Tag: Social Media

What does a PR Agency do? XiLi Mobile Brochure

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Case Studies, Marketing, , , ,

In 2013, Clairemont had the privilege to work with TextThisHouse and XiLi Mobile, a web application that automatically connects potential homebuyers and listing agents via text messaging. Using MLS listings from across the nation and Google Maps to provide information about available homes, XiLi provides instant home listings to potential homebuyers, while capturing those buyers as new leads and forwarding them to the listing agents to conveniently connect the two parties.

Objective

Clairemont established its objective as follows: provide TextThisHouse with a tool that easily and succinctly communicates the what, how and why behind XiLi to realtors and brokers who might benefit from the service.

Method

Having recently released this new technology, TextThisHouse turned to Clairemont Communications to assist in spreading awareness of XiLi Mobile and its offerings to homebuyers and realtors. Clairemont developed a detailed, comprehensive PR plan that worked to target two distinct groups. Clairemont designed an informative brochure providing information about XiLi Mobile to realtors and brokers.

Results

XiLi shared the brochure with more than 150,000 real estate agents within a few months as a part of its promotions and sales. Likewise, the brochure was sent to thousands of new XiLi customers for use in their own sales pitches to gain listing contracts. In the first six months, more that 40 brokerages adopted the brochure as a tool to promote their agency’s tech savvy.

Quality

XiLi Mobile faced the challenge of conveying how its services would benefit realtors and brokers. Clairemont created a one-page brochure with visuals that clarified that XiLi is a web-based texting service rather than a mobile app. Clairemont’s copy provided realtors with the benefits of choosing XiLi as an ally in capturing more buyer leads.

Want to learn more about our creative tactics at Clairemont? Be sure to follow our case study blog posts to see how we could put our creativity to work for you!

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Blurred Lines: Social Media and The News

Sarah HattmanBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , , , , ,

It has been nearly five years since I left television news for a career in public relations – or “the dark side,” as my friends and former colleagues in news call it. Five years isn’t a long time in the grand scheme of things, but it is plenty of time for social media to grow exponentially, shape the way newsrooms operate and change the way people consume news.

I remember it vividly. I was working at KRQE in Albuquerque, N.M. A colleague was walking out the door to cover a high-profile trial when the news director yelled from his office, “Don’t forget to live tweet!” It was 2009, and Twitter was exploding. During that year alone traffic on the site grew by 1,100 percent, and the total number of tweets increased by 1,400 percent.

Fast forward to 2015, and social media continues to become more and more intertwined with traditional media. Just a few weeks ago, I watched WTVD’s Stephanie Lopez record Facebook teases for her story about Dairy Queen’s Miracle Treat Day. Thinking about how social media is impacting journalism, I reached out to Sean Maroney, evening anchor at WNCN, and Andrea Griffith Cash, VP of content at Durham Magazine and Chapel Hill Magazine. I asked them to explain trends that they noticed developing in the world of news and social media.

  1. Sean: “Social Media is changing the landscape in T.V. More and more people say, ‘I saw your story on Facebook.’ It’s changing the consumption of media and the way we interact. They comment, they share, they’re engaged.”
  2. Andrea: “It used to be that I only had to consider if a pitch was good for our print products. Now, I run everything through several filters. Would this be a good print story? Would this make a nice blog post? Is it worthy of just a shout out on Twitter or Facebook? Could it work for our weekly e-newsletters?”
  3. Sean: “When I got my start more than 10 years ago, I was an intern on the assignments desk at WTVD. I would start my day with a list of about 60 numbers that I would call up and say, ‘You got anything for me today?’ That’s how we got our news – by calling the police department and other agencies to find out what was going on. Now we have a list of Twitter accounts that we follow.”
  4. Andrea: “For writers, that also means that their jobs aren’t finished when they turn in the story. Often, they are being asked to promote it on social media and possibly update it online, if it’s a news piece. They also might check online comments and respond to them. They might work on a video that ties in with the print piece. In a lot of ways, you could say the story is never finished.”
  5. Sean: “I recently moderated a social media panel as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I told young journalists I understand that it is a race to be the first, but I encouraged them to be the first to get it right.”

Clearly, social media has changed the way members of the media report the news. How has social media changed the way you consume news?

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Snapchat: From Nudes to Suits

Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , , ,

Editor’s Note: Blog written by our fabulous intern, Caroline Ellis.

When Snapchat was established almost four years ago, the premise was simple: correspond with friends via photos that last up to 10 seconds before they disappear. This type of technology has given social media a kind of impermanence discussed by Nathan Jurgenson in a post published on Snapchat’s blog.

Temporary Content: A New Side to Social Media

Snapchat introduced a concept known as “temporary social media.” Though a revolutionary approach, this idea also opened the doors for a more risqué use of the app, replacing the potential with an inappropriate stigma. In addition to the reputation Snapchat gained, there was that pesky little hack revealing that users’ photos were not deleted forever after 10 seconds, but instead these photos could be saved by friends unbeknownst to the users and uploaded online.

No longer was the reputation simply hearsay, but now consumers were legitimately concerned. Snapchat had to act quickly and effectively to restore its image. Over the course of its four-year run, Snapchat has evolved from a “sexting” app to business and lifestyle tool. Snapchat has foregone any illusion that users are unable to capture images, now alerting consumers when a friend takes a screen shot of their photo.

Stories: The Personal Side

The My Story feature, added in October of 2013, allowed users to share clips from their days with their friends. Disappearing after 24 hours, the My Story feature invited creativity with a literal day-to-day look at someone’s life. My Story created an environment where celebrities could enter the Snapchat world and allow their fans to see a personal and informal side of their lives.

