportunities with some of the industry-related verticals.

They always provided great direction and set expectations because of their experience. REQ did a great job of helping us reach our goals by providing all-hands-on-deck support. They were always willing to work with us and made sure we were hitting our goals. They were great team players, especially compared to the other agencies that we had worked with.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

During the engagement, REQ consistently showed flexibility. In general, they were wonderful communicators, and I was never left in the dark.

The team created a very comprehensive running list of items. If something wasn’t a priority or moved down the list, they always kept tabs on it ensuring items didn’t get lost. Even if something didn’t turnover into a media opportunity, they kept track of all the activity and interest we had. In turn, that helped me when it came to communicating with higher-ups and stakeholders about any ongoing efforts.

We met weekly with the REQ team. They were super responsive over email and Slack. In addition, we used Google Docs to manage the project. They were open, honest, and overall great partners to work with. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They genuinely did their research and thought critically on their own, without having to come to me with 100 questions. A lot of the work was done in preparation. They took the time to understand what was going on. They wrote based on the information they had and never made assumptions. I never felt like I had to babysit or double-check their accuracy, which I've had to do with other agencies. 

I genuinely appreciated their proactiveness. I trusted that they were always on the pulse of everything, taking care of things without waiting for permission when they knew they had something that would work. REQ is one of the best agencies I have worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

That's a tough question. Although it wasn't necessarily their fault, it would have been beneficial to spend more time figuring out how we could engage more with business press than just technical and vertical press. However, we talked about and it was a matter of readjusting our priorities. Overall, they were very on top of everything, and we always had open communication about our priorities.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maintain an open dialogue and provide feedback and any other information needed as soon as possible. Both our internal team and REQ team acted quickly to ensure success. There was very little slowdown, which kept their momentum high. To see results, I recommend holding up your end of the bargain and approving things in a timely manner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of brand and communications for Revature. We’re a tech talent enablement firm serving some Fortune 500 leading financial institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We’ve hired REQ to act as our PR agency on record. We chose to bring them on board because we believed they would provide us with new contacts and best practices that we didn’t have access to internally. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ supports multiple strategic initiatives, including content creation, an awards program, media pitching, and PR. They propose solutions that will push the needle and raise brand awareness. 

REQ is responsible for writing blog posts, taking care of award submissions, and handling press releases. The team is also in the process of recording an interview series with CEOs at our client companies. REQ performed a social media competitive analysis and content strategy during our UK launch. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Lisa (EVP), Emily (Account Director), Eileen (Account Manager), and Scott (Senior Account Executive). 

How did you come to work with REQ?

REQ was working with our company before I started but only supported a limited project scope. We saw they were delivering excellent work and thought they had much more to offer, so we brought them in to take on more and support our whole business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $200,000 with REQ. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I joined the company in May 2022, and they were already working for us; the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They’ve secured us multiple media mentions, and when we launched in the UK, REQ procured strong local media results. Our whole executive team has been really impressed with their coverage for the UK launch, and REQ secured around 10–12 media hits. 

We measure our brand awareness every six months, and it has increased by 12 percentage points; we know the media hits are a big part of that. We’ve also seen an increase in site traffic. 

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re wonderful and have never missed a deadline, even if they're working under a tight timeline. REQ is always on top of projects, and they communicate with us in advance. If we forget on our end, they are also very proactive about making sure we provide them with what they need to move forward. 

We communicate via email and Zoom. They share a report weekly with us, which is the key communication tool between our two teams. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Lisa has been incredible and we wish we could work with her forever. She is creative and has a very clear point of view about how PR works in the large marketing ecosystem. We appreciate that she attends every meeting and knows what’s going on with the team; she is a heavily involved executive, which is huge. 

We also want to shout out Emily, who is amazing. We have a lot of respect for everything she does, and she is highly organized. She never misses a deadline and is diligent about making sure we don’t miss them either. She feels like an extension of our team and is vital to our daily work.

We also really appreciate the work that Eileen and Scott do; Scott has secured eight radio interviews for us in 2023 alone.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their scope has been spot-on, and we haven’t had to make any changes. Their written content is highly impressive, and they ensure that we’re getting in the right publications, not necessarily the biggest ones. The team is very patient and never gets frustrated with us. Their quality of work justifies the price tag, and their connections are very valuable. 

It’s also a huge deal that they always provide an executive in our weekly meetings. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wish they had a little bit more diversity on their team. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate your goals as proactively as possible, even if you don’t think they’re always relevant. The more information they have, the more they can help. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of strategic growth operations at an agile software development firm that supports the federal and commercial markets. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We use their PR services. We hired them during what’s known as “the Great Resignation” to help us with our branding and market positioning to attract talent. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the engagement, we provided REQ with our client development plans and strategic plans. They conducted interviews with our subject matter experts and leadership team. 

