Uncategorized Archives

Uncategorized

Join the Team! Catapult PR is Hiring

Public Relations Junior Account Executive Catapult (www.catapultpr-ir.com) is an authentic, strategic and results-driven public relations agency focused on exceeding its clients’ expectations every day. Located in Boulder, Colo., we believe strongly in the mantra of “work hard – play hard.” We are a specialized, high-tech PR agency that cares not only about our clients, but our employees. That means we like to hire people who are just as passionate about their jobs and careers as the

Christin Jeffers September 28, 2021

Uncategorized

Catapult PR Celebrates 22 Years in B2B Tech and Enterprise Software

Boulder-based PR firm prospers by helping tech firms develop industry narratives that position them as category leaders BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Catapult PR-IR (www.catapultpr-ir.com), a narrative-driven public relations agency for B2B tech companies, today announced 22 years in business. Catapult provides strategic public relations programs and narrative services to B2B tech firms around the world and helps clients generate awareness and leading market positions, especially within the Agile and DevOps space. “It has been an honor

Christin Jeffers September 9, 2021

Uncategorized

Narrative Consultations for B2B Tech Companies

Catapult PR Now Offering 30-minute Narrative Consultations to Help B2B Tech Companies Engage Their Community and Lead the Industry Category Free narrative consultation includes a review of the current company story and offers applicable tips for a stronger narrative BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 10, 2020 —Catapult PR-IR (www.catapultpr-ir.com), a narrative-driven public relations agency for B2B tech companies, today announced it is providing free 30-minute narrative consultations. Catapult PR offers more than two decades of communication leadership

Christin Jeffers December 10, 2020

Uncategorized

Live From DevOps Enterprise Summit Las Vegas

This week, the Catapult team traveled to Las Vegas to provide PR and social media support at the DevOps Enterprise Summit (#DOES19). The DevOps Enterprise Summit is the premier industry conference where business and technology leaders gather to learn how to develop and deploy software faster and win in the marketplace. We absolutely love being a part of this event and we’ve had the honor of supporting it since its beginning in 2014. Over the

Guy Murrel October 29, 2019

Uncategorized

How to Prepare for Your First Day at a PR Firm

A new job is a fresh start for many people. Whether you’re moving to a new state, starting at a new company or landing your first job after college, it’s an exciting time. For me, I landed my first job out of college at a boutique PR firm in Boulder, CO. Like many people, I had been dreaming about this day for a long time and the hard part was finally over, I got a

Megan Boudreau August 27, 2019

Uncategorized

Boost Productivity with these Five Favorite Google Apps and Extensions

I’ve found that whenever something frustrates me or slows me down in my digital workspace (which is pretty much 100% Google Chrome) — there’s an app for that! Chances are, if I’m getting tripped up time and again, someone else has had the same problem and a solution is out there. The Internet ecosystem includes hundreds of helpful and creative Gmail and Chrome browser extensions that make work life easier. Over the years I’ve installed

Laura Balboni May 21, 2019

Uncategorized

Increase Productivity with Music: Best Playlists to Help you Work

(I’m a Spotify user so sorry to everyone who uses a different platform. You can still use these tips on how to build out your own playlists on your preferred platform.) Is it just me or does it seem like music platforms like Spotify, have a playlist for everything? Some activities might be better if you had a little music to accompany it but on the occasion of being productive, music can either be helpful

Megan Scharf May 14, 2019

Strategic Narrative

Strategic Narrative Marketing: Four Lessons Learned

It has been a couple of years since we (Catapult) formally launched Strategic Narrative Marketing. What a roller coaster ride it has been to introduce something totally new to the PR market! If one thing is clear today- it’s that Strategic Narrative Marketing is our true differentiator as a PR firm. Along with our journey, we’ve had the opportunity to refine and adapt Strategic Narrative Marketing. If you’re new here, Strategic Narrative Marketing is an