Snapchat has become much more than a “selfie” app. In August of 2014 Snapchat launched Our Story— an expansion building off of the My Story foundation. This was the first time that users could see photos and videos from strangers around the world on their My Story feed. The premise of Our Story is to invite the collaboration of the Snapchat community in a particular part of the world to provide a glimpse into its daily life. Originally launched for the Electric Daisy Carnival, the feature allowed festival goers to upload their snaps for anyone to see. Snapchat’s next step was to expand to college campuses, establishing the application’s target demographic.

Discover: The Business Side

As Snapchat continues to evolve, the question becomes how they can appeal to a more professional audience as opposed to “selfie-obsessed teenagers?” The answer came in January when Snapchat introduced Discover. This addition to Snapchat allowed corporations–including the likes of Yahoo!, People, National Geographic, CNN and ESPN–to create interactive daily stories. The debut of this new feature allows users to stay updated with the latest headlines, scores and fashion trends all in the same place.

Of course the next factor in the equation is how small businesses can effectively use Snapchat. Perhaps it will come by way of the My Story feature with businesses using it to give clients a look into their everyday work lives. Maybe one day Our Story will showcase young professionals working in different cities around the world or will feature local businesses.

The future for Snapchat and small business is unsure, but one thing is certain: Snapchat has proven that it knows no limits, and this limitless mindset is what keeps it exciting.

Now it’s your turn.

Would you consider Snapchat as part of your marketing plan?

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Bob the House- Real Estate

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Raleigh PR Agency, Real Estate PR, , ,

On Twitter, I discovered a house named Bob.

Yes, a house. In a family-friendly neighborhood close to schools and shopping. He hates to say it, but he’s cheap and easy. That’s not a joke. Bob is an actual house.

My twitter search led me to an attention-grabbing source. Personalized tweets from the voice of the house itself. Yes, a house that tweets. Well, the house doesn’t tweet on its own. The inventive real estate agent sends out specialized tweets on a regular basis on the home’s features, family members and neighboring homes.

Rather than making an overt sales pitch, Bob subtly mentions things that paint a picture, enticing you to buy. Have you ever wondered how real estate agents perfect their craft? How do they stay relevant with social media constantly changing the industry?

Not only can you read about Bob’s features, but you can enjoy picturesque photographs of every detail inside. He shares pictures of himself, his basement/den, dining room and other areas that allow the more educated buyer to fall in love with him even before stepping foot inside for a showing.By personifying the house with cleaver tweets, he is also highlighting the key selling points of the house.

As PR and marketing gurus, we love finding and creating campaigns that have the power to differentiate a brand from its competitors. We like Bob as a creative tactic. How about you?

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What does a PR Agency Do? LEKKER Bikes

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Case Studies, Raleigh PR Agency, , , , , 2 Comments on What does a PR Agency Do? LEKKER Bikes

Client: LEKKER Bikes US

Objectives: In 2014, LEKKER Bikes US became the first American distributer of LEKKER bikes, Dutch-inspired bicycles originally established in Amsterdam and later sold in Australia. LEKKER Bikes US retained Clairemont Communications to research the U.S. cycling market, capture the public’s attention and craft a dynamic event to introduce this custom-designed cruiser to the American audience.

Execution: To maximize online and in-person engagement with LEKKER’s target audience, Clairemont focused its efforts for “LEKKER Bike’s First 24 Hours in America” in the following areas:

24-Hour City Tour: LEKKER’s debut event introduced the first LEKKER bike in the U.S. by positioning it as a celebrity during its first day in America. During the 24 hours of festivities, the LEKKER bike made stops at nine local hot spots throughout Greensboro. Clairemont strategically planned the event in tandem with First Friday—one of Greensboro’s most popular community events—to maximize visibility.

Media Outreach: We targeted each news outlet with hyper-individualized pitches, highlighting the nontraditional 24-hour aspect of the event. Clairemont secured local TV anchors to host the bike as the first appearance of the day and live-tweet an inaugural ride on the morning show.

Social Media Campaign: Clairemont established LEKKER’s online presence and engaged its target audience on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Pre-established relationships on social media paid off as local organizations spread the word through Twitter and Facebook.

V.I.P. Reception and Community Outreach: Clairemont hosted a special V.I.P. reception during the 24-hour event at a local restaurant for community leaders, biking experts, media and bloggers to increase in-person interaction with the bike.

Website and Print Collateral: We carefully crafted SEO-friendly content—key messages, company history, mission statement, product descriptions and photography—to showcase LEKKER’s custom quality and accessible style. Additional collateral featured eye-catching photography and easy calls to action; Clairemont designed and distributed these materials during the event to attract and secure new leads for future sales.

Onsite Support: The Clairemont team worked around the clock for 24 hours to escort the bike between locations, distribute information, encourage interaction and live post the bike’s adventures on social media.

Results: Our efforts landed the bike on stage with a nationally renowned bluegrass band, at a pub party and in a four-star hotel where the chef honored the bike with its own signature cocktail. With the goal of only four stories, Clairemont secured a total of five media stories, one in every key outlet in the market. The event produced five blog posts and more than 100 social media posts to at least 285,000 followers, a result that exceeded the goal by more than 300 percent. Through the 24-hour event, more than 350 individuals encountered or interacted with the bike, including 30 community influencers that attended the V.I.P. reception, also exceeding our goal.

Our team agrees that this was one of our most fun assignments in 2014. The LEKKER bikes are beautifully designed, and we loved introducing it to everyone from potential buyers to members of the media to fashion bloggers who saw the bike as a hot summer accessory! Thank you Will at LEKKER Bikes US for letting us be part of bringing LEKKER to North America!

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