PR Agency Archives - Clairemont Communications

What does a communications account coordinator actually do? A realistic look at what it’s like working at a communications agency

December 7, 2022November 29, 2022 Olivia NolesEntry-Level PR Job, Professional Development, Public Relationsaccount coordinator, Clairemont Communications, communications account coordinator, communications job, PR AgencyLeave a Comment

It seems like every time I tell someone I’m a communications account coordinator, they either nod their head in tune with a short, confirming comment that ends the conversation, or they ask, “what even is that?”

When I was in college, the overall perception of communications was that it was just an easy major people chose when they didn’t know what to do and that it wouldn’t be beneficial. I didn’t major in communications, so I can’t speak to how easy the college courses are (and I’m sure it varies depending on the person and school), but I can tell you that communications involves a wide variety of marketing, content creation, planning, writing, media and social media skills. This means that a communications major could prepare you for a variety of careers and that communications professionals can come from all backgrounds and skill sets.

Take me, for example. I majored in fashion management with a concentration in brand management and marketing and a minor in journalism (people said the same critical things about my major), and now I work as an account coordinator at a PR agency. My major and my career may not seem to line up, but in reality, I learned a lot of skills in my marketing, consumerism and journalism classes that prepared me for my career in communications.

What does a communications agency do?

As a full-service, strategic public relations and marketing communications firm that focuses on blending traditional communications and social media, Clairemont offers a variety of services, including:

Content Strategy and Creation
Communications Strategy and Corporate Positioning
Community Relations
Crisis Communications
Event Planning and Execution
Executive Thought Leadership
Internal Communications
Media Relations, Publicity and Promotions (Traditional & Social)
Message Development and Spokesperson Training
Professional Award Writing
Social Media
Writing and Editing

What does an account coordinator do?

As a communications account coordinator, my job is to help clients communicate their brand, values and products to customers, employees and the public by executing strategic communications plans that help our clients meet their goals.

That sounds pretty vague, so to put it bluntly, every week I am responsible for roughly:

1-2 client blog posts
1-2 client articles
2-3 client Facebook posts
Facebook community engagement
1-2 company blog posts
1-2 company social media posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
1-2 client calls, or more, if needed

Every month I am responsible for:

Creating and shooting content for Facebook
Creating monthly trackers to report what we did for our clients that month
Updating blog calendars with new ideas
Maintaining awards calendars

And we also have short-term projects or unplanned projects that pop up throughout the year. Other tasks I perform as an account coordinator include:

Sourcing influencers and creating campaign guidelines
Assisting in the process of naming organizations and writing corresponding taglines
Designing strategies, campaigns and content plans for clients
Writing and pitching news releases
Writing video scripts
Vetting and documenting speaking opportunities
Creating reels
Writing award entries
Drafting LinkedIn posts

… and pretty much anything else our clients need! But that’s what I love about working at an agency – getting to work on a variety of projects and using my wide range of skills every month. There’s always something new and exciting waiting around the corner, and I can’t wait to find out what our next project will be!

In need of someone to up your communications, media or social media game? Learn more about our services here and contact us!

What does a PR Agency do? Clairemont Hired for Executive Visibility Campaign

September 8, 2022September 8, 2022 Olivia NolesCase Studies, Our WorkClairemont Communications, PR Agency, Public Relations, Raleigh PR AgencyLeave a Comment

A statewide resource for small businesses recently hired Clairemont to devise an executive visibility campaign. The goal of this campaign is to help position the organization and its director as the leading small business resource in North Carolina .

Executive Visibility Campaign

As part of this initiative, Clairemont designed a strategic communications plan. The plan outlined objectives, strategies, target audience, key messages and tactics that will raise awareness with tactics including media relations, content and speaking opportunities.

Media Relations

Clairemont crafted a detailed media relations plan that included new release ideas and strategies, pitch ideas and top-tier markets and outlets to target in key regions in North Carolina. In the plan, we outlined an announcement calendar, a pitching campaign with proactive and reactive story topics and three proactive pitch topics to be turned into byline articles.

Content

The content section of our plan included ideas and strategies for annual reports, a website/blog, social media and email marketing. Clairemont outlined content topics and a multi-point sharing strategy to maximize reach.

Speaking Opportunities and Visibility

Our speaking opportunities section of the plan included a hand-selected and vetted list of seminars, conferences and webinars at which the client could potentially speak. We selected opportunities based on the location, date, topic and audience. The events included in the plan are within the client’s target regions of North Carolina, including The Triad, The Triangle, Charlotte and more. Clairemont outlined these opportunities within the plan and identified each opportunity’s location, date, topic and sponsor. Clairemont also included details on current speakers and information on how to become a speaker for each opportunity.

Check out our work to learn more about what we do at Clairemont Communications. Contact us if you are interested in working together!

Clairemont Secures Byline Coverage for Club Car

June 27, 2022July 15, 2022 Olivia NolesBlog, Case Studies, Clairemont Client NewsClairemont Communications, Club Car, PR Agency, Public Relations, Raleigh PR AgencyLeave a Comment

No longer regulated to the golf course, golf cars have become a lifestyle hallmark. In fact, Mordor Intelligence predicts the golf car market will grow by 5 percent in the next five years, becoming a $2.5 billion industry by 2027.

