Social Media Archives - Page 13 of 23 - Clairemont Communications

Monday Marketing Minute #travelhurts

February 16, 2015January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Copy Cat, Marketingcreative marketing, NC PR agency, Raleigh PR Agency, Social Media, Southeast PR agency, travel PR, urgentrx

I ordered a coffee in the airport while rushing to catch a flight. A little extra something was attached to the coffee sleeve. I glanced down and saw that it was some sort of medication. I thought it was really weird that an aspirin product was being dispensed with my morning brew. I mean, I thought it was REALLY weird.

Once in my seat, I took a closer look. “When your elbow and the beverage card are no longer on speaking terms.” Okay, now they have my attention. Still a little odd, but just maybe it is a genius marketing ploy with clever copy, a creative way to offer product sampling to a captive audience and an invitation to engage on social media using the hashtag #travelhurts.

What do you think?

The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 24 – Smart TV

February 10, 2015January 31, 2023 Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Public RelationsRaleigh PR Agency, Social Media, technology, Technology Trends

Meet the Coopers. An average American family. Meet dad, a widower and a father. The Coopers win a “house of the future” with a cyber housemaid named PAT (“Personal Applied Technology”). But the house goes haywire, and it’s up to the family to defeat the system. In 1999, Smart House was released by Disney. In 2015, our world is getting closer and closer to this technologically advanced experience that Walt Disney portrayed some 16 years ago. Computers are taking a leading role in our lives.

From the Jetsons‘ flying cars and moving walkways, today’s technology has evolved to reflect some of these early animations. These developments, however, have fostered an overarching concern in the minds of many Americans: Big Brother is watching you. First, be careful what you say on your land line. Then, don’t write anything incriminating via email or text. All of these things could possibly be taken be a third party and used against you. Next thing you know, you’re a “person of interest” on a governmental watch list–or so the story goes.

While watching the news this morning, I got a slightly more frightening Big Brother update. Samsung TVs, just like the one I was watching in the privacy of my bedroom, could possibly be collecting my conversations and sending them to a third party. Samsung is warning its customers about discussing personal information in front of the television set. The policy states that the TV will be listening to your every word, waiting for a command.

With media pitching as one of our areas of expertise at Clairemont, I wonder if we will soon live in a world where people begin to abandon the TV in fear. Will technology bring more bad than good in our society, causing us to adopt older methods of communication? Or will I soon be flying into work? Those are just a few tidbits to think about before sitting down in front of the television and airing your dirty laundry.

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 21 – Super Bowl

February 5, 2015January 31, 2023 Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer EngagementClairemont Communications, Katy Perry, Marketing, Social Media, Super Bowl

Although the Super Bowl to most may seem like a thing of the past, fans and foes are still discussing the recent choices made by artist Katy Perry.

Katy Perry’s “flame” dress in which she opened the Super Bowl halftime show was made of detailed orange patent leather worth $15,000 to $20,000, according to ABC News. It is also stated that she worked with the designer over two months to perfect the design. It is reported that her finale dress also cost a whopping $15,000 and had to be slipped on by Perry in just 45 seconds. With four total costume changes, Katy Perry is the only halftime show artist to have changed this many times in Super Bowl history.

From a PR standpoint, I think Katy Perry did the show justice. Not only did she embrace her own identity, but she also left something for her fans to talk about. So I think this falls under branding as well as the importance of social media to PR. The order of public relations and branding is a key difference between the two. Developing a brand must come before engaging in public relations, advertising, marketing or any other communications-related company activity.

At Clairemont, we take a tactics-agnostic approach to devising PR and marketing strategies using both traditional tools such as media relations and event planning and newer tools such as content marketing and social media. We acknowledge the importance of social media followings to help a brand, and Perry has an amazing following on her accounts. With 64.6 million twitter followers and 14.2 million followers on Instagram, Katy Perry is no stranger to social media.

Why? We live in a world of media hype and skepticism where advertising has lost some of its power to influence. Marketers are leaning more to word-of-mouth programs to create the sought after buzz for a brand. Katy Perry does just that, with her larger than life set to include a Lion to ride in on and dancing Sharks her name was trending all over social media channels and even received many spots on the news.

According to reports, this is the most watched Super Bowl half time show in history. Good job Katy Perry — we heard you “Roar” loud and clear.

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

What does a PR agency do? Home Interiors Facebook Campaign

February 4, 2015January 31, 2023 Clairemont InternBlog, Case Studies, Furniture PRFacebook marketing, Raleigh PR Agency, Social Media, social media marketing

Clairemont Communications has extensive experience in furniture public relations and building strategic PR plans for home decor brands, interior designers and furniture manufacturers. As our team celebrates our 5th anniversary, we are revisiting some of our most favorite projects since launching in 2010. Here’s one:

Client: Thomasville Furniture

Background: Thomasville Furniture, established in 1904 and a leading name in home furnishings, was confronted by the challenges of economic downturn. Faced with a reduced marketing, advertising and media relations budget, Thomasville turned to Clairemont Communications for help. After evaluating social media networks and confirming Facebook’s significant potential as a customer engagement channel for the company, we assumed management of the company’s Facebook page in July 2010.

