PR Daily: Top Places to Work 2023
Why choose Sage Communications?
As a PRNEWS 2021 and 2022 Agency Elite Top 100 communications firm, and 2021 and 2022 PR Daily / Ragan’s Top Places to Work award winner, Sage provides full-service marketing communications, public relations and strategic marketing services to technology, government, healthcare, non-profits, and consumer-oriented organizations. The company also has a consistent commitment to creating an enjoyable, flexible, fun, and rewarding place to grow your career.
Sage’s commitment to professional development through its Sage U program evolved over the last two years: Sage found better ways to engage with employees by successfully pivoting to a virtual experience through initiatives aimed at transcending computer screens and forging the familiar connections of in-person sessions. Efforts include implementing a Sage U Fireside Chat Q&A series where employees share lessons in a conversational interview; ongoing team knowledge shares where Sage team members present a brief lesson on a professional topic; as well as frequent writing workshops led by Sage’s former-journalist team members. The company also utilizes a 360-degree approach to annual performance reviews and check-ins – this includes taking in feedback from all people that an individual works with, from account coordinator to VP, to get a full understanding and perspective of the teammate’s performance and collaboration.
Company Culture
Recognizing the importance of showing appreciation to employees, Sage created a Culture Crusaders team responsible for identifying and implementing activities to improve morale and strengthen comradery. The company found that by emphasizing fun, team-building activities, employees are more engaged and productive. The team rolled out new initiatives including reducing mandatory meetings agencywide to reduce Zoom / Teams fatigue, establishing a Sage book club, fantasy football league, attending local sporting events, and hosting various activities such as its annual “professional compliments” exercise where employees anonymously acknowledge the contributions of their peers.
In addition, the team recently participated in person for Sage Day of Fun and Top Golf outings and will soon be hosting the agency’s annual “Sagegiving” event where the team gathers for fun activities such as field games or karaoke, contributes to a cause, and shares a Thanksgiving meal together. Sage focuses on community service support too, helping organizations in the local community (Homeward Trails of Fairfax, VA) and donating various supplies for families in need across the Northern Virginia area.
Sage’s PR internship program is also a key part of the company’s culture. Sage’s interns are not glorified personal assistants; they're integral to client teams. The company asks interns to bring grit, curiosity, full effort, and a can-do attitude, as they work side-by-side with account managers to carry out award-winning campaigns. Interns become a true part of Sage and are never on the sidelines or on the outside. Sage provides many growth opportunities and has had many interns become full-time employees. They also learn PR and communications first-hand, from strategy to execution, while gaining exposure to organizations of all kinds, from technology businesses and government agencies to nonprofits. On top of accounts, each intern cohort has an opportunity to lead, execute, and report on a PR initiative with the agency, exemplifying what they’ve learned and how they can act upon their newfound PR skills and understanding of communication strategy.
Organization / Client Descriptions
Located in the National Capital Area, Sage is a full-service marketing communications and public relations agency providing strategic marketing services to technology, government, healthcare, non-profits, and consumer-oriented organizations.
Sage provides a unique fusion of traditional and digital services, including public relations, advertising, marketing, branding, social media, interactive services, and event management for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, non-profits, government agencies, associations, and coalitions through custom, high-impact communications programs.
Sage works as an extension of clients’ teams, tailoring communications solutions that focus on lifecycle needs, operating culture and goals — measured by our contribution to our clients’ value so that they can focus on their core business and mission-critical operations.
Sage has also had recent success with its MDF Concierge service, which comprises tailored pre-qualified and pre-packaged marketing and PR offerings to help technology and solution providers and their partners grow their public sector business. Sage expects this to have strong growth potential since Market Development Funds (MDF) are an essential part of supporting pipeline generation for most public sector technology organizations. However, a multitude of challenges can arise that lead to unused or ineffective use of dollars.
Sage revamped its government capture strategy and in the past couple years achieved considerable success, securing marketing and PR contracts with federal agencies in this highly competitive government market. Those agencies included the USDA National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board; the USDA Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area; the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP); as well as the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Information (NASS). Sage’s strategy also focused on elevating relationships with existing clients which enabled continued collaboration with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, MilitaryChildCare.com, among other agencies.
