Skip to content

615-294-1886

d@clairemontcommunications.com

Clairemont Communications

Clairemont Communications

  • About Us
  • Awards
  • Blog
  • Our Work
  • Services
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Awards
  • Blog
  • Our Work
  • Services
  • Contact Us

Tag: entry-level PR job

My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 7

June 7, 2012January 31, 2023 Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Public Relationsentry-level PR job, entry-level PR position, Freckle, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, time entry, time management

This may seem a little odd to you, but I can look back through my notebook and know my entire schedule and every little thing that I have done in my past week of work. A time entry log is usually a requirement at public relations agencies for keeping track of how much time you have spent on client work. I’m going to have to get used to writing down everything I do!

One thing I have noticed, though, is that keeping a time log has made me hyperaware of how much time it takes me to complete a task, and I’m much more accountable for my time management. I wish I had done this in college. I could have saved a lot time from procrastination!

For instance, if I’m writing a blog for a client and I see that it is taking me longer than it should, I can pick up the pace. Now I have it down to a science for how long certain tasks should take me, and I can force myself to stay within those time constraints. Another plus? I have the foresight to know that a project is taking more time than originally planned. This gives us an opportunity to provide the client with  advance notice and make necessary adjustments to our schedules.

From what I have heard, formally entering time entries can be a huge hassle depending on what tracking program is used. At Clairemont, we use a program called Freckle, and so far, it has been convenient and easy to use. All I have to do is enter in the amount of time, the client name and some tags to describe and identify the project. I have never had to use another program besides Freckle, but apparently this is much easier. Plus, Freckle is cute and uses the prettiest colors, so why would you not want to use it?

Entering time is easy with Freckle!
Read More

My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Days 5 and 6

June 6, 2012January 31, 2023 Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagementawards, entry-level PR job, entry-level PR position, NCPRSA, Raleigh PR Agency, RPRS

If you read Dana’s blog post NCPRSA InSpire Awards Recognize Excellence in PR and Communications, then you know that Clairemont Communications recently won a number of awards from NCPRSA including a Bronze Best in Show for our social media efforts for Thomasville Furniture’s Facebook page. I had the opportunity to attend the InSpire Awards banquet in May, and it was an amazing experience to see Clairemont recognized for all of its hard work.

Now, as a full-time employee, I will not just attend awards ceremonies, but also help draft award submissions. The Raleigh Public Relations Society (RPRS) Sir Walter Raleigh Awards Banquet will take place in September, but the deadline for submissions is fast approaching. These past few days, my main assignment has been writing award submissions.

This has been pretty challenging for me, but in the end, so rewarding because it has given me the chance to learn about Clairemont’s clients and everything that we have done for them in the past year. While I did work on a number of assignments for our clients this past semester as an intern, writing these award entries has given me a glimpse into everything I missed before joining the Clairemont team.

For those of you who are starting a new internship this summer or even a full-time job, ask to take a look at the client binders or past award submissions at your agency. There really is no better way to get caught up with the happenings of your clients and stay informed about all the work your company does!

Read More

My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 4

June 5, 2012January 31, 2023 Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Professional Developmententry-level PR job, entry-level PR position, PR internship, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, Raleigh Public Relations Agency

It takes time adjusting to a new team, club, internship or workplace. Some lucky people can fall right into step with a new experience, but for the most of us it takes a little practice before we can perfect a new routine.

In a public relations agency, it’s necessary to think quickly on your feet and transition from one project, to the next, then back to that project and then on to a new one. Slowing down for a few seconds or even a few minutes to think something through or clarify the instructions feels too time-consuming and trivial. Better to just figure it out as you go along, right? Wrong. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Today, I was tasked with organizing and assembling several e-books that we use for professional development. It seemed like a simple enough assignment, but I misunderstood how the books should be organized, bound them incorrectly and needed to redo it. This was a mindless blunder on my part, and it could have easily been avoided had I clarified the instructions beforehand.

The lesson of the day? It may feel unnecessary to clarify a seemingly obvious assignment, but it’s better to ask for help than to do your work completely wrong. Take some time and ask questions. You’ll end up wasting more time redoing the project than you would have if you had asked the necessary questions before you started it.

For any readers out there looking for an internship or entry-level job, this lesson is for you! When working at my various internships, I was tentative to ask questions or clarify instructions given to me. I felt like I should already know how to do certain projects and didn’t want to look stupid for asking. This was a bad habit to develop, and it hurt my productivity today! Stop focusing on looking dumb, and start focusing on getting it right! That’s my biggest lesson today, and it’s all about the learning process, right?