Guy Murrel April 16, 2019

Market Leadership

Gift Guide for the PR Professional in Your Life

It’s that time of year again, a magical time when no one knows what to get each other for the holidays – but have no fear. Here to help you out is a list of great gift ideas for the PR person in your life. Even if you forget to get someone a gift, a couple of simple last minute ideas are here to save the day. In the PR world, we usually use this

Megan Scharf December 19, 2018

Market Leadership

Strategic Narrative and Category Building are Front and Center for CEOs

Messaging and positioning are more than just marketing’s priorities These last few years I’ve seen Catapult go in and help organizations create strategic narrative messaging and execute PR efforts that lead markets and create new categories. In that time, I’ve noticed some patterns in the way that organizations 1) realize they need help with telling their story, 2) reach out to third parties to gain an outside perspective and, 3) involve executive leadership to implement

Laura Balboni July 23, 2018

Market Leadership

Narrative Spotlight: How Apple Dominated the Resolution Conversation with Retina Display

Catapult has recently been shining the spotlight on companies that understand how to lead the market by creating industry narratives and vision. These are companies that have hit the narrative mark. This means their communications follow the principles of Strategic Narrative Marketing. We started with a post on Patagonia, outdoor adventure retailer, and its move over the last couple of years to take a political stance and align the company around advocacy for public lands.

Laura Balboni February 22, 2018

Uncategorized

Boost Your Content Pipeline with an Industry Narrative in 2018

As we dive into a New Year, many of us face the challenge of realigning our efforts to reach new goals over the next 12 months. If content is your specialty, you’ve probably crafted a new content marketing plan and have built (or are in the process of building) a 2018 content calendar. You might even have a documented strategy for content — but is your content supported by a narrative that delivers a unique

Christin Jeffers January 10, 2018

Strategic Narrative

Content Marketing – Too Much of a Good Thing?

Most B2B marketing practitioners understand the value of good content. The “2017 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends, North America” report states that 89 percent of B2B marketers practice content marketing. As a result, this is driving a big chunk of marketing budgets as organizations glom onto content marketing’s promises for lead gen, ROI and tangible results. This is all good –at Catapult we firmly believe in the power of content. In fact, content

Christin Jeffers August 31, 2017

Market Leadership

Social Media Marketing World: The Future of Social Marketing

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend Social Media Marketing World 2017 (SMMW) in sunny San Diego. Coming into the conference as an intermediate member of the social media world, I was excited to learn a lot. And, boy, did I learn! The conference covered just about every corner of social media marketing, including tracks specifically dedicated to blogging, vlogging, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, analytics and more. With more than 100 sessions lead

Olivia Heel April 13, 2017

Strategic Narrative

Championing a Narrative in the On-Demand Economy

The ability to have immediate access to goods and services through a digital marketplace is in turn causing radical, disruptive effects on businesses across the world. What’s more? My generation (Millennial) and the generations hereafter are starting to (almost) exclusively use on-demand services for numerous facets of our lives – from shopping and transportation to news and entertainment. Previous generations are making the migration as well. So, how are businesses leveraging public relations in the

Jeremy Douglas March 17, 2017

Market Leadership

Crafting Your Strategic Narrative Statement | Part 8

To continue our ongoing series on “Strategic Narrative Development: Elements of Success,” we’ll take a look this week at actually creating a strategic narrative statement. Last week, we discussed the elements most important to conducting a workshop and developing a category: gathering the right people, thinking at an industry level, using the workshop for discovery and not to answer questions, and to hold an extensive discussion that allows the team to consider all its options

Guy Murrel December 20, 2016

Market Leadership

The New Standard for Quality Content

My son, a kindergartner, is learning how to read and write. He tends to rush through his assignments so he can move on to more important things, like recess. His teacher, on the other hand, is a big proponent of “quality work.” She encourages him to take his time. My husband and I (also supporters of quality work), make him slow down when we practice with him outside of school but, he doesn’t quite get

