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October is National Women’s Small Business Month

Image: Pixabay

October is synonymous with beautiful fall foliage when nature “reinvents” itself as leaves lose chlorophyll and carotenoids are revealed. It is also National Women’s Small Business Month which recognizes the importance of our country’s female entrepreneurs. We are celebrating by featuring three women who embraced entrepreneurship and reinvention by either launching new businesses or becoming a first-time business owner.

These dynamic women changed course to focus on their passions and build a business. One as an owner of a bed-and-breakfast, another founding a skin care company and the third’s business provides equine based coaching workshops. There are roughly 12 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. according to the United States SBA.

ZB Group was proud to collaborate with these inspiring businesswomen. We shared the benefits that their businesses, products and services provide, and what led them to pursue their dreams, with the media, bloggers and influencers. Snapshots follow with a link to read about our specific collaborations and the media coverage garnered for each one.

Mary Passalacqua, Woolverton Inn

Mary Passalacqua and her husband Mario, are owners of a beautiful historic bed and breakfast in Stockton, New Jersey. Woolverton Inn is nestled on ten acres and surrounded by 300 acres of preserved farmland and forest. It is a convenient destination for year-round getaways, weddings, special events and corporate retreats. After spending more than 25 years working in corporate finance for large manufacturing companies, Mary realized a lifelong dream by purchasing Woolverton Inn in 2016. Today their thriving bucolic inn is a testament to Mary and Mario’s dedication to their guests and staff, investment in the property, commitment to the local community and savvy business acumen.

Idyllic Bed and Breakfast

Edye Dumhart, Edye’s Naturals

A mother of two and a lifelong athlete, Edye Dumhart didn’t plan to become an entrepreneur and a proponent of the benefits of organic skin care products, but she has immersed herself in both. She developed her first product, Edye’s Face & Body Butter, when she was unable to find wholesome non-toxic ones to help her rosacea, sunspots and wrinkles after years of competitive sailing and sun exposure. Through Edye’s hard work, foresight and enthusiasm, her line has expanded. It now features nine nourishing eco-friendly plant-based products. Edye’s Naturals can be found in many locations throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, at various seasonal craft shows, and on her website.

Edye’s Naturals

Marie-Claude Stockl, The Horse Institute

Located on 30 scenic acres about 100 miles north of New York City, The Horse Institute provides leadership development, team building and communication skills workshops, using Equine Assisted Learning. Founded by Marie-Claude Stockl and her husband Larry Stockl, they are two seasoned corporate executives who believed a different kind of experiential training was possible and necessary beyond the typical conference room and slide show presentations. The business utilizes Marie Claude’s communications expertise honed during her stellar career at Fortune 100 companies and her lifelong devotion to horses. Clients include major pharmaceutical companies and organizations.  

Corporate Training Company

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Join us in acknowledging the growing number of women-owned small businesses and their countless positive contributions.

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How to Cultivate Media Coverage During Sea Change

geralt/Pixabay

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, wrote more than 2,000 years ago that change is the only constant in life. We can all relate to his sentiment. This is apropos to the media business which has experienced a tsunami of changes. To cultivate coverage, a well thought out plan, strategy and skillset is required to achieve your goals.

Here’s a brief inside look at a few of the elements integral to garnering effective results in this fluctuating environment.

Consider the Span of Options

It was simpler to plan a media relations strategy in the predigital days when the media universe was comprised of far fewer outlets. Today’s modern media landscape encompasses many platforms with new ones constantly launching. It’s important to first identify and then reach out to those for which your story is a good fit.

Thoughtful consideration of the options, keeping abreast of journalists’ beats, and staying current on new shows, sections, publications, columns, etc., are important factors in determining the outlets and reporters who may be interested in your story.

Journalists may also work as independent writers or producers at their own companies. Some freelance and contribute to several different outlets on a range of topics. They too are important to consider for media opportunities.

Create the Target List

Creating the media list is a fundamental key step. There are a myriad of media to consider such as digital or internet media, podcasts, newsletters, content creators or influencers, blogs, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and wire services.

For example, if your product or service is geared towards consumers with a special interest, then a platform, podcast, newsletter or website intensely followed by a smaller audience may be better to approach with relevant story ideas than an outlet with a larger more general audience.

Or, perhaps the local TV news media and newspapers would be a good fit for your story and target audience. For the first year in their data, total estimated circulation revenue for publicly traded newspaper companies in 2020 surpassed advertising revenue according to this Pew Research Center report.

