Meet Margie McCarthy of McCarthy Messaging in Littleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Margie McCarthy.

Margie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In an Irish family, storytelling is an inherited trait. My Dad is a supreme example – from the way he sets up a yarn, to his well-timed, hilarious delivery, to his innate sense of what to play up and what to leave out. While I’m not nearly as funny as him or the rest of my Irish clan, from an early age I was drawn to the fun, power and memorability of a good story.

I guess that’s why I devoured books as a kid, especially those faded yellow Nancy Drew mysteries that Mom and I found, by the dozen, at garage sales. A love of stories and people led me to major in journalism at Miami of Ohio. Yet as I neared graduation, it occurred to me that while I enjoyed telling others’ stories, I wasn’t hard-nosed enough to be a reporter.

So what else could I do with my love of writing and people?
I found the answer in public relations, where I could take those skills and positively apply them to help businesses grow and to educate people about issues that make a real difference in their lives. At my first PR job in Denver, I did everything from client work, to prospecting for new business, to compiling invoices and even making collections calls when our bills weren’t paid on time. It taught me how to run a small agency.

That first agency also happened to be niched in the healthcare industry, and a good number of our clients were hospitals, physician practices, medical centers and healthcare industry associations. From there I worked my way through corporate jobs in healthcare IT and insurance. So while I fell into healthcare, I chose to stay because of the industry’s non-stop evolution and growing focus on the individual.

Twelve years ago, I founded McCarthy Messaging to help big healthcare companies identify their “secret sauce” and then share their stories with the world.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been tremendously blessed by the people in my life – my family, incredible mentors, fascinating clients, great word-of-mouth referrals and, today, a team of smart, hardworking employees and partners. Has building McCarthy Messaging been a cakewalk? Oh, heck no. There have been years when I’ve worked myself into a pile of dust. There were a few too many moments missed with my kids. I even had an early midlife crisis in which I chucked PR altogether and started a clothing line for little girls. That was a great adventure, but a financial mistake. The silver lining is that it pushed me creatively in ways that our firm and clients benefit from today.

All that said, I can’t imagine not having my own business. The risks and hardships are worth it because of the freedom and opportunity to build a legacy from the ground up.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
McCarthy Messaging is a strategic PR and communications firm that specializes in messaging for global healthcare companies. Our typical client is like an octopus, with arms moving in every direction. They’re sprawling enterprises where several divisions may be working on the same thing, but not talking to each other. Leaders may be telling different versions of the company story in interviews or at conferences. No one feels equipped to articulate the big picture. And there’s tons of re-work, with important projects moving in fits and starts.

We get those unruly arms moving in the same direction, telling the same story. We help behemoth companies sort out different viewpoints among leaders, pinpoint what makes them distinct, unify teams and gain a competitive advantage. Our output – a 3-page message platform – serves as the North Star that says: “Here’s who we are, why our work matters, how we’re different from our competitors, and how our customers benefit.”

I’m really proud of the way we get clients un-stuck and telling their stories with power. I’m proud that we’re niche-y – not the typical soup-to-nuts PR firm – and that we have a reputation for being the best at what we do.

Clients say what sets us apart is our ability to pull ideas and information out of people, even when they have trouble articulating it themselves. We challenge the status quo and bring a fresh perspective; we don’t just regurgitate what we’re told. Most important, as a result of all this probing and many honest conversations, we become trusted partners. One client recently told us: “You’ve created a relationship of trust – I know you’re always coming from a place of good intent.”

Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
These days, I’m getting fewer blank stares when I talk about messaging. Maybe it’s the political environment, but the average person seems to understand when a politician “needs a stronger message” or “needs to rethink his/her message.” The same idea applies to large corporations, where there is no shortage of misaligned messages.

In addition, everyone in corporate America keeps moving faster and spinning more plates of responsibility. No one in marketing or PR has time to sink deep into the intellectual work of dissecting a convoluted message and rebuilding it into something powerful, authentic and distinctive. So I think the future looks bright for our firm.

Where is healthcare headed?
This article from Modern Healthcare sums up the future in a plainspoken manner, much better than I can. My personal opinion is that the industry – as overcomplicated as it is – will continue to make slow, painful progress toward greater efficiency, more transparent pricing, smoother experiences for the consumer, and more peaceful cooperation between doctors, hospitals and health plans.

I’m eager to continue watching how AI and digital technologies will be applied across healthcare, but I hope that these will be used intelligently, such that we don’t lose – and, in fact, we gain more of – a human touch. Let the machines do the data-crunching and busywork so that people can serve people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mccarthymessaging.com
• Phone: 720-275-1300
• Email: info@mccarthymessaging.com
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mccarthymessaging

Image Credit:
Joe Mahoney, Mahoney Images
Claudia Mercer, Claudia Mercer Photography

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