Objectives: Clairemont met the client’s request to build brand awareness during Thomasville’s annual Memorial Day Sale by conceptualizing the Ready to Refresh $10,000 Giveaway. Our objectives included the following:

Leverage giveaway to build brand and sale awareness by increasing Facebook fan count by 10,000 likes during the promotional period.
Spread the story of Thomasville Furniture and its Memorial Day Sale via Facebook, creating at least one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of 300,000 users.
Capture 75,000 giveaway entries as consumer leads for Memorial Day Sale and future sale marketing.

Method: Seeking a major fan increase as part of a larger strategy to build a younger customer base, this six-week-long promotion that was integrated with other online and offline tactics to maximize engagement. Clairemont built and managed a customer application to host the giveaway using the social engagement platform Shoutlet. Working with the Shoutlet team and a graphic designer, we conceptualized and directed the creation of a custom graphics for the giveaway, incorporating the designs into the application, optimized for desktop and mobile use. To facilitate our objective of leveraging the giveaway to increase page likes, impressions and reach, we built a sharing component into the giveaway application, so that fans could earn extra entries.

Creativity: To emphasize the affordability of Thomasville Furniture, Clairemont shared beautiful photography – which was also featured in the Memorial Day Sale catalog – showcasing rooms decorated with Thomasville Furniture for $10,000 or less. Additionally, we created and shared collage boards showing fans assortments of products totaling $10,000. With these two tactics, Clairemont sough to help fans visualize the amount of stylish furniture available at Thomasville within the $10,000 price range.

To engage users on the page, we also created ten word graphics, such as “Imagine what $10,000 will do to refresh your home,” and “Keep calm and redecorate,” which prompted conversation on the page. Custom-designed cover photos promoting the giveaway were updated bi-weekly to keep page content fresh. Lastly, coordinated marketing efforts separate from Facebook promoted the giveaway through regular email blasts, on Thomasville.com and in the Memorial Day catalog.

Evaluation:

1. Leverage giveaway to build brand and sale awareness by increasing Facebook fan count by 10,000 likes.

During the duration of the giveaway, Thomasville’s Facebook fan count increased by nearly 11,000 likes, exceeding our original goal of 10,000.

2. Spread the story of Thomasville Furniture and its Memorial Day Sale via Facebook, creating at least one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of 300,000 users.

The giveaway successfully increased key metrics on Facebook, allowing us to exceed our original objectives with more than one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of approximately 500,000. Strategic postings and captivating content successfully increased the page’s engagement, with nearly 25,000 more daily engaged users throughout the six-week-long promotion than the weeks prior to the giveaway.

3. Capture 75,000 giveaway entries as consumer leads for Memorial Day Sale and future sale marketing.

Additionally, with more than 134,000 entries, the giveaway successfully captured more than 100,000 new consumer leads for Thomasville, surpassing our goal of 75,000 new leads.

As we look back at this work from just a few years ago, we realize how much has changed on how Facebook can be used for promotional purposes. Have you found the same to be true? Do you long for the old Facebook that had seemingly less rules?

The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 16 – #pinterest

January 29, 2015January 31, 2023 Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Professional Development, Social Media + Influencer EngagementPinterest, Raleigh PR Agency, Social Media

Today I had the opportunity to join a live streaming session on the importance of Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where users can share and display interests and ideas. People use boards to show wedding ideas, interior decorating tips or even their favorite recipes.

This Cision Webinar allowed me to learn a little more about the world of Pinterest as well as how to “Pin down a winning PR strategy.” Jennifer Cario, president of Sugar Spun Marketing, was the speaker for the session.

With 70 million active users, Pinterest continues to be one of the fastest growing social media channels. The website is more than just pictures; it has been described as an inspiration board where consumers can develop ideas for a project. Pinterest is attractive to its fans because there is an unlimited depth of content for users.

According to Cario, the average pin is one hundred times more viral that a tweet and typically receives 11 repins. I bet you’re wondering, “What does Pinterest mean to PR?” Well, let’s take a closer look.

Potential for website traffic

Pinterest features pictures from different websites; link them to yours and receive instant traffic for similar photos or ideas.

Opportunity to brand a new trend and create content content

Since the popularity of Pinterest is constantly increasing, PR firms can benefit from seeing the latest trends on selected boards.

Discover co-opted content ideas

You don’t have to create all the content that you pin on Pinterest. Ideas can be taken from boards and used for your next big pitch.

No cost to pin

Choose from a carefully examined combination of sources to make your board come to life. Since it doesn’t cost to pin or join Pinterest, business owners are able to save money.

Ability to be a part of your target audience’s story

Following accounts that may be targets could be an excellent PR move. You can tailor your boards to catch their eyes.

Pitch on boards boards

Have a new business lead? Create a board for the next event or client of choice, and see how quickly they respond.

Create “secret pin boards” within your agency

Pinterest allows for secret lists of articles and resources on pages that only you and a selected few can see. Add your co-workers and let the creativity flow.

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.