Monitor Changes and Evaluate New Opportunities

Note changes as media outlets close, merge, launch and get reinvented on a regular basis. New ones may be added to your target list for evaluation, inclusion and potential outreach.

For example, Puck is a new digital media company with several big-name reporters which will launch in September. Details about it are here.

These articles by media reporters for CNN, The New York Times and Axios respectively, illustrate how media opportunities continue to arise including at the Los Angeles Times, with new media ventures that have sprung up to fill voids, and due to NBC News’ major push into streaming.

NBC News NOW plans to expand its weekday live programming throughout the fall and add to its weekend live programming beginning in the first quarter of 2022.

We’ve summarized a few aspects pertinent to cultivating media coverage but there are many others to consider and ensure your goals are met. Contact us to learn how our skillset can benefit your company in these changing times.

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Chamber LIVE Interview Featuring a Successful Client Collaboration

Debbie Bayes, co-founder and communications director of ZB Group was interviewed on Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber‘s “Chamber LIVE” show with Mary Passalacqua, owner of Woolverton Inn.

Christine Curnan, host of Chamber LIVE, led the spirited conversation inquiring about their collaboration’s accomplishments, Mary’s advice for new entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners, Mary and Debbie’s career paths, the inn’s interesting history to its modern-day evolution, the affect of the pandemic on the inn, and more timely topics.

The entertaining show, produced by New Jersey Buzz, is set to upbeat background music and enhanced with colorful images of the inn and the lovely surrounding area. Examples of the stories published online and in print about Woolverton Inn as a result of our working together, are featured and discussed.

Video of the full conversation is above with a list of timestamps to listen to specific topics below.

{.41} Mary, after a long successful career in finance, five years ago you became an owner of Woolverton Inn. How and why did you make this career and lifestyle change?

{3:42} Debbie, how did you meet Mary?

{4:48} Mary – The Woolverton Inn is a very historic location can you tell us about the history of the Inn?

{8:13} Mary – What are your favorite parts about running the inn?

{9:21} Mary – Last year was really challenging for many small businesses but especially for those in travel and hospitality. How did you fare when the pandemic hit and are you feeling optimistic about 2021?

{12:20} Debbie – Can you tell us a little about you and the services that your company offers?

{14:18} Debbie – What did your collaboration with Mary entail and what did you accomplish?

{18:11} Mary – What’s your best advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs or for people who may want to buy an existing business like you did with your husband Mario?

For more information about our custom marketing communications services, please email Debbie at dbayes@zbgroupinc.com or call (609) 514-0966.  

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How to Keep Your Brand in the Limelight

Are you staying connected with clients and customers, driving awareness and trust for your brand and building relationships to keep your business in the limelight? If not, you should be.

Opportunities for in-person meetings with clients, prospects and customers have been curtailed. Before COVID-19 consumers could learn about your brand, company or organization by attending live conferences, networking events, trade shows, social gatherings, large community events or during spontaneous interactions out of the office.

Now with several in-person activities on hold due to public health concerns and many working remotely, consumers are spending more time online reading, watching and listening to news outlets to stay informed, make purchase decisions or to learn something new. Attending virtual events and classes for work, exercise, personal or professional enrichment, have become routine.

During this time, a concerted media outreach effort that is tailored for your specific goals can help you achieve them. For example, it can relay what’s new, describe your products or services’ benefits, authentically share your leaders’ expertise or personal story, increase interest and credibility, or announce new business initiatives. I explain our proven approach with three key elements in this brief video.

According to a new report from journalism professor Damian Radcliffe at the University of Oregon, COVID-19 has boosted subscription numbers for a range of publishers. Make sure your brand is part of the narrative where and when your audience is consuming their news and information.

Here are 8 ways to do this effectively:

  • Draw attention via media interviews on Zoom, email or by phone
  • Schedule socially distanced in-person interviews, if possible
  • Use eye-catching video and images to supplement interviews
  • Coordinate reviews and giveaways with lifestyle bloggers and writers
  • Get featured in holiday gift guides, roundups, “Best of” and “Top 10” lists
  • Participate on podcasts which your audience follows
  • Arrange for profiles in newsletters
  • Engage with social media influencers to share your story, spotlight your products or services or create original content for their communities.

To discuss