SalterMitchell PR taking businesses to the next level

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

April Salter,
CEO and Founder

Heidi Otway, President and Partner

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook staff writer

Fourteen years after taking a bootstrap approach to starting up their real estate business Brian and Brandi Sealey, came to the realization that it was time to move to the next level.
With little knowledge on how to put the right public relations message together and apply it with a clad-tight strategy, they turned to SalterMitchell PR. Heidi Otway and her team at the Tallahassee-based company, listened to the Sealey’s story.
SalterMitchell PR went to work. What they came up with was a brand strategy that included a new name and logo, as well as a position statement that really defined the company’s offerings. The firm Sealey Team is now Sealey Real Estate Solutions.
“They took a real deep dive into what makes our company unique and why people will hire and partner with us,” said Brian. “I thought that was really neat because I never sat down and thought about that.”
SalterMitchell PR has proven to be the answer for companies much bigger than Sealey Real Estate Solutions. Otway, along with firm founder and CEO April Salter and their team, have built an impressive list of clients that includes Bank of America and Verizon.
They’ve made such an impression in helping companies broadening their reach that the Capital Outlook named SalterMitchell PR Business of The Year.
Otway, who recently became president and part owner of the company, said connecting with people is one reason many of their clients turn to them. They help businesses and organizations tell their story in a way that demonstrates their value and builds relations with their target audiences, Otway said.
“In today’s hyper-connected environment, it makes sense for companies to have a strategy to effectively communicate who they are, what they offer, and connect with people that matter to them,” Otway said. “That means delivering messages on the right channels, considering what you want them to do when they get that information; and what kind of relationship you want to build with them once you make a connection.”
Social media plays a large role in helping their clients reach their target audiences. So much so that the platform has become an essential part of connecting with consumers, Otway said.
“The communications landscape has changed with the rise of social and digital media,” she said. “Nearly every campaign we do includes a digital strategy because people are always online. We can find and generate a two-way dialogue between our clients and their target audiences very easily now. The biggest step for us however is moving that dialogue offline, which can be measured as more people talking about and coming to do business with our clients.”
The strategy has been effective for Sealey Real Estate Solutions, Brian said. He especially liked the attention he and his wife got after a sit-down with the SalterMitchell PR team.
“They showed us and said this is what we heard you guys saying,” Brian said. “It was pretty impressive. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. They took an idea that my wife and I had in our head and wrote it down and from there they articulated our brand and values as a company.”
“We are very excited (and) we feel very strong. One of the things that SalterMitchell PR did was helped us create an identity that all of our staff and clients can align with and understand now. That brand helped us  to fulfill and go through our business strategy.”