Holly Herrick
"I just was spending some time on the site updating the front page with the book information and really took a moment to reflect on the great work you have done to make this site both beautiful, practical, and easy to update. It is JUST smashing and I'm so pleased with it. Thank you so much!"
Janet Collins
In your considerations of PR and design firms to employ, I recommend you give the highest thought to Charleston PR & Design. This firm is conscientious, thorough, and always has the highest respect for small businesses. You will not be disappointed with their attention to your vision and the “team” feel you have working with them. I have always found them to be “Johnny on the Spot” with questions, concerns, and troubleshooting anything that comes along.
Without reservation, they get my highest of my recommendations!
Gerry Schmidt & Lisa Jackson
"Lisa and I are very grateful for your work on our behalf. It's working! We spent many thousands of dollars trying to boost our page rank on Google with other marketing firms and none of it worked, at all! After a few months of Cheryl's guidance our rankings shot up to page one and two for our top keywords. Much more importantly, as a result, we just landed a great client, who we can serve and who needs our help. Thank you, Cheryl."
Martine Friedman
"Cheryl Smithem is the right PR person you can count on to get the job done with the results you need. Along the way, you could fall in love with her, or want to bring her in house. Why? Because she is smart. Very smart. She is creative, connected, congenial. She has your back at all times. During my last startup, Cheryl was in fact, the only vendor that I felt I could rely on 100% of the time. As requested, she chased me for deadlines. If you are a startup, I wouldn't hire anyone else. Period. If you represent a corporation or association, or have a PR need, know this. Cheryl goes beyond the call of duty and she gets demonstrable results, she knows how to measure and report on what she has done as well. And ask anyone, I'm not easy to impress. That is on account of my background working with Fortune 50 companies and large ad agencies that encompassed some of the best PR folks in the country. I'd put Cheryl up there in that same skill level.
P.S. Cheryl is fluent in social media, she knows technology, and she has a serious work ethic. Have I not convinced you yet. Call her already."
Rebecca Gooden
“Cheryl Smithem is a knowledgeable, highly detailed and focused professional who delivers what she promises and more. Cheryl has assisted our restaurant business in the areas of public relations, website optimization, and increased internet presence. We have worked with Cheryl for eight months and continue to benefit from the services that she provides. Always a pleasure to work with, Cheryl provides excellent value at a reasonable price.”
Holly Roberson
"Thank you so very much for all the strategy, effort, insight and mighty fine execution you have done for Go Charleston Deals!
I look to you both for far more than "work" because I've valued your insight and the wisdom of your experiences which you so freely share.
Here's to a long and lovely working friendship."
Andra Watkins
“Cheryl Smithem is an insightful strategic marketing mind. Her clients benefit from her depth of experience every time they interact. She has assembled marketing and public relations programs that have garnered awards for her clients and have helped them win national, and even international, acclaim.
Cheryl is unique in that, though she is independent, she is able to work collaboratively as part of a larger team. Advertising agencies bring her in regularly to contribute seasoned public relations strategies for their clients. For several agencies, she is their PR department.
She was one of the first in our area to grasp the importance of social media for marketing purposes. She encourages them to be real and convey helpful, desirable information that people want to receive, a somewhat different approach in the already crowded social media marketplace today.
Cheryl is a strategic marketing and public relations force. I highly recommend her.”
Anne Brumbaugh
“I worked with Cheryl on a positioning and branding project for a client that required finding a strategy that combined seemingly disparate branding goals – growing a niche business and becoming more mainstream while remaining honest and true to its distinctly non-mainstream roots and values. She was able to combine data I collected, the client’s stated (and unstated) desires, and the target market’s sensibilities into a truly brilliant positioning and brand identity strategy. Messaging was inspired and dead-on to accomplish the client’s marketing and growth goals. She was great to work with – watching her take marketing research and turn it into marketing reality was awesome.”
Shoshanna Szuch
"Cheryl is a PR Pro. Networking and querying run in her blood. She's been in the industry long enough to know that PR results are based on perseverance, digging, building relationships, integrity and respect for the journalists. Cheryl is diligent about: finding opportunities, pitching them and getting commendable results; staying current with the latest strategies, getting good information, writing compelling articles and feature stories, and communicating every step of the way. Cheryl's positive and upbeat nature combined with her industry knowledge make for a very pleasant and successful relationship.”
Jerry Calahan
“Cheryl loves what she does and it shows. She's absolutely passionate about helping companies with their positioning, messaging, and execution of that message. She knows and understands the lowcountry like no one else. Cheryl is insightful, driven, and a lot of fun to work with. She is the "Connection Maven"”
Jennifer Dyer Buddin
“Working with Cheryl is like watching a fireworks show. You see the glimmer in her eyes as ideas start popping and then marvel as they explode into action. Cheryl's enthusiasm and know-how make it a pleasure to work with her, and her effortless way of connecting others makes her an invaluable resource.”
Shauna Heathman
“It has been an honor to work side-by-side with Cheryl Smithem, a true connection maven and owner of Strategic Marketing and Public Relations. Cheryl's extensive experience and knowledge in public relations, strategic communications and marketing gives her clients not only an extreme value for their money but honest, genuine feedback that is on-point for the brand and message they are trying to send.
Cheryl is called the Connection Maven for a reason. She can put you in touch with the people you need to be connecting with -- whether it be the media, experts in different career fields or simply the right people you need to have in your network.
Her personable demeanor and positive attitude not only makes the experience of working with her a pleasure but confirms that you truly are working with someone who has your very best interests at heart.
Working with Cheryl is an on-going fantastic experience and I would not hesitate for a second to recommend her.”
