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Category: Raleigh PR Agency

Why Hire A PR Agency?

Why Hire A PR Agency?

July 17, 2018January 31, 2023 Cherith AndesBlog, Hiring a PR Firm, Raleigh PR AgencyChoosing a PR agency, hiring a marketing agency, hiring a pr agency, Public Relations, Raleigh PR, raleigh public relations

Investing in public relations can feel like risky business, especially if you’re hiring an agency for the first time. When entrusting your hard-earned budget to a partner, you want to ensure that the agency will deliver a worthy ROI as well as provide a seamless cultural fit. You want some serious bang for your buck.

And we could not agree more.

When considering a public relations agency, we encourage business leaders to first clearly identify their needs. What areas do you sense are lagging that need support? Where and when are your sales dipping? If you had a magic wand, what members would you add to your team? And most importantly, what would home-run, out-of-the-park success look like to you?

Here’s where the good stuff comes. A strong agency can help with every one of those areas, and when you find a skilled, adept PR team, your investment will come back with solid, measurable results.

So what value can a strong PR agency actually offer?

Provides A Comprehensive Point of View

Business leaders are the champions, the visionaries, the hard work that spearheads the company. While they’re focused on specific goals or revenue growth (and rightly so), outside opportunities may slip by unnoticed. A PR agency proffers the critical benefit of a third-party point of view independent of the internal dynamics.

With a strategic audit, we can help pinpoint the strengths you should leverage as well as your opportunities for growth. What elements carry the ship, what needs bolstering and what is missing completely from the picture? A keen agency team can provide the critical 10,000-foot view, identifying fresh partnerships, show-stopping ideas or creative campaigns that are vital next steps.

Expands Your Team’s Capacity

Business leaders don’t think twice about hiring a lawyer for legal counsel or an accountant for taxes. Public relations professionals offer the same critical service — honed expertise that can prevent damage and skyrocket growth. Rather than serving as some sort of distant consultant that hollers esoteric advice on a conference call line, Clairemont integrates itself with your team. We meld with your dynamics, support your staff and alleviate pressure from the company by offering additional expertise. You don’t have to be an expert in every niche of marketing. We are, which allows you to breathe easy and fully invest in your role.

Champions Your Cause

We find that many individuals — and even companies — shy away from self-promotion. Perhaps it’s a sense of natural humility or a mindset that values teamwork (all good things!); so we understand the challenge of calling up a big-shot national editor to toot your own horn.

Let us champion your cause. An adept PR agency should easily identify your pitch-worthy stories, opportunities for visibility with your customers and hot media targets to raise your company into the spotlight. It’s what we do day in and day out (and we love it).

Improves the Bottom Line

No matter how you slice and dice it, public relations is a vehicle for sales support. A strategic PR campaign will grab the attention of new prospects, nurture the interest and loyalty of current customers and motivate your target audience to act — buy your service or products. By adding a thorough marketing and communications strategy to your business model, you launch a new avenue for sales that will ultimately increase your revenue.

Got questions? Ask us. We love ’em. Share where you want to grow in your business, and we’ll brainstorm your next steps together.

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Our Favorite Clairemont Nooks

Our Favorite Clairemont Nooks

June 12, 2018January 31, 2023 Tracy LathanBlog, Raleigh PR Agency, The Clairemont TeamClairemont House, Interior Design, PR Agency, Raleigh PR Agency

A bar stool at a kitchen island. A decorative couch with a seahorse pillow. A rocking chair on a wrap-around porch. A pink heart-shaped ottoman.

When your office is a beautiful historic house that’s been expertly decorated, there is no shortage of places to sit. Our team members share the spots they gravitate toward when coming to work each day.

Dana: “I love our kitchen island. Have you ever noticed that when you throw a party, everyone ends up in the kitchen? It’s the same at The Clairemont House. The island is where we have team meetings, host guests for meetings over coffee, charge our phones and computers and indulge in treats from our favorite local restaurants. And working here often feels like a party in other ways, too.”

 

 

 

 

Cherith: “Sneak upstairs to the second-floor office (which, P.S., doubles as part of Clairemont’s cozy Airbnb suite.) Think warm, natural light, bold colors and oodles of open space for a ready dose of creative inspiration.”