Christin Jeffers December 16, 2016

Market Leadership

Five Ways to Get More Value from your PR Firm

After you’ve selected a PR firm to help your organization define and share a strategic narrative with the world, you need to make sure you get the most value for every PR dollar spent. The success of a PR initiative is not completely dependent on the agency, however. While a good agency knows how to work around unique quirks or challenges a client brings to the table, there are a number of decisions and actions

Laura Balboni December 9, 2016

Market Leadership

Strategic Narrative Development: Elements of Success |Part 7

In our previous Strategic Narrative Marketing Series post, we discussed the value of conducting a discovery workshop to uncover raw, honest insights into your company’s view and vision for the industry. Without having any experience, these discovery sessions can be difficult to conduct and it’s easy to fall off course. We highly recommend looking into an expert third party to conduct the workshop for you. But, if you are determined to go at it alone,

Guy Murrel December 8, 2016

Market Leadership

Differentiating Yourself From the Crowd Without Fake News

The more we look around the current tech landscape, the more we see examples of just how important a strategic narrative is in differentiating yourself from the crowd. Take, for instance, the latest controversy surrounding Facebook and its “fake news” problem. Facebook has long positioned itself as a data collection company masquerading as a social networking organization. However, with its move into live broadcasting and, apparently, news curation, it’s clear that the company has moved

Charles Trowbridge December 2, 2016

Market Leadership

Three Reasons to Adopt a Social Media Strategy

At Catapult PR, we offer a wide variety of services to our B2B tech clients. From analyst and media relations to content development, to capturing speaking and award opportunities there isn’t much we can’t do. While programs such as these are pretty painless in terms of getting clients on board, there is one initiative that is often a struggle: social media. Perhaps it’s because of how new social media is in terms of being a

Olivia Heel November 29, 2016

Market Leadership

The DevOps Enterprise Summit San Francisco Was Everything We Hoped For and More!

We (Catapult PR) just returned from an action-packed three days at the 2016 DevOps Enterprise Summit San Francisco (DOES16) where 1,300 DevOps luminaries, business leaders and practitioners united to unpack current DevOps trends and predictions, share success stories and collaborate for the betterment of Dev and Ops practices at large, complex organizations. The conference featured a jam-packed schedule including speakers from some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Target, Verizon and Disney, who shared

Terri Douglas November 17, 2016

Market Leadership

Unwrap Your Company’s Strategic Narrative | Part 6

If you’ve been following along with our Strategic Narrative Marketing blog series, you’ve learned how your organization has a unique opportunity to be heard in the face of today’s oversaturated content and digital marketing channels. You’ve learned how a Strategic Narrative can help elevate your organization above the competition with a higher-level, strategic approach to positioning and messaging. You’ve also learned some of the key building blocks of a Strategic Narrative – including tenets to

Guy Murrel November 15, 2016

Market Leadership

The Rules of Engagement: PR Edition

rule of en·gage·ment noun “A directive issued by a military authority specifying the circumstances and limitations under which forces will engage in combat with the enemy.” The [PR] rules of engagement (ROE) are standing orders to public relations firms (and individual PR professionals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of pitching, writing or socializing may be applied. These rules provide authorization for and/or limits on, among other things, the

Jeremy Douglas November 10, 2016

Market Leadership

Strategic Narrative Marketing: Core Tenets of an Industry Narrative | Part 5

Today we are diving into Part 5 of our Strategic Narrative Marketing Blog series. To guide you through this new, unique approach to company messaging and strategy, we’ve broken down the key pillars of what makes up a marketing-based Strategic Narrative. Our aim is twofold: 1) help those of us in charge of “messaging” create a more industry level industry narrative and, 2) provide a guide that is open and available to make a meaningful

Guy Murrel November 7, 2016

Market Leadership

Get to Know the Mind Behind, “A Practical Guide to Strategic Narrative Marketing”

A few weeks ago we announced a new book by Catapult co-founder and principal, Guy Murrel. The book, “A Practical Guide to Strategic Narrative Marketing,” is a brief ‘how-to’ guide for those looking to lead their market and stand apart from competitors while embracing a new messaging strategy. I asked Guy a few questions this week to get his perspective on what Strategic Narrative Marketing is and what it means to the PR and marketing

