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Category: Marketing

How to Write Convincing Calls-to-Action Copy

August 30, 2012January 31, 2023 Josephine ButlerBlog, Marketing, Public Relationsadvice, best practices, call to action, calls-to-action, copy, copywriting, CTA, CTAs, how to, projects, services, write, writing, writing skills

Like we’ve mentioned before, one of the ways that Clairemont team members work on professional development is by reading. We’re constantly seeking the latest and greatest when it comes to social media and public relations. Without further ado, here’s a review of our most recent find: an e-book from Hubspot entitled, “Mastering the Design and Copy of Calls-to-Action.”

When it comes to click-through rates, lead conversions and sales, good writing practices are important. Public relations professionals must master the art of calls-to-action (CTAs), a website’s request for a visitor to take action (think of the copy that precedes a “Like us”).

While we’d really love to write the copy for you (seriously, contact us!), we’d also like to share a few tips on how to write your own compelling CTAs. They are:

  • Start with subjects and verbs. It helps readers to quickly understand the meaning of the sentence and what you’re asking them to do. Never forget to include a verb – if you do, you aren’t prompting any action!
  • Include numbers. This way, you can be specific about what you’re offering. Research proves that CTAs with numerical data have high view rates.
  • Use adverbs sparingly. They have no fixed position in a sentence and are the part of speech that gets the fewest number of shares on Twitter.
  • Keep your CTA between 90-150 characters. In true Twitter fashion, your CTAs should also stay within the 140-character limit. It’s always better to be short, concise and to the point!
  • Stay away from technical lingo. If you had to look it up, your reader probably will have to do the same. Instead, use words like “insights,” “analysis,” “answers,” etc. These words suggest that your content can help improve your reader in some way.
  • Be specific. Instead of the vague “click here” or “submit” button, try being more upfront about what it is that you want your reader to do (i.e. “browse,” “compare,” or “grab”).

We hope you found these tips helpful. Stay tuned as we continue to share more best practices in the weeks to come. In the meantime, be sure to share your questions and comments. We’d love to help!

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What I Learned from Interning at a Raleigh PR Agency

August 22, 2012January 31, 2023 Josephine ButlerBlog, Marketing, Professional Development, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, The Clairemont Teamadvice, college, high school, how to get an internship, internship, Marketing, NC, NCSU, PR, Public Relations, Raleigh, Triangle, UNC, what I learned at my internship2 Comments on What I Learned from Interning at a Raleigh PR Agency

Today was our ambitious high school (yes, you did read that correctly) graduate’s last day as a Clairemont intern. Before she leaves us, though, she wanted to share a few things that she learned during her internship here. Without further ado, Miss Erica Amatori…

Be sure to wish Erica luck as she leaves for the College of William & Mary on a track/cross country scholarship!

I was frantic the first morning of my summer internship at Clairemont Communications. What should I wear? It was going to be an important day! I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it would be way different than my strategic marketing class I took in high school, that’s for sure. But after the first day of getting to know Josie and Margot, I immediately felt like part of the Clairemont team.

Learning marketing in a class is one thing, but applying it to real life situations is another. During my internship, I was able to experience first-hand what it’s like to work at a public relations agency and make real contributions to clients (and my portfolio!).

Here are some key points I learned that I’d like to share with you:

  • Know your client well. In order to satisfy what they expect to be accomplished, one has to put a lot of research into getting to know the company and gain knowledge on their customers.
  • Before reaching out to the media, prepare. When I was asked to create a media list for a project, I quickly realized how important research would be in finding the right contacts at each outlet – all of this before we ever even made one phone call!
  • Even the smallest of tasks can make the biggest difference. When you’re working in PR it’s important to have the bigger picture, but it’s all the little things that get you there. Taking things step by step is sometimes the best way to tackle big tasks.
  • Be the sponge. Absorb all the information you can and put it to good use. In the future, all of the information I learned about PR and social media will help me become a more skilled employee.
  • Ask questions – it’s how you learn! Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions. An internship is a learning-based environment!
  • Network! In what is actually a small world, connections are everything. Networking provides mentors and working relationships. Did I mention that my high school teacher is good friends with Josie, and that’s how I heard about Clairemont?

My advice to other hopefuls who are striving for an internship: only set one goal – to succeed! Be prepared to learn and open your mind to new experiences that can advance your knowledge. Even though today is my last day, I was still wondering what I should wear and was just as nervous this morning…but it was a different kind of nervous. The kind where you knew you had to say your goodbyes, but you don’t want to leave!