 

 

 

 

 

Tracy: “The downstairs hallway, or “wall of fame,” is my choice. It’s the space where we display awards the agency has won and other recognition our team members have received. It’s a great reminder of the hard work our team has put in and how much we have accomplished.”

 

 

 

 

Nathan: “My favorite nook of the Clairemont house is the front porch. Hearing the breeze rustle the trees is incredibly relaxing, and it is quite serene to have all sorts of people and animals walk by while I work.”

 

 

Yasmine: “The Crank Room is my pick because it’s bright, warm and so cozy. And have you seen the pink, heart-shaped ottomans?”

Do you see your future favorite spot, either as a client or team member? Send us an email or stop on by and The Clairemont House to say hello.

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Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

March 8, 2018January 31, 2023 Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agencybusiness relationships, clairemont intern, client relations, communication, PR Agency

Trust is the glue that holds relationships together. It’s the stuff that builds friendships and, coincidentally, great business partnerships.

In 2014, Rubin Postaer and Associates partnered with USA TODAY to conduct a survey on the current state of the client/agency relationship. What is the one factor they found that fosters the most success for both the client AND the agency? “Clients trusting their agencies.” It’s the naked truth.

Of course, it can take a while to get to that point, right? Strong, trusting relationships don’t develop overnight. It takes an intentional effort to get to know your clients and a true desire to solve their needs. Putting in the extra effort will pay off in the long run, though, and will likely result in more business on both sides in the future.

How to Make That Magic

When I worked with Disney, I learned the true meaning of a mutually beneficial relationship. I had to establish trust with my potential customers before I even began to sell them their best-fit ticket. The same principles that applied to my job as a vacation planner are the same ones that we use at Clairemont to build our long-standing relationships with clients. Here are some cornerstones of a solid agency-client relationship.

  1. Listen (actually listen) to their concerns. This doesn’t mean to smile and nod and start planning your reply the second the other person starts talking. Above all, the purpose of PR is to serve clients’ needs. So, be ready to actively listen, ask questions and confirm with the client before your brain starts running a mile a minute.
  2. Don’t promise something that you can’t deliver. If a client request is impractical or unlikely to succeed, be honest about it and suggest an alternative. Transparency, even when it involves sharing bad news, is infinitely better than promising something that never gets done.
  3. Be consistent. Communicate deadlines with your client and meet them with exceptional work. Return phone calls. Show up to meetings prepared and on time without fail. A series of small steps adds up to one giant leap towards a strong, trusting relationship.
  4. Constantly communicate. Throughout the project, the most important thing you can do is check in with the client. Is he or she getting the desired results? At the end, what did he or she wish had gone differently? What will you specifically adjust now or in future campaigns?
  5. Go the extra mile. Always. Do the extra work, the hard work, the creative work. Take genuine interest in them as a person (which we do!). As the saying goes, you’ve gotta be a friend to have a friend.

Itching for an agency you can trust? Let us show you how it’s done.

Written by Jessica Winesette, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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Who Wore It Best?

Who Wore It Best?

February 26, 2018January 31, 2023 Cherith AndesBlog, Raleigh PR Agency, The Clairemont TeamAnniversary Events, Clairemont Anniversary, Clairemont Communications, Lil Photo Bus, PR events, Raleigh PR Agency

We’re not shy. As a team that transforms PR campaigns from “blah to voila,” we love things with pizzazz.

… including cooky, crazy costumes.

For Clairemont’s 8th anniversary extravaganza, we invited our friends from the Lil Photo Bus to capture the hoopla in their photo booth (which, incidentally, is housed in a vintage VW bus). From boas and top hats to flashy flamingo frames, partygoers had their pick of props from a decked-out costume closet.

The best part? We have these festooned festivities on file.

Check out the snapshots from our 8th anniversary, and tell us: who wore it best?

