For many years, we debated and then delayed starting an agency blog. There was the significant time commitment issue, of course. In addition, managing the agency’s growth during our formative years required 100 percent of senior management’s attention. A bigger concern; however, was the abundance of exceptional agency blogs already out there focused on technology PR— from FutureWorks’ PR 2.0 to SHIFT’s PR Squared to BiteMarks and Voce Nation. To be heard and stand out in this respected crowd would require a perspective both distinctive and compelling.

In April, we celebrated the Bateman Group’s Fifth Anniversary — a significant milestone for any small business. Looking back, I realized our first five years were spent quietly forming and refining our point of view on the industry. We’re starting a blog now because the time has come for us to actually share our views with the world.

And what a time we picked to enter the industry conversation. The new “business normal” spawned by the Web contains both promise and pain, continuous change, and a significant opportunity for “best of breed” PR firms that understand this new landscape. With blogs becoming more like mainstream media and a large percentage of “traditional” publications either going online or out of business entirely, there is little doubt our role as strategic advisors to our clients is evolving rapidly. The current market environment rewards dialogue and conversation. As a result, we’ve found our blend of genuine content expertise and a senior-level staffing model makes us uniquely qualified to bring together all of the forces in play to our clients’ advantage.

PR’s role in the world of mass and micro communications has grown more urgent, and the opportunity has never been better to lead the charge. In response, many agencies rushed to establish social media or digital communications groups as a separate practice areas within their firms. We decided early on that social media marketing is not an “add-on” set of services. Our objective is to tightly integrate all new channels of communication into every single service offering, then customize a solution that addresses each client’s unique business challenges.

More and more, we’re being asked to deliver truly integrated marketing solutions for our clients. These companies are coming to us not only for solutions to improve customer connectivity, corporate reputation, and sales lead generation, but also for the nurturing of individual opinions and attitudes. These newer elements can lead to the success or failure of an enterprise, new product or service. Never before have the stakes of our profession been higher or the rewards greater.

We chose the call our blog “Bateman Banter” for more than just the pleasant sounding alliteration. Webster’s defines banter to mean “to speak or address playfully or wittily” and or “good-natured and usually witty and animated joking”. You’ll discover one of the most distinctive characteristics of the agency is an inability to take ourselves too seriously. Having a sense of humor is considered a company core value and the ability to laugh at oneself a pre-requisite for employment. We encourage you to join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and perspectives with us.