Tag: Raleigh PR

What does a PR agency do? The Vita Vite Lifestyle

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , , ,

Vita Vite, a wine bar and art gallery in downtown Raleigh, had quickly surfaced as a local hotspot since its grand opening in 2015. With her growing customer base, owner Lindsay Rice sought to leverage her Facebook social media presence to increase awareness, engagement and on-site traffic. Vita Vite turned to Clairemont Communications to craft a creative Facebook strategy that would transform casual observers into active, lifelong fans.

STRATEGY

Our objective was to increase Facebook followership by at least 25 percent by the end of 2017. Clairemont’s campaign portrayed Vita Vite not just as a wine bar but ultimately as a cultural lifestyle. To forge an emotional connection, Clairemont showcased the ways fans enjoyed Vita Vite. For example, since the target demographic valued fitness, friendships and their four-legged pup friends, content highlighted Vita Vite’s pooch-friendly porch, “Sip and Sweat” exercise classes and even board games for girls’ nights. The campaign solicited personal feedback (“Which Vita Vite nook is your favorite?”) and Vita Vite-themed personality quizzes (“Red, white or rose today?”). Vita Vite partnered with organizations like barre3 Fitness Studio and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance for social media takeovers to increase visibility along with advertised posts.

EXECUTION

To ensure quality from start to finish, Clairemont held weekly client calls to discuss our strategy and tactics, aligning each phase with client objectives. Checklists and thorough calendars guided the social media calendar, and Clairemont provided on-site support to capture, deliver and evaluate the content.

RESULTS

Clairemont’s initiative increased Facebook followership by 42 percent by the end of 2017 as well as increased engagement by 1.5 percent; this was a particularly notable byproduct since average Facebook engagement decreased by 20 percent in 2017 across all industries. In addition, Vita Vite reported one of its most successful sales years to date and a full schedule of sold-out events that increased traffic and revenue.

As a result, Vita Vite secured awards like “Best Place to Get a Glass of Wine” and “Best Girls’ Night Out Spot,” and owner Lindsay earned the Top 40 Under 40 and Women in Business awards from the Triangle Business Journal.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Vita Vite earned an Award of Excellence by the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA). We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 190 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

Congratulations to Vita Vite owner Lindsay Rice who is launching her second VV location this August in North Hills!

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

Image courtesy of Vita Vite.

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Why Hire A PR Agency?

Cherith AndesBlog, Hiring a PR Firm, Raleigh PR Agency, , , , ,

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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RPRS Luncheon: Think Outside the Box

Clairemont InternBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , ,

I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon hosted by the Raleigh Public Relations Society at the end of June. Mary Alice Holley, communications and marketing director, Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC), spoke on strategies she used to build relationships and awareness. I had a hard time thinking that strategies for land and water conservation also apply to outside fields, but there’s actually substantial overlap.

The biggest takeaway? (I mean, besides that 18 Seaboard, the venue for the June meeting, has show-stopping crème brûlée.) If you think outside the box and use creative PR, it could make all the difference.

Think of a New Audience

Photo credit to RPRS

One of the first things anyone in PR will do when developing a strategy is to determine the target audience. Holley recommends thinking of a new or unconventional audience. For the CTNC this meant not only targeting politicians and land owners but also “people who go to community gardens and walk trails.”

Anticipate Obstacles

Holley explained that, upon receiving her director position, many of the existing staff believed that developing communications strategies on the grassroots level was a waste of time. They wanted to go straight to the politicians, but Holley knew that bringing awareness would help the CTNC gain momentum. It’s a good thing she kept moving forward with her ideas! Since Holley became director, the CTNC has secured a record number of email subscribers, followers and donations. 

Activate the Plan

Holley stresses the importance exploring different messages and channels beyond the tried-and-true to reach your audience. For the CTNC Holley has implemented a strategy that involves letters to the editor, op-eds, field trips and traditional media. The CTNC uses action alerts that pique audience interest, increase awareness of the organization and gather emails.

Make Your Efforts Last

Photo credit to RPRS

It’s vital to maintain the interest of your current supporters and not only focus on the attention of fresh eyes or ears. Online content like a website or blog, fact sheets, media relations and events have all been used by the CTNC to keep interest and further inform its audiences. Holley also highly recommends taking the time to thank those that have supported you. The CTNC has officially thanked politicians that have voted for land and water conservation legislation.  Not only does this make supporters and advocates feel valued but it also helps to nurture a champion for your cause or organization.

