Nov. 1, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Click Rain.

It was early 2021 that SiouxFalls.Business first reported on two locally owned marketing companies coming together when Click Rain acquired Lemonly. We caught up with CEO Natalie Eisenberg to hear how the companies have settled into being “sister agencies” over the past year.

What has been your approach as a leader to the merging of these two companies?

From the beginning, we clearly saw that we had two highly successful operations in both Click Rain and Lemonly and therefore didn’t want to change anything for the sake of change.

We centralized administrative functions like finance and HR right away to better serve both teams and set up a clear way for either team to refer work to one another.

Beyond that, we have spent significant time learning from the team and listening closely to their ideas, needs and concerns that we can weave into our plans as the time is right.

What have been some key milestones you’ve achieved this year?

A few things stand out in my mind. Our first cross-referred projects have been exciting. Working together is truly the best way to get to know one another, and we continue to iron out processes and create best practices for the higher volume we expect in the future.

Landing on a succession plan for John’s exit (Lemonly co-founder John T. Meyer) was a high priority and something we now have a great solution for. We have now shared the plan with everyone across Click Rain and Lemonly so they can support John and the greater team as we move through it.

We’ve also had some good culture conversations in partnership with our friends at Think 3D. Click Rain and Lemonly are both very culture-forward and people-focused companies. But there are also differences that make each unique. We’re closer now to defining what our shared organization’s culture qualities will be while respecting the uniqueness of each respective agency. We’ll roll that out to our full team before the new year.

And just getting to know each other has been a goal, so we’ve also had a number of social outings with both agencies. We had our first joint picnic last summer and were struck by what a big group we are now. And we had everyone over at the new building to check it out before construction began.

What have you learned from this experience that you could share with others?

Deliberate, clear, two-way communication is just so key. We have done our best to communicate early and often throughout this process to show our team where we are at and where we’re headed. We’ve asked for and listened to their thoughts and ideas. And we’ve followed through with what we said we would do. It sounds simple, but open lines of communication are mission critical.

You are currently transitioning into a new shared office space. How do you anticipate this impacting both companies?

Yes, we are in the process of renovating a building in the East Eighth Street neighborhood of downtown. It will be designed to support our flexible work approach. The phrase I keep coming back to is that, while it won’t be somewhere people will be required to be, we’re focused on making it a place where people will want to be.

The other thing about moving into the new office next year is that we’ll have both Click Rain and Lemonly under one roof for the first time. While we’ll continue to operate as sister agencies, this will allow us to celebrate, collaborate and connect in new ways, and we’re really looking forward to that.

How do clients benefit most from the Click Rain-Lemonly merger?

Simply put, they now have access to a wider suite of services with even stronger depth in both the science and the art of marketing. Click Rain delivers the science through high performance, data-driven web and digital marketing solutions. Lemonly brings the art through the creation of premium infographics, visual content and design systems.

We work together to share our services with one another’s clients and team up for opportunities demanding our full suite of services.

Lemonly CEO John T. Meyer will be stepping down at the end of 2021. Who will be filling his place?

It’s been awesome working with John this year while he’s joined our executive team. When he exits in December, I will serve as CEO of Click Rain + Lemonly, while COO Chris Prendergast will oversee the day-to-day happenings at Lemonly. Amberly Austad, formerly director of operations at Lemonly, has also joined our executive team and will bring valuable Lemonly perspective to that table.

Our full executive team will be made up of:

• Natalie Eisenberg, chief executive officer.
• Eric Ellefson, chief strategy officer.
• James Krueger, chief marketing officer.
• Chris Prendergast, chief operations officer.
• Amberly Austad, vice president operations.
• Kate Kotzea, vice president products and services.
• Carissa Schoffelman, vice president administration.

What are you most excited about moving forward?

There are so many things to be excited about. I’ll start with the new building. We are really eager to get our teams into the new office altogether next summer. I think that change will generate a fresh energy and lead to a new sense of camaraderie amongst the crew.

Next, with our people-first approach, we’ll keep employee experience on the forefront. It’s important that we keep finding ways to work smarter, not harder, so we’re looking seriously at automation opportunities and becoming hyperfocused on building an operational system that supports our team’s well-being.

In February, we’ll host our first Trendigital event hosted by Click Rain + Lemonly as a combined team. We’ve reformatted the event, brought it back downtown and will be unveiling some new research there.

We’re just beginning to realize the power of this new shared organization. We’re very carefully and strategically designing our approach to brand, services and culture. We’ve laid the groundwork, and I’m excited to build upon that next year.

Click Rain, Lemonly will move into historic downtown building