Category: Blog

On the Record: Client Relationships

Sarah HattmanBlog, On the Record, Public Relations, , , , , ,

Have you ever heard the phrase “a business is only as good as the clients it serves?” It’s an interesting perspective that highlights the importance of building relationships with clients that go beyond one-time projects and provide value to them on an ongoing basis.

Karl Sakas is the president and founder of Sakas & Company, a coaching and consulting company for digital marketing agency owners. He recently spoke at NCPRSA’s professional development luncheon on the topic of client relationships. I had the opportunity to go On the Record with Karl to take a closer look at building a productive and enduring client rapport.

How do you develop relationships with clients? Connect with us on Twitter and continue the conversation.

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Listen to Your Mother!

Tracy LathanBlog, Oh Momma Monday,

Becoming a mother has changed the way I react to everything. Holidays, birthdays, commercials – everything seems to tug at the heartstrings a bit more. So, when Dana invited me to a show called Listen to Your Mother (LTYM), I was in for it big time.

LTYM is a national program with local shows held across the country featuring writers and mothers that share personal stories about the humor and the heartbreak that go along with motherhood. Needless to say, it was an emotional roller coaster for this hormonal, new mom, but I walked away feeling moved, connected and incredibly blessed to be on this journey. Luckily, I was not the only person in the audience who was deeply touched that night. They decided to continue the show in 2014, and Dana was selected to be one of the cast members. She shared an inspirational story about her grandmother and the entire Clairemont team was there for support!

In celebration of Mother’s Day, the 2016 Raleigh-Durham show will be held this Wednesday, May 4th at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Auditorium on the campus of Meredith College. If you are interested in attending, tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased here…we guarantee you will leave feeling inspired! KeAnne Hoeg and Marty Long are co-producers of the show, which will feature 13 local writers. The 2016 cast includes:

NaShonda Cooke

Katie Gailes

Kati Gardner

KeAnne Hoeg, Co-Producer

Liz Hollar

Stephanie Levin

Stacey Libbert

Marty Long, Director & Co-Producer

Caroline Maclaga

Beth O’Connell

Lindsay Onofrio

Martie Sirois

Tandra Wilkerson

If we haven’t convinced you yet, LTYM:RDU also donates a minimum of 10 percent of ticket proceeds to the Women’s Center of Wake County, a multi-services resource center that addresses the challenging issues of poverty and homelessness for single women and women with families.

And to all of our Oh Momma Monday readers out there…Happy Mother’s Day week! Hope your little ones make the day extra special.

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Photo of the Week: Growth Energy

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Free Advice, Photo of the Week

Have you ever stopped to think about what is in your gas tank? Last week I learned more about ethanol while working with Carolina PR and shooting a video for Growth Energy.

Did you know? Ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 86 percent, and this percentage continues to increase with ongoing innovations in advanced biofuels. Global ethanol production and use is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 110 million metric tons every year – the equivalent of taking nearly 20 million vehicles off the road each year.

Using E15 is an easy, convenient way drivers can help safe guard the environment. E15 is cost efficient which is something everyone can support!

Want to see more of the Clairemont Team’s fun during the week? Check out our weekly photo posts here.

 

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Go On. Be Cheesy.

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , 1 Comment on Go On. Be Cheesy.

I’ve been astounded by the recent surge of articles and posts highlighting one of my favorite indulgences: cheese. Raclette NYC’s “melted wheel of cheese” video has circulated through my Instagram feed more than once, matched in popularity perhaps only by the video of pasta made in a cheese wheel. The New York Times, Food and Wine, Cooking Light and Tasting Table have all featured this superstar ingredient within the last 24 hours.

Courtesy of Foodiggity.com
Courtesy of Foodiggity.com

And what’s up with the rainbow grilled cheese? I’m not sure if I’m about to eat a sandwich or a patty of melted skittles.

And yet fans worldwide profess a lifelong loyalty to this ingredient, evident from the grocery cart to the Instagram account. Cheese has mastered some secret to success that if emulated could transform us into famous marketers, writers, chefs, accountants, friends and general human beings. Here are two traits that struck me.

  • Versatility. Compare the casual warmth of an after-school grilled cheese to the complex sophistication of a French fromage board. Cheese has served as a melted dip, a salad topping and a main course; it has been shaped into balls, fried into crispy straws, whipped into waffles and concocted into cosmetic face masks.
  • Individuality. Despite more than 1,800 listed types on Cheese.com, no two are alike. Each boasts a distinct flavor profile, from the nutty grassiness of Roquefort to Taleggio, which SeriousEats describes as “rich, buttery, meaty, feet.” Feet. Quite specific and infinitely memorable!

Ah, the lessons we can learn from food. Versatility and specificity, applied to any field, can strengthen market messaging, build brand affinity and even develop new customer demographics. Bottom line?

It’s ok to be a little cheesy now and then.

Feeling snackish? Check out Clairemont’s favorite healthy recipes.

Thanks to Felicia Perry for our cheesy cover image.

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Copy Cat: The Piddling Puppy

Cherith AndesBlog, Copy Cat, Marketing, , , , ,

I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for a good quote.

I’m not referring to glib cliches like “Live, laugh, love” or taglines such as “Sweat is just fat crying.” (Ew!) You can keep those t-shirts.

Skilled writers curate powerful verbs, adjectives and nouns. They shuffle, chop, revamp and refine until the sentence magically teleports an image from their brains into yours like a hologram. In the end, you forget you’re even reading.

One of these gurus is Anne Lamott. (If you haven’t read “Bird by Bird,” don’t walk; fly to Amazon.com and order your copy.) Anne’s thoughts are an effortless yet razor-sharp combination of humor and poignancy.

Writers’ minds are prone to wander. (What? Sorry, I was checking Facebook.) In Bird by Bird, her guide to writing, Anne encourages young authors to cultivate patience during the writing process. We need to gently train our minds to return to the task, a point she emphasizes in this sentence:

“Try looking at your mind as a wayward puppy that you are trying to paper train. You don’t drop-kick a puppy into the neighbor’s yard every time it piddles on the floor. You just keep bringing it back to the newspaper.”

Puppy. Sure, I can see myself as a puppy. Eager, cheerful, adventurous. And puppies are…wait, drop-kicked?! Heaven forbid we mistreat our four-legged friends!

That mild shocker drives her point home. Her metaphor crafts a mental picture of an emotionally laden yet familiar experience. Forget “use the bathroom” or “have an accident.” Nope, Anne chooses short, punchy verbs that you probably won’t find in a formal textbook. Piddle. And you know what? I got it.

From piddling puppies to smacking lips, we’re seeking eye-catching copy. Check out our picks so far!

 

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