Cheryl Van Landingham Smithem is the Connection Maven. She jokes that she’s the expert at the 6 ½ degrees of separation gambit. Experienced in marketing, public relations, website design, project management, and copywriting, Cheryl enjoys seeing projects move forward and delight the client. She absolutely relishes an opportunity to use her gray matter to solve strategic marketing questions. Before establishing Charleston PR & Design, LLC, Smithem was a marketing and public relations executive for top Charleston corporations. She has been consulting since 2001.
Curiosity first
As a naturally curious person, she remembers while riding in a wagon being pulled by other kindergartners, she wondered what dragging her knuckles along the ground would feel like… a mistake she won’t make again. However, her curiosity remains the driving force of her work as she devises strategy to set the client’s business apart in all aspects of their marketing communications.
Success for clients and journalists
Hired to increase awareness and the number of customers for Crave Kitchen & Cocktails in 2009, Chris and Cara Dolan and Rebecca Gooden of Crave, said of firm’s work,
We feel that you have done a wonderful job. Your work has increased awareness of our restaurant and contributed to our businesses growth. We’ve had more response from the things that you’ve done than all our past advertising.”
Journalist Patricia Luebke wrote of one of Smithem’s query responses,
I get so many of ‘Oh, you absolutely must interview so and so and I can arrange it’ and I have no idea if it’s worth my time, or given the responses like yours I get I don’t need to go on a fishing expedition for more interviews. So if no one has told you today you’re doing a good job, I will. Good job!”
Community Connections
Cheryl currently serves as a member of the Strategic Posse for Parliament, is a member of the Advisory Board for Carolina Studios and serves on the advisory Board of The Social Media, Club Charleston.
Cheryl is energized by the ability to use the Internet to connect to so many people through social media and can be found Tweeting at @ConnectionMaven, on Skype at cheryl.smithem, on Facebook, on Linkedin, on Google+, or at CharlestonPR.