Terri Douglas November 2, 2016

Market Leadership

Strategic Narrative Themes: Creating Messaging that is New and Meaningful | Part 4

For the past several weeks we have been writing about key Strategic Narrative Marketing practices on our Catapult blog. We’ve looked at how you can find your company’s voice, think higher than a mission statement, and guide strategic direction with a strategic narrative. Today we look at creating entirely unique strategic narrative spaces and themes. What, exactly, do we mean by that? Let’s start with the common understand that to standout in the marketplace, you

Guy Murrel October 28, 2016

Market Leadership

5 Ways Strategic Narratives Guide Strategic Direction | Part 3

A common catchphrase emanating from boardrooms these days is, “we need a new narrative.” With business landscapes changing quickly – from the advent of new technologies, global competition, evolving customer behaviors and more – it’s no longer enough to say, “we make widgets” or, simply, “our services are the best.” As a leader, you want a powerful narrative that inspires employees, excites partners, entices customers and engages influencers. A message that is succinct, but also

Guy Murrel October 20, 2016

Market Leadership

Drop Your Mission Statement, Pick Up a Strategic Narrative | Part 2

We all have that “one” friend. The one we dread inviting over for dinner or out to brunch because we know all they will do is talk about themselves. While we wait for a natural pause to interject our own thoughts, we begin to lose interest in what they are saying and perhaps begin daydreaming, watching the final cares we have drift away. Think of this friend as the traditional approach to positioning and messaging.

Guy Murrel October 14, 2016

Market Leadership

What Is a Strategic Narrative Workshop?

As you’ve been reading in our blog, Strategic Narrative Marketing is an entirely new approach to what some folks refer to as “storytelling” or traditional “positioning and messaging.” Strategic Narrative Marketing elevates both of these to a much higher industry level that gets companies out of talking about themselves, their products, services, bits and bytes, and instead focuses on important issues taking place in their industries. It is a way for companies to not only

Terri Douglas October 12, 2016

Market Leadership

Find Your Voice with Strategic Narrative Marketing | Part 1

How loud is your company’s voice? No matter the industry, I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of us are seeing heavy saturation when it comes to online publishing and content marketing. The noise has its advantages and disadvantages. While you have the opportunity to disrupt the marketplace on platforms that can reach big audiences through PR and marketing, you might find it difficult to make an impact amongst the noise. Here’s an

Guy Murrel October 6, 2016

Market Leadership

Public Relations Isn’t Dead

I’ll be honest with you – I started my journey in public relations having very little idea of what public relations actually entailed. Coming into my current company at first as an intern, I was looking to get my feet wet in an industry that close friends and family thought I would always be good at, but had never pursued. I was a blank slate. Blanker than a newly opened Word Doc. News releases, media

Olivia Heel September 30, 2016

Public Relations Agency for B2B Tech Firms

Market Leadership

Catapult PR Launches ‘Strategic Narrative Marketing’ Category

Catapult PR Launches ‘Strategic Narrative Marketing,’ a New Brand Messaging and Marketing Approach to Help Organizations Say Something Compelling and Unique in Crowded, Noisy Markets New process and book provide a higher-level approach to messaging that goes beyond corporate storytelling with an industry focused strategic narrative that drives all forms of marketing BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 27, 2016 — Catapult PR-IR (www.catapultpr-ir.com), a boutique public relations firm specializing in b-to-b technology, today introduced a new brand narrative

Guy Murrel September 27, 2016

Market Leadership

Strategic Narrative Marketing – A New Marketing Category To Help Companies Stand Out & Be Noticed

Today is a special day at Catapult. Strategic Narrative Marketing After years of helping our clients develop their stories and turn them into narratives and entire market categories, we have taken our own good advice. We have formally packaged up this proven service offering and are now making it available to clients, small and large. We call it “Strategic Narrative Marketing.” It’s a new marketing category designed to help lift organizations up above the fray