They’ve produced a series of PR and marketing tactics to position the company. REQ develops content, including thought leadership pieces.

What is the team composition?

There’s a primary account executive who is supported by 5–6 other teammates.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2022, and the partnership is ongoing.

How did you come to work with REQ?

A former member of my team knew of REQ and their abilities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

REQ’s support is very useful; they’re a critical part of our team. We’ve seen an uptick in the viewership of our social media. Some of our executives have been trending in the market, and we’re seeing more engagement from the industry in terms of awards and recognition.

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

REQ is very quick to respond; they're eager to help and add value to your team. They always offer to go above and beyond what they're already doing, so they're a terrific addition to our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great at translating information from our subject matter experts into messages easily understood by the market. They can immediately assess where the message will resonate. They have strong media connections, so they’re good at getting items in front of the right audiences.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be open and honest about your strategy, goals, and the message you want to deliver to the market.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a social media manager for a nonprofit organization designed to accelerate the development and adoption of focused ultrasound technology. In my role, I was responsible for our Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, where we shared news and progress on the field of focused ultrasound.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

Not many people were aware of focused ultrasound technology as we would have liked. Thus, we thought that social media would be a good way to reach more people and let them know that this technology could be an option for their health condition.

Although I was in charge of our social media, my director thought that it would be a good idea to work with objective outside parties to ensure we were using best practices, maximizing the potential of our effort. Therefore, we hired REQ.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, REQ provided us with consulting services to improve our social media efforts. After that, their team didn’t only advise us; they also did some of the actual work, bringing their team to help us manage our social media marketing (SMM) workflow.

As part of these efforts, REQ helped us create and design a greater volume of content so that we could launch campaigns we couldn’t have launched on our own. For example, they created Instagram stories for us, which we didn’t know how.

REQ was in charge of our SMM on all of our channels, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as a little of our YouTube channel. Still, it was only marketing to some extent because we weren’t trying to raise money or drive sales; we were only trying to raise awareness.

In addition to SMM, REQ offered a lot of other services, such as PR. Still, we didn’t have the need or budget to acquire those services.

What is the team composition?

REQ’s team included writers, designers, and project managers.

How did you come to work with REQ?

Before working with REQ, we were working with a big marketing agency. However, our relationship was too impersonal, and we didn’t feel we were getting a lot of value for our money. Therefore, my director asked me to do research and see what else was in the market.

For him, it was important to work with a big, reputable, and well-known firm, so I started looking for a big company that also had people geographically close to us. When I found REQ, I visited them in Washington, DC, and had good conversations with them.

REQ then did an audit of our social media, during which they examined each of our platforms to identify what we were doing well and what we could improve on. Then, they came back with a report. We really liked what they had to say, and they seemed very understanding and easy to work with, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

The nonprofit organization has spent at least $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I visited REQ in March 2020, and we decided to bring them on by around July of the same year. Although the relationship between REQ and the nonprofit organization is ongoing, I’m no longer part of the organization.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

During my time on the project, we saw an increase in our social media followers, especially on LinkedIn and Twitter. However, we were already seeing a trend on those channels before working with REQ. We also saw growth in all of our platforms overall, as well as an increase in engagement.

In addition to that, we definitely saw an increase in the content volume we were generating. Throughout my engagement with them, we published between 30–40 social media posts across all of our platforms every week. Design-wise, REQ helped us accomplish things we didn’t have the in-house skills to handle on our own.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

REQ performed well and was very responsive. Although their team shifted and changed due to personnel changes and leaves, they were very good at filling the gaps and getting new people up to speed. Moreover, REQ did a great job at working with us as partners, so we felt like we were on the same team.

We mainly communicated via email unless there was an emergency. Additionally, I had a weekly Zoom call with two members of REQ’s team, as well as another call every two weeks with their account management team. During those calls, I let their team know about our priorities and upcoming milestones, and we worked together on how we could work together to cover everything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

REQ was always very amicable and easy to work with, as well as very accommodating to our needs. At times, we felt as if we were their only client because they were doing a lot of things for us. Moreover, they were genuine and responsive, and they put a lot of effort into understanding what was unique about our organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In every relationship, there are always small areas for improvement. For example, one of the main teammates from REQ was on the West Coast, so we had small time zone issues. Still, she did her best to minimize those issues as much as possible.