Read More

My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 3

June 4, 2012January 31, 2023 Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, MarketingBlogging, Blogs, CMW 2012, CMWorld 2012, Content Marketing, content marketing world, entry-level PR job, entry-level PR position, professional development, Public Relations, Public Relations and Marketing, Raleigh PR Agency, Social Media2 Comments on My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 3

Every job industry has its perks. People working for airlines can fly standby for free and those working in retail get an extra discount off their purchases. The perk of working at this Raleigh PR agency? Professional development. I’m only three days into the job and have already been asked to represent Clairemont Communications this September in Columbus, Ohio at Content Marketing World 2012, the largest content marketing event in the world.

http://www.contentmarketingworld.com/

At CMW 2012, I will be surrounded by some of the best and the brightest in the industry. Last year’s convention brought more than 600 marketing professionals from nearly 20 countries to Cleveland, Ohio to hear speakers such as David Pogue, personal technology columnist at the New York Times and Emmy award-winning correspondent for CBS News; David Meerman Scott, author of the best-selling New Rules of Marketing & PR and Real-Time Marketing & PR; and Heidi Bailey, senior brand strategist at LEGO, just to name a few.

This year, the speakers are just as notable. I will hear all the words of wisdom coming straight out of the mouths of industry leaders like Sam Sebastian, chief content officer at Google; Pam Didner, global integrated marketing manager at Intel; and Julie Fleischer, director, CRM content strategy and integration at Kraft Foods.

Content Marketing World 2012

As you can tell from the speakers listed above, this is an amazing opportunity – especially for an entry-level account coordinator on her third day of work. I am incredibly excited, but also a little anxious. I can get somewhat shy in networking situations, so this trip will definitely be a learning experience and a challenge for me in more than one way.

What am I most excited for? I can’t wait to hear Sam Sebastian give his talk, “Google’s Zero Moment of Truth” (We talked about ZMOT in my marketing class this past semester, but I was sick that day, so I can finally learn everything that I missed in class!). Also, anyone who knows me knows I love Pinterest, so the workshop, “How to Use Infographics and Visual Storytelling (ala Pinterest) to drive Demand Generation” is definitely one that I will be attending!

So, I’m looking for advice! What are your best networking tips? I would love to hear any tips and tricks on how to get the most out of my conference experience!

Here’s a sneak peak at what my schedule will include at Content Marketing World 2012:

  • “CTRL ALT DEL – How to Reboot Your Content For a Mobile World” – Mitch Joel, author, Six Pixels of Separation: One of the most sought-after digital speakers in the world, Mitch Joel is President of Twist Image — an award-winning Digital Marketing and Communications agency. His first book, Six Pixels of Separation, named after his successful Blog and Podcast is a business and marketing bestseller. His next book, CTRL ALT DEL, will be coming out in Spring 2013. You don’t want to miss this amazing presentation from one of the world’s best.
  • “Cut the Bull – Blog with a Purpose and Drive Your Business” – Jason Falls, CEO, Social Media Explorer
  • “Putting Social to Work: How to Rapidly Grow Your Fans, Your Prestige and Your Business” – Mike Stelzner, CEO, Social Media Examiner
  • “Understanding the New World of Klout, Social Sharing and Social Influence Marketing” – Mark W. Schaefer, best-selling author, Return on Influence
  • “Defending Your Content Marketing & Social Media to the C-Level: Two Proven Strategies” – Jenny Magic, CEO, Better Way to Say It; Brian Massey, The Conversion Scientist “
  • “Google’s Zero Moment of Truth” – Sam Sebastian, director, local & B2B markets, Google Inc.: Audiences initiate connections with a brand long before they make a purchase decision. These connections, which include search queries, reviews, site visits, video views and many more interactions with content, influence whether users eventually select a brand or a competitor’s brand. Google’s Sam Sebastian will discuss research and examples about what Google calls the Zero Moment of Truth and share fresh strategies of how Brands are winning and optimizing the Zero Moment of Truth.
  • “Distilling the Magic and the Mystery that is Content Marketing Success” – Marcus Sheridan, the sales lion and owner, River Pools & Spas. Put your seat belts on ladies and gentlemen, as Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion will take you on a content marketing ride full of learning and laughter in this keynote you won’t soon forget. Bursting with innovative ideas that you’ll be able to immediately apply to your business, this session will surely be a highlight of your Content Marketing World experience.
  • “Building Your Internal Publishing Department for Content/Social Success” – Brody Dorland, chief strategy officer, Divvy HQ
Jayme Thomason, CEO, Divvy HQ
  • “Twitter Will Win — And With the Right Plan of Attack, So Will You” – Nate Riggs, director of social business, The Karcher Group
  • “The Content Opportunity that is Google+” – Arnie Kuenn, president, Vertical Measures
  • “How to Use Infographics and Visual Storytelling (ala Pinterest) to drive Demand Generation” – Maria Pergolino, senior director, marketing, Marketo, Inc.
  • “Scalable Content Strategies for Facebook and LinkedIn” – Amy Porterfield, author, Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies.
  • “How to Develop Amazing Audio and Podcast Content Marketing” – Pamela Muldoon, chief content officer, Next Stage Media
Read More