What are some varied communication strategies you’ve seen or used? Here at Clairemont, we’re always conjuring up creative ideas for our clients. Drop us a line if you need some pizazz!

Written by Yasmine Evans, a senior at NC State University.

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What does a PR agency do? Il Palio at the James Beard House

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , , ,

Il Palio, Chapel Hill’s AAA-rated Four Diamond Italian restaurant, wanted to break into the national culinary scene and gain acclaim as one of the leading restaurants in the Southeast. When Il Palio turned to Clairemont Communications for help, Clairemont devised a creative tactic to target the innermost circle of food influencers, the James Beard Foundation, and forge relationships between Il Palio’s chef Teddy Diggs and these national culinary gatekeepers.

STRATEGY

We positioned Chef Teddy to the James Beard Foundation as the country’s newest kind of “sommelier,” an olive oil expert, qualified by his extensive culinary experience in Italy’s olive oil producing regions. In addition, we seeded the social media landscape with posts that tied him to other James-Beard-winning chefs and James Beard Foundation activities to forge connections.

Clairemont leveraged the dinner as a news angle for busy New York food reporters. Pitches like “Olive You, Darling” utilized the upcoming Valentine’s season to include a timely editorial hook, while “Olive Oil: The New Wine” positioned olive oil as a luxurious, soiree-worthy staple for New York’s posh publications. Clairemont overnighted media kits featuring Teddy’s hallmark fresh Rosemary and Sea Salt Olive Oil Focaccia with an accompanying dinner invitation. Clairemont also leveraged the James Beard Dinner to boost visibility at home, inviting Raleigh influencers to join the dinner remotely via the James Beard live camera feed.

EXECUTION

To ensure quality from start to finish, Clairemont held weekly client meetings to discuss dinner themes, messaging and tactics. We frequently toured the kitchen, interviewed staff and observed the cooking process to accurately portray Il Palio’s specialties and culture. Clairemont provided on-site support at media interviews and the James Beard House to ensure concise messaging.

RESULTS

  1. The James Beard Foundation invited Chef Teddy to cook at the James Beard House in February 2017.
  2. Clairemont secured in-person interviews with two media and dinner attendance from five key media from outlets like Food and Wine Magazine and NBC’s Today Show, surpassing the original objectives.
  3. With the objective of three stories, Clairemont placed six national media stories by December 2017 in coveted outlets such as Saveur, The Daily Meal and Food Republic. Social media posts reached approximately 1.2 million followers on Twitter alone, far exceeding the original goal.

Clairemont successfully positioned Il Palio as a desirable, modern dining hotspot. Bolstered by diner reviews and media coverage, Il Palio earned a Silver Medal from food critics as a “Best Restaurant in the Triangle in 2017.” In addition, the James Beard dinner sparked the “Taste of James Beard,” a collaborative dinner with leading Raleigh chefs that Chef Teddy hosted upon return, leveraging his New York trip to attract new customers and boost sales at Il Palio.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Il Palio won an Honorable Mention by the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA). We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 190 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

Image courtesy of the James Beard House.

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Newland Scores Real Estate Awards

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Real Estate PR, , , , ,

Briar Chapel in Chapel Hill and Wendell Falls in Wendell are two of the largest master-planned communities in the Triangle, establishments marked by innovation and industry leadership. But what we love most about these Clairemont clients is not just their state-of-the-art amenities, creative outdoor spaces and efficient, green-built homes. More importantly, Briar Chapel and Wendell Falls offer a vibrant lifestyle and supportive, active atmosphere that their residents treasure.

So it was no surprise when these two communities received top accolades from the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County at the 2018 Major Achievements in Marketing and Excellence (MAME) Awards last week.

Congratulations to Briar Chapel for winning “Best Land Plan” and “Best Landscape Design for a Community” and to Wendell Falls which received the award for “Best Brochure!” We’re excited and honored to work with these dynamic clients to help secure industry recognition.

What About You?

Looking to pursue your own industry recognition? At Clairemont, we specialize in researching and writing industry awards for companies, events and professional individuals.

Our clients often feel like it can be a challenge to write about themselves. We’re adept at pinpointing and articulating your successes – the wow factors in your career that deserve the spotlight. We’re ready to create a strategy for you!

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