If anything, it would have been great if REQ had been bolder and pushed us harder to take more chances and get out of our comfort zone. Still, they recognized that our culture was different than that, so although I would have been fine with being pushed, others in the organization might not have been comfortable with that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking for SMM and similar services, you should definitely take a look at REQ. When you work with them, your priorities become theirs, and they can bring a perspective into your project that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a former executive of a software company. I was in charge of creating brand awareness.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

We needed to improve our brand awareness and build credibility in the construction industry, which is our main industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ manages our PR campaign and helps us create relationships with reporters and storytellers across the country. Our main challenge is to elevate our brand’s visibility and position our company as experts and thought leaders in our industry. REQ has created different marketing materials for us, including press releases, social media posts, blog posts, case studies, white papers, and analyst reports. 

REQ is familiar with our company’s five-year strategy and constantly looks for ways to elevate and expand our brand awareness. For instance, REQ sends speaking submissions to regional events related to our industry since they're familiar with our sector. REQ has also created an editorial calendar that guides our strategy.

After eight months that our relationship with REQ started, we expanded our services. Now, REQ also assists us with digital marketing and manages our advertising campaigns. 

What is the team composition?

We work with five teammates from REQ, including the SVP of PR, a media specialist, an account executive, a senior account executive, and a digital strategist for digital campaigns. 

How did you come to work with REQ?

REQ was recommended to us and was one of five agencies we evaluated. We sent an RFP to different agencies and selected REQ because we bonded with the team and liked their out-of-the-box thinking.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $25,000 monthly with REQ. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with REQ in September 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

REQ has met our expected goals. We monitor the campaigns’ monthly performance regarding impressions, clicks, and the number of articles placed. We’re happy with the results. We also monitor softer metrics related to brand awareness. 

REQ consistently achieves our expected metrics from our sales funnel, including the expected placement and impressions goals each month with each story we pitch. REQ is an integrated part of our team, and we have a seamless relationship.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

REQ is very transparent and attentive. REQ’s senior team has been attentive to our account, and they’ve informed us from the beginning of our engagement which teammates would work on our account. There have been personnel changes, but REQ has informed us each time. 

We have weekly Zoom meetings, and REQ has remained consistent and attentive. They propose ideas throughout the week and don’t wait for our calls to do it. We use Slack for daily communication and email. We use Asana for project management. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by REQ’s team expertise and their ability to be consistent and attentive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

REQ could become more familiar with our products to help them look for different ways to pitch our services. REQ could also talk to our customers to understand our company’s pain points and update the story we’re trying to tell.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend making sure your strategy aligns with REQ’s strategy. I also recommend treating REQ as an extension of your team. The more you work closely with them, the more success you’ll get because REQ will propose great ideas to elevate your message.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at a cloud, cybersecurity, and digital transformation services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

Our company has grown substantially over the past several years and through acquisition. We were at a point where we needed to raise awareness and increase the company's reputation. 

We rebranded in late 2021, launching a new narrative and product positioning. We needed to go out and start telling our brand story more strategically. One of the best ways to do that is through PR, so we brought REQ on board to help us share our story, position us as a thought leader in our industry, and help with general awareness and reputation management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

REQ provides us with PR support. First, we gave them a lot of background information, including the brand book, style guide, and past content. They also had scheduled source calls with executives, technical leaders, and myself to get the team onboarded. We gave them our company messaging and branding and information about our product, industry space, and competitive analysis.

Their work includes media relations support, pitching, drafting bylines for press coverage, coordinating interviews, and coaching spokespeople. They also provide social media support; they draft content for our social media channels to help amplify earned media coverage. REQ also does general content writing for content marketing purposes. 

We work on a retainer, so they have a monthly allotted set of hours. They help us with strategy and report on the impacts of our PR efforts. Their reports include the amount of coverage and reach, our verticals, and how often our spokespeople are being used. 

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from REQ: Lisa (EVP of PR), Casey (Account Director of PR), and Samantha (Assistant Account Executive of PR). 

How did you come to work with REQ?

Our CMO had worked with them previously from a content perspective. She connected me with REQ’s PR arm, and we had a pitching process where we looked at them and a couple of other agencies. We decided to go with REQ, given their industry expertise and flexibility. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Before this engagement, we didn’t have a PR program; we had no earned media coverage or thought leadership strategy. REQ has been able to secure a steady stream of 4–5 high-quality monthly placements, which is very good. 

Our internal stakeholders and clients have noticed that our company is more visible. We’ve gained brand recognition for what we’re about, our offer, and our thought leadership opposition. The REQ team has gotten us more in the public eye in a very meaningful way.