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To Tweet or Not to Tweet?: A Guide to Twitter Business Etiquette

July 11, 2012January 31, 2023 Josephine ButlerBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagementadvice, business, don't reply to every tweet, etiquette, schedule tweets, social media monitoring, social network, tips, Twitter, Twitter for businesses

As consumers of all things public relations, the Clairemont team can’t seem to get enough of Twitter. From managing our own personal accounts to strategizing for clients, we’re constantly on the social networking site, tweeting away. And when we’re not having conversations on Twitter, we’re researching the latest industry tips and trends, via sites like HubSpot, where we recently stumbled across this gem. Too good not to share, we hope you’ll find these Twitter etiquette for business tips as helpful as we do!

Tip #1: In lieu of time, don’t make it a habit of replying to every single Tweet. You should be replying to two types of tweets on an ongoing basis: questions and negative comments. And it pays off. Did you know that 64 percent of users are more likely to purchase from businesses that answer their questions on Twitter?

Tip #2: Follow back your followers! This way, if your followers end up with a question, they have the opportunity to DM (direct message) you, and you better believe it: this is especially ideal when it’s a complaint!

Tip #3: To allow for more time to monitor content, schedule tweets in advance. And now that you have all this extra time on your hands, have a colleague take a second look — you never know what might come off the wrong way.

With these three tips, you’re well on your way to becoming a Twitter pro! Still need a little help writing, scheduling or creating a strategy surrounding your tweets? Clairemont can help! Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Have more tips to share? Ditto!

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My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 22

June 28, 2012January 31, 2023 Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Marketing, Owning a Businessentry-level PR job, entry-level PR position, Google, Google SEO, PR, PR Agency, Public Relations, Raleigh, Raleigh PR Agency, Raleigh Public Relations Agency, SEO1 Comment on My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 22

If you are a start-up or own a small business, search engine optimization is essential in order to be found by potential consumers searching for your product or business on  Google, Yahoo!  or other search engines. Making sure to use key words and phrases to ensure higher SEO is a good start, but Maile Ohye, developer program tech lead at Google, has shared some more tips and tricks for startups to really optimize their SEO.

Here is her advice (in less than 10 minutes) on how startups can master their SEO:

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What Does A PR Agency Do? Furniture Industry Social Media Campaign

June 27, 2012January 31, 2023 Josephine ButlerAwards, Blog, Case Studies, Furniture PR, Marketing, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, Social Media + Influencer Engagementawards, engagement, Facebook, InSpire Awards, measurement, NCPRSA, North Carolina Public Relations Society of America, PR case studies, PR case study, Social Media, social network, Thomasville Furniture1 Comment on What Does A PR Agency Do? Furniture Industry Social Media Campaign

People commonly ask us what a PR agency does. We thought the best way to answer that question would be to share case studies from our work that was recently recognized at the North Carolina chapter of the Public Relations Society of America’s (NCPRSA) InSpire Awards. Clairemont won 14 InSpire Awards, and we hope that this “Award Winning Wednesday” blog series will inspire you, too!

Client: Thomasville Furniture, established in 1904 and a leading name in the home furnishings industry.

Objective:  Manage the Thomasville Facebook page. Based on our research and several meetings with Thomasville executives, the Clairemont team identified the following objectives:

  • Boost overall interactions on the Facebook page, with special emphasis on increasing interactions among 18 to 34-year-olds by 5 percent.
  • Increase the number of likes on the page by 100 percent

Execution: Research provided insights on existing customers and younger consumers, including media consumption preferences. Focus groups revealed that younger consumers often see Thomasville’s furniture as special occasion furnishings, while they seek everyday furniture (of course, we know that Thomasville is very fun and fashion-forward these days!). Clairemont also evaluated social media networks and confirmed Facebook’s significant potential as Thomasville’s primary customer engagement channel.

We focused creative content in the following areas:

  • Interior Design: To position Thomasville as the fashionable brand that we know it to be, we shared ideas from shelter magazines, such as Elle Décor and House Beautiful. We uploaded product photography featuring new collections designed for a young demographic and shared decorating tips via professionally produced videos. Our chatter posts got fans talking and sharing their own interior design ideas, too.
  • Sweepstakes: Recognizing the traffic-driving power of sweepstakes, Clairemont generated steady fan engagement with giveaways throughout the year. The Best Bridal Shower Gift Ever Giveaway targeted 18 to 34-year-olds by awarding a bedroom suite as a wedding gift to a young couple. Our Best Seat in the House Giveaway earned more than 1,900 content likes, posts and comments, as fans couldn’t resist the chance to show off photos of their beloved pets. With a prize of a new sofa, our 1 Sofa 4 Looks Giveaway increased page likes by 13,767 alone. Along with additional giveaways such as the Bright Idea; Backyard Barbeque; No Tricks, Just Treats; Thanksgiving Dinner Disasters (with many hilarious accounts of Thanksgiving dinners gone wrong); and Stocking Stuffer giveaways, the Clairemont team successfully raised the fan count and interactions on the page.
  • Customer Relations: Because it’s our policy to allow fans to have a voice, when questions or complaints were posted, we worked closely with Thomasville’s corporate customer service team to provide quick responses instead of deleting or ignoring negative posts.