My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Days 1 and 2

June 1, 2012January 31, 2023 Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agencyaccount coordinator, co-workers, entry-level PR job, entry-level PR position, first day of work, first-time employee, new employee, new hire, PR Agency, Public Relations12 Comments on My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Days 1 and 2

Well, the tassel on my cap has been turned, my W2 forms filled out and my first days of work at a Raleigh PR agency are officially over. What all did I learn in the first 48 hours on the job? A lot, actually.

There were some administrative tasks to attend to, like getting my own set of office keys, learning my daily to-do list and filling out paper work. And, then there were the more sentimental/emotional/personal lessons to learn, like the deeper and deeper realization that I really like it here.

I loved the people (and dogs – shout out to Billy and Charlie) at Clairemont immediately. When I first met Dana last year, I knew I could see myself at her agency, and when I met Josie the following week, the deal was sealed. I withdrew from the interviewing process at a big PR agency in Raleigh and officially joined a small PR agency team as Clairemont’s spring intern.

Here I am as a spring intern with Josie on the left and Dana in the middle.

Now, fast forward to today, and my decision to chose Clairemont only seems that much more brilliant. I’ve moved on from part-time intern to full-time employee, and I can’t picture myself working anywhere else.

And, that is my most important lesson from these first two days. For anyone out there looking for a job, this is my advice: Who you work with is way more important than where you work. Here’s why.

Graduating, leaving my student status behind and taking on a full-time job was a huge transition. My personal identity had been tied to being a student for so long that I felt a little lost without that categorization. But, these past couple days made me realize that losing my identity as a student was just part of the process of making room for an identity that was way better – being a Clairemont-er. These people are awesome, and I’m one of them now.

At the end of my first day, my friend (who started her job the same day) sent me a text, “A lot less worse than I thought…you?” She’s right; the first day wasn’t bad at all. But, I would love to reword that text to: “Even better than I thought it could be.”

Starting your first day of work should be a little nerve-wracking. But, at Clairemont it just felt natural and easy, and I can’t attribute that to anything other than the people working here. Where else could you walk into work on your first day and have a vase of pink tea roses on your desk? Or a ton of pink markers and sticky notes? Or a pink keyboard cover (are you catching a theme here? I like pink…)?

My new desk — so excited!

Dana and Josie know me too well and that’s been part of my first lesson in the real world at a Raleigh PR agency– these are people who want me around, and who I want to be around. Yeah, your first day of work could feel like work, but it shouldn’t have to feel like a chore. Work doesn’t feel like work when you enjoy what you are doing…or, more importantly, if you enjoy who you are working with each day.

Read More

Posts navigation

Newer posts

Categories

  • APR
  • Awards
  • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Clairemont Client News
  • Copy Cat
  • Counselors Academy
  • Entry-Level PR Job
  • Fashion
  • Free Advice
  • Furniture PR
  • Hiring a PR Firm
  • In Our Community
  • Inspirational
  • Internal Communications
  • Marketing
  • Oh Momma Monday
  • On the Record
  • Our Work
  • Owning a Business
  • Photo of the Week
  • PR People
  • Professional Development
  • Public Relations
  • Raleigh PR Agency
  • Real Estate PR
  • Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR
  • Social Media + Influencer Engagement
  • Starting a business
  • Sustainability
  • The Clairemont Team
  • Travel
  • Trends
  • Wonderfully Random

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!
Follow on Instagram
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013
  • 2012
  • 2011
  • 2010
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: realy-store by inverstheme.
Cleantalk Pixel