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

They have solid project management. The team is very organized and responsive. REQ has the logistics of the account management down pat when it comes to weekly meetings, regular tracking, reporting, and monthly and quarterly plans. Overall, they operate very smoothly. 

As a cybersecurity company, most of our systems are fairly locked down, so we use a shared Excel file to track things for simplicity.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because of REQ’s size, we get a lot of senior-level participation and involvement in our account, which we don’t typically see at larger agencies. We appreciate that Lisa is always available and very hands-on with the strategy. Their highly experienced roles balance the creativity and the energy of some of the more junior team members, which is a differentiator. 

Additionally, they work fast. Typically when ramping an agency, it takes 3–6 months to see results because the agency is learning, and teams tend to be a bit more junior. Meanwhile, it took REQ half that time to get up to speed with our business, brand, and what we were trying to accomplish together. The agility and flexibility of the team are outstanding. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When it comes to earned media, they could improve the speed of creative ideas. They should continue pushing for how to creatively tell a story in a way relevant to mainstream media and our vertical audiences. This is the feedback I’d give any PR agency, though, because the media landscape is always rapidly changing, and things that are grabbing headlines happen quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise you to have an internal resource with the time and bandwidth to partner with REQ. When you have an agency like them than can move fast and provide senior strategic direction, you need someone who can help coordinate. This resource should understand how PR works so that the team can spend less time educating and more time executing strategy. 

I would also suggest treating REQ as a partner; they’re there to help executive coaching. The team will provide advice and strategy on what’s trending in the market, so ensure you’re coming at it with an open mind. It would be best to focus on what’s relevant and interesting to readers and viewers, not what’s interesting to your product team. At the end of the day, PR isn’t advertising, and it’s always about the story.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for an IT management firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with REQ?

While we had a corporate PR team, we also had several groups working underneath that umbrella. We were looking for a company to support our PR needs. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been working with REQ since 2011, and they do a little bit of everything for us. They handle sourcing calls, write articles from scratch, and develop a quarterly content calendar. They can work independently, but if they’re creating content outside their usual wheelhouse, they interview our internal teammates. 

Additionally, REQ makes a lot of article placements, press releases, and word submissions. They also do our placements in third-party publications and help us disseminate yearly cybersecurity surveys.

Recently, REQ has helped us expand into the state and local education market, but before that, their focus has been on the federal market.

What is the team composition?

We work with 4–6 teammates.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2011, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

REQ typically gets us about 80–100 placements per year, many of which are bylines. They’re wonderful to work with. They’re not just a vendor we get output from. Instead, they’re an extension of our team. 

In addition, REQ has become an expert in our business, and they always collaborate with our internal subject matter experts. We’ve recently paired two internal teammates to work with REQ, and I’m confident it’ll be easy for them. 

How did REQ perform from a project management standpoint?

REQ handles all our project management. If we talk about something, I don’t need to think about it again until it gets done. They are very knowledgeable about the public sector market and good at picking up the ball and running with it. They learn things quickly and are always available. We are using Google Docs and Asana to collaborate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

REQ’s skill and knowledgeability are impressive. They also provide exceptional customer service. 

REQ has been a fantastic partner all these years — they’ve grown with us and our program. When we started, people in the federal space didn’t know who our company was. It’s very different now, largely due to the work REQ has helped us do over the years, building awareness about what we do and how we help our customers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I love working with REQ. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework, and help REQ do their homework. Have them understand your industry, business, and the people involved. REQ knows a lot about our marketing teammates and internal subject matter experts, which has made our partnership more valuable. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm VP of marketing for a mid-size technology services and SaaS company that serves state, local and federal government agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire REQ, and what were your goals?

We've been working with REQ for 5+ years. When our firm was acquired by a larger company in May of 2021, we asked REQ to expand our PR and thought leadership strategy to help us promote the acquisition and to help us generate more brand awareness for the larger firm.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

REQ has been a reliable partner for us for 5+ years, so I was confident that they would continue to be an asset for us as a larger company post-acquisition.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

REQ helped us promote the acquisition, securing positive coverage in many important publications in our industry. They've also helped us create a steady stream of web content, bylined articles, interviews/thought leadership opportunities that have moved the needle on our brand awareness among our target audiences.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I've work directly with their Executive Vice President and 2-3 Account Managers or Account Executives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've secured bylines in a number of important publications in our space and seen strong SEO and engagement performance from the content that REQ has helped us create.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We met weekly, and the team gave us a detailed report with deliverables, progress, roadblocks, etc. We also communicate via email and Slack throughout the week.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Strong writing, great media contacts, and willingness to be flexible based on our shifting priorities.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nope!