Clairemont saw this trend as an opportunity for Club Car, a global leader in golf, consumer and utility vehicles, and assisted with the writing of an article that targeted the 55+ audience and highlighted the growth of the golf car lifestyle.

Clairemont researched and pitched appropriate targets in key markets. So far, we have secured coverage for Club Car in Patch Neighborhood News, AZ Big Media, Senior News GA and Lifestyles After 50, resulting in a total reach of 525,000+.

We’re hiring! Seeking an account strategist

January 10, 2022July 15, 2022 Olivia NolesBlog, PR People, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, The Clairemont TeamClairemont Communications, PR Agency, Public Relations, Raleigh PR, Raleigh PR AgencyLeave a Comment

Clairemont is currently seeking smart, responsible, creative and hard-working public relations practitioners. We are looking for individuals who are ready to tackle any assignment and join a highly motivated, growing team of communications professionals who share in the passion of delivering quality client service while enjoying the co-learning of a team environment for an account strategist position.

Ideal candidates work well in a collaborative environment and independently as self-starters. We are seeking high-energy PR leaders with the ability to build client plans and strategies while anticipating the needs of our accounts as well as our agency. Responsibilities include ensuring that work is delivered on time and satisfactorily, and that relevant team members are kept up to date on the status of accounts and assigned projects.

Versatile applicants who have a proven track record in pitching media, building social media strategies for businesses, writing effective media and marketing communications materials, executing successful client events and cultivating new business leads will be given first consideration.

The account strategist position responsibilities may include:

Ensuring that work is delivered on-time and team member are kept up to date on status of accounts and assigned projects
Building social media and PR strategies
Writing effective media and marketing communication materials
Pitching clients to media outlets
Executing successful client events
Cultivating new business leads

The qualifications are:

Bachelor’s degree in public relations, journalism or communications
Minimum of 5 years of PR agency experience
Strong writing, critical thinking and time management skills
Has proven, solid written and verbal communication skills
Project management experience and strong organizational skills
Motivated self-starter who can handle multiple projects and deadlines at the same time
Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel
Video editing skills are a plus
Ability to communicate in multiple languages is a plus
Located in Raleigh, NC

To apply: Send your cover letter, resume and writing samples to Dana Phelps at d@clairemontcommunications.com or apply on LinkedIn.

SPOKEN WORD MAKING A COMEBACK

December 29, 2021July 15, 2022 Derek BullingtonBlog, PR People, Professional Development, Public Relations, Raleigh PR AgencyPR, PR Agency, PRSA, Public Relations, Raleigh PR, Raleigh PR AgencyLeave a Comment

I had the opportunity to attend the virtual 2021 NCPRSA Strategic Communications + Marcom Conference in November. It was my first time attending a NCPRSA event. Hearing new ideas, perspectives and how the industry of public relations is changing is always enjoyable. Even virtually, it is inspiring to network with fellow professionals in a collaborative learning atmosphere.

The virtual, two-day program featured five sessions per day with national and regional industry executives from strategic communication, marketing and PR fields. The sessions covered a variety of topics, such as, audio being added to communications strategies, the misinformation crisis, diversifying the PR profession, the age of influencers and the use of cutting-edge visual technologies being used to tell stories.

AUDIO IS CHANGING OUR JOBS

A session that really caught my attention was “Listen, Do You Hear That? It’s Audio Changing How We Do Our Jobs” with hosts Gene and Julie Gates. This duo was named “Personality of the Year” by the National Association of Broadcasters and shared their expertise on using audio to connect with clients. They are seeing a major spike in audio entering the marketing and PR fields since the start of the pandemic and people being cooped up in their homes.

The ever-growing audio trend is made for the multitasker, and that is what we are all becoming. Now that we are mixing our home lives with work lives, more people are getting news while performing their morning routines, helping the kids get ready, cooking dinner or doing their daily chores. People are less likely to sit down and read longer articles. We are used to quick snippets of news on social media platforms, making long form articles daunting to readers.

SPOKEN WORD DRAWS IN A LARGER AUDIENCE

Spoken word helps alleviate this and draws in audiences that may not take the time to read full articles. Audio can encourage deeper engagement as there is less effort needed. You can repurpose your written content to expand on the topic and bring in a wider audience. Listeners can share their favorite content easily by listening with their significant other, friends or co-workers.

When you first hear the term audio alongside communications, marketing and PR your mind probably goes straight to podcasts, but that is not the only option. Many online newspapers and magazines are developing audio articles alongside written articles on its websites. While audio articles and podcasts may sound similar, they are completely different products. Audio articles are about convenience and delivering content in an easy way for readers. Podcasting is its own form of storytelling all together.

DON’T WORRY, WRITTEN CONTENT IS NOT DEAD

Spoken word is making a comeback, but don’t worry, written content is not dying. In fact, great written content is the foundation for audio. There is plenty of room for audio articles, podcasts and written content to co-exist. Developing a mix will build a larger and more diverse audience. If you’re looking to expand your audience, this may be a great addition to your already strong content. Spoken word was the original storytelling, and it sounds like it is making a strong comeback.

Visit some of the top PR podcasts to hear what is being done and to get some ideas!