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Clairemont CEO Named PRSA’s Counselors Academy Chair

Clairemont CEO Named PRSA’s Counselors Academy Chair

February 21, 2018January 31, 2023 Tracy LathanBlog, Counselors Academy, Raleigh PR AgencyCAPRSA, PR Agency, PR leader, PRSA leader, Raleigh PR Agency

Dana Phelps Hughens Named Chair of PRSA’s Counselors Academy

Fanelli, Finley and McCormick named as new members on 2018 executive committee

NEW YORK  — The members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Counselors Academy have elected Dana Phelps Hughens, CEO of Clairemont Communications in Raleigh, N.C., as its 2018 chair. In addition, Filomena Fanelli of Impact PR & Communications and Kate Finley of Belle Communications have joined the Counselors Academy executive committee for three-year terms, and Gary McCormick of GMc Communications as an ex-officio member for a one-year term.

Counselors Academy is the national professional interest section of PRSA that focuses on the business of agency PR. Its entrepreneurial members are owners or senior managers of leading independent firms in the U.S. and Canada. Counselors Academy’s programs foster networking, mentoring and learning, and the executive committee consists of 15 senior-level public relations professionals from across the country.

As CEO of Clairemont Communications, Hughens leads the agency to devise public relations and marketing strategies that have been recognized with 175 industry awards since opening in 2010. She is a Silver Anvil award winner and has been honored by the Triangle Business Journal with Women in Business and Forty Under Forty awards. Previously, Hughens was Senior Vice President and Global Consumer Practice Group Co-Chair of Fleishman-Hillard.

“As the owner of an independent agency, one of my first decisions was to join PRSA Counselors Academy,” said Hughens. “It is an essential resource in building and managing a business and has allowed me to build close relationships with other public relations professionals who I know I can trust.”

Hughens added, “As a long-term member of Counselors Academy, I’m really passionate about being this year’s chair. We’re focused on growing and engaging our membership while we continue to make our annual conference the premier professional development event for public relations agency owners and senior leaders.”

The section’s marquee event is the PRSA Counselors Academy 2018 Spring Conference, which will be held May 6-8, 2018, in Toronto. Known for its robust networking and learning opportunities, the Spring Conference enables collaborative peer relationships in which meaningful business counsel, operational best practices and industry trends are shared and gained.

Continue reading “Clairemont CEO Named PRSA’s Counselors Academy Chair”

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clairemontcommunications

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!
SNEAK PEEK! @dellthepig landed at @wendellfallsnc SNEAK PEEK! @dellthepig landed at @wendellfallsnc (client) today, and rumor has it that @blah2voila has already been hamming it up with Dell! We know you want a selfie with Dell to post on Pigstagram, too!
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.
 
We’re writers, social media managers, photographers, marketers, editors, content creators- the list goes on and on.
 
Check out our recent blog post to learn what @olivia.noles , account coordinator here at Clairemont, does on a weekly and monthly basis.
#communicationsagency #communicationsmajor #pragencylife #pragency #raleighpr
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!
Later this year, Clairemont client @wendellfallsnc Later this year, Clairemont client @wendellfallsnc, a master-planned community just 15 miles from downtown Raleigh, will welcome @parksideraleigh, a Raleigh-favorite restaurant known for its fresh, made-from-scratch dishes, to the community!
 
Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Parkside.
“What exactly does a PR Agency do?” Because we “What exactly does a PR Agency do?” Because we get this question often, we have a series on our blog where we dive into our recent projects to give you a look at what a PR Agency really does.
 
For example, a statewide resource for small businesses recently hired Clairemont to devise an executive visibility campaign to help position the organization and its director as the leading small business resource in North Carolina.
 
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.
You never know who might be hanging out at The Cla You never know who might be hanging out at The Clairemont House. Thanks to @yellowdogcreative for helping save this buddy. Notice that we speak lizard. Or skink. Or gecko or whatever he is. Or maybe it’s the extra caffeine before our client presentation.
Yep, our town is pretty cool. #raleigh Yep, our town is pretty cool. #raleigh
Who wants to have a Friday afternoon porch meeting Who wants to have a Friday afternoon porch meeting?
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.
From social values to behavior patterns, COVID-19 From social values to behavior patterns, COVID-19 has left an impact on every sector of life, including marketing. Read our blog on marketing in a post-COVID world to learn how things have changed and how that should impact your business strategy.
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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