Results: Thomasville’s fan base on Facebook increased from 11,249 to 31,256, approximately a 178 percent increase from 2010, and we boosted weekly interactions from 2,964 to 7,571, a 155 percent increase. Additionally, we increased the number of 18 to 34-year-old fans from 20 percent of the fan base to 30 percent, exceeding our goal of a 5 percent increase. Based on the success of 2011, Thomasville has retained Clairemont to continue to manage its page on Facebook in 2012.

What did you think of this social media case study? Was it helpful? Have questions? We’ve got answers!

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Have you heard about Meta’s newest social media Have you heard about Meta’s newest social media platform? It’s called Threads, and it’s being referred to as “the new Twitter.” Read everything you need to know about Threads in our latest blog post - link in bio!
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We are proud to represent Raleigh as a member of P We are proud to represent Raleigh as a member of Public Relations Consultants Group, allowing us to offer clients expertise and support across the country! Clairemont founder, Dana Phelps aka @blah2voila, recently attended the PRCG conference in Oklahoma City.
2022 has been a fantastic year for Clairemont Comm 2022 has been a fantastic year for Clairemont Communications! Visit our blog for the full 2022 year in review!
As communications professionals, we wear a variety As communications professionals, we wear a variety of hats to meet our clients’ needs.
 
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Check out our recent blog post to learn what @olivia.noles , account coordinator here at Clairemont, does on a weekly and monthly basis.
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This Friday, Clairemont’s Dana Phelps, @blah2voi This Friday, Clairemont’s Dana Phelps, @blah2voila , will be speaking at the 2022 @nc_prsa Strategic Communication & MarCom Conference! Phelps is a repeat presenter at this annual conference, and this year she is leading a session called Growing from Communication Technician to Strategic Counselor during which she will share three of her coined concepts: knowcasting, morecasting and collabolighthing. Visit our blog for the link to register for the conference!
@clairemontcommunications and @yellowdogcreative g @clairemontcommunications and @yellowdogcreative go together like the bacon and eggs! And speaking of bacon and eggs, have you been to @therainbowluncheonette yet? YUM!
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Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Parkside.
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Head to our blog to read what exactly an executive visibility campaign entails and to learn more about our services!
So you say it’s National Coffee Day? We say let So you say it’s National Coffee Day? We say let us tell you about our new favorite @drink321coffee ! If you are in Raleigh, go see Paul, the other Paul, Emma  or whichever smiling faces are working today. We LOVE this place and the coffee! ❤️❤️❤️
Our client @wendellfallsnc, one of the largest mas Our client @wendellfallsnc, one of the largest master-planned communities in the Triangle, closed on its first age-eligible rental community plan, Arden at Wendell Falls, that will offer 140 open-concept units and exclusive onsite amenities!
 
Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Arden at Wendell Falls.
Staying in Raleigh this Labor Day weekend? Stop by Staying in Raleigh this Labor Day weekend? Stop by client @vitaviteraleigh for good snacks and great wine!🍷 Both locations are open normal hours Friday-Sunday and closed on Monday.
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Congrats to our new neighbor on Bloodworth Street Congrats to our new neighbor on Bloodworth Street South @raleighwineshop ! @blah2voila was there today representing Clairemont at the grand opening festivities and enjoying the @grandchamphospitality sandwich pop up. Yum! 🍷🥪
It’s National Volunteer Month, and volunteers ar It’s National Volunteer Month, and volunteers are needed more than ever! Many organizations with scarce resources rely on volunteers and would not exist without them. Visit our recent blog post to read about the organizations Clairemont has supported and how you can make a difference in your community!
Authenticity is trending, and research shows that Authenticity is trending, and research shows that consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic. Read our recent blog post to learn about UGC, how it can benefit your brand and how to use it in your marketing strategy.
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We are so excited to share that Clairemont earned We are so excited to share that Clairemont earned eight awards, five gold🥇and three silver🥈, at this year's Sir Walter Raleigh Awards hosted by the Raleigh Public Relations Society!🎉 We are beyond grateful to work with so many amazing partners, clients and industry friends!
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