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Blake Thelen
Marketing & Communication Specialist
Professional Background
Blake Thelen is a seasoned project and client relationship manager with over eleven years of combined experience in the marketing and communications fields. Blake possesses an impressive five years of hands-on project management, account management, and client relationship expertise within mid-sized marketing firms. His experience in this dynamic environment has equipped him with essential skills to effectively manage client expectations and ensure the successful delivery of marketing projects that align with client objectives.
Blake has also spent six valuable years working in the marketing and communications sectors at the esteemed University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In this role, he honed his communication skills and learned to navigate the complexities of working within a larger organization, where he was responsible for fostering relationships and coordinating recruitment initiatives. His understanding of marketing at a public university provided him with unique insights into audience engagement and strategic messaging.
In addition to his marketing experience, Blake is skilled in utilizing various project management software, which enhances his ability to plan, execute, and monitor projects efficiently. His profound knowledge of different project management methodologies and leadership styles allows him to adapt to diverse team dynamics and project requirements. Through these experiences, Blake excels at delivering remarkable results while ensuring a smooth process for all stakeholders involved.
Education and Achievements
Blake earned his Bachelor of Journalism with a focus on Advertising from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This educational background has provided a strong foundation for his career in marketing and communications, allowing him to develop critical thinking and creative skills necessary for producing compelling advertising and marketing campaigns.
Throughout his career, Blake has taken on various roles that showcase his adaptability and talent in different aspects of marketing. As a Senior Account Executive at AOR, Inc., he demonstrated his capability to manage large client accounts while coordinating projects that required stringent adherence to timelines and budget constraints. His excellent interpersonal communication skills have enabled him to establish rapport with clients and support them in realizing their marketing goals.
Furthermore, during his time as a Communications & Recruitment Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Blake played a pivotal role in enhancing the institution’s visibility. This experience allowed him to create strategic marketing content that resonated with prospective students and their families, ultimately driving recruitment efforts. His commitment to excellence and innovative approach has significantly contributed to positive outcomes for the teams he has worked with.
Achievements
Blake Thelen is noted for his ability to deliver impactful presentations to large audiences, particularly in high-pressure situations. His capability to communicate ideas clearly and persuasively has made him a sought-after presenter and thought leader in project management and marketing communication strategies. He thrives when faced with challenges and maintains poise, ensuring that his messages are delivered with clarity and confidence.
With an active interest in developing new skills and staying current with industry trends, Blake is always looking for opportunities to expand his professional toolkit. His dedication to learning aligns with his ability to manage multiple projects while effectively prioritizing tasks to meet tight deadlines and budget requirements. Blake exemplifies the qualities of a proactive professional who is prepared to take on new challenges and contribute to the success of any team or project.
In summary, Blake Thelen is a well-rounded project manager and client relationship expert with deep-rooted experience in the marketing and communications sector. His educational journey, combined with extensive work history, reaffirms his commitment to achieving excellence in every aspect of his career. Blake’s proficiency in project management, combined with his exceptional communication skills, positions him as a valuable asset in the marketing field.
Tags
project management
client relationship management
marketing
communications
public relations
account management
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
AOR Inc
advertising
journalism
Location
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.