Terri Douglas September 27, 2016

Market Leadership

Strategic Narratives: How Industry Vision Creates Leadership and New Messaging Spaces

All too often businesses struggle with having something unique and compelling to say in their marketplace. Now, with the rise of content marketing as a means of connecting with customers and standing out in the market, the challenge of “what to say” seems to increase daily. If you’re looking for new, fertile messaging ground to build your story, *stop looking inward* and at “how to” topics, and look upward at the larger scope of your

Guy Murrel September 22, 2016

Market Leadership

Life of a Ghostwriter

In a crowded, self-publishing digital world an organization will be noticed if they present a strong industry narrative through quality content. Most marketers would agree that good content goes a long way – and other stakeholders within organizations are starting to recognize its value as well. This is evident in the time and resources directed towards content development and marketing across industries. For many businesses, the content marketing strategy calls for thought leadership content “from”

Christin Jeffers September 16, 2016

Market Leadership

Cheers to 17 Years for Catapult in the high-tech PR trenches!

Today Catapult PR is celebrating 17 years as a boutique public relations firm in the high-tech B2B market. Since 1999, this agency has ridden the highs and lows of the tech industry. We’ve helped numerous companies lead markets, build and own categories and, in many instances, get purchased or lead to successful IPOs. Over the years, we’ve become a leader in developing our clients’ strategic narratives; increasing their visibility among industry influencers and their audiences;

Jeremy Douglas September 9, 2016

Market Leadership

Is your marketing content helping you lead your market?

Whether you are a content or digital marketer, branding guru, PR professional or C-level executive, the content you put out there matters. You probably want your content to be seen. You might even want your content to be strong enough to secure leads and engage your audience. If all those things are true, I’m willing to bet that you want to be recognized in your industry as a leader. So how is it going? Has

Guy Murrel September 9, 2016

Market Leadership

Telling the Same Story? Look Higher at an Industry Narrative

Every brand has a story to tell. Content and digital marketing teams spend hours toiling over ways they can capture the hearts of their audience through storytelling. While there is a clear value in storytelling when it works, it’s not easy to come up with a compelling, sustainable and unique story that will grab your audience’s attention and make a difference in the marketplace. This is especially true for many B2B tech companies. Despite the

Christin Jeffers September 1, 2016

Market Leadership

Market Confusion – Obstacle or Opportunity?

Market confusion brought on by disruptive mega-trends, new legislation or shifting industry norms can be difficult. However, this confusion also can present a wonderful opportunity to stand out as an industry leader by actively clarifying any misperceptions that are adversely impacting your industry. Companies that lead markets will always play an active role in shaping a positive industry narrative, and proactively and consistently educating the market about the overall benefits, advancements and evolution of the

Guy Murrel May 25, 2016

Strategic Narrative Marketing-Be Unique-Catapult PR-IR

Market Leadership

Avoid Blind Spots with an Industry Strategic Narrative

At Catapult we run industry Strategic Narrative workshops that help organizations dig deep into mega trends, category dynamics, transformational shifts and future possibilities – focused primarily on leading industry success and maturity. Our intent is to create a higher-level messaging framework that defines and leads categories, and goes beyond storytelling to guide all forms of marketing. However, the process also serves as a forcing function to address key issues that ultimately guide the strategic direction

Guy Murrel May 20, 2016

Market Leadership

Three Reasons CEOs Need an Industry Strategic Narrative

Every great company benefits from clear vision and leadership. The dynamics of an organization’s culture is set at the top, and it is the job of every CEO to connect and inspire people to effectively move toward a common strategic goal. Here are 3 reasons why every CEO should have a strategic narrative that outlines the current state of the industry, vision for the category and role the organization will play to advance the overall

Guy Murrel May 10, 2016

Catapult PR IR Social Media for B2B Tech Firms

Uncategorized

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog! Be sure to subscribe for ongoing updates, PR tips, strategy advice and branding discussions!

Guy Murrel March 21, 2014

Recent Posts:

get in touch