COLUMBIA, SC: Hi-tech agency CarterTodd & Associates is attempting to get in on the ground floor with Internet start-ups by offering a pro bono program for companies that cannot initially afford to pay for PR services.
COLUMBIA, SC: Hi-tech agency CarterTodd & Associates is attempting
to get in on the ground floor with Internet start-ups by offering a pro
bono program for companies that cannot initially afford to pay for PR
services.
According to CarterTodd partner Lorri-Ann Carter, the agency is hoping
to promote technology growth in the region by working with two local
hi-tech start-ups on a pro bono basis each year. Project work for these
clients may last three to six months, at which point the agency will
look at continuing programs at a reduced rate, depending on the client’s
current financial status.
’We hope that in the future, when they grow, that they’ll want to use
us,’ Carter said. She added that the agency is also considering taking
payment in stock.
CarterTodd recently began working with its first pro bono hi-tech
client, a company that provides technology to the medical industry. One
of the first orders of business for the agency is to help the company,
which has only received private funding, develop a name and logo.
’We wanted to make sure that we started this right,’ said Ronald
Higuera, president and CEO of the yet-unnamed medical technology
company. ’We could have developed some of our own materials, but anytime
you’re struggling and are new at something, it’s nice to have people to
lean on.’
Higuera said he intends to continue working with CarterTodd once his
company receives additional funding. ’Businesses are built on
relationships, and anytime someone is willing to take a risk and help
develop trust, we’ll remember that,’ said Higuera.
CarterTodd will start looking for its second pro bono client, which must
be located in South Carolina, through an application process in
February.
Formed approximately a year and a half ago, Carter-Todd & Associates is
a full-service hi-tech PR and marketing agency. Among its clients are
Web-based procurement software company Verian Technologies and
healthcare tech provider ObjectRealm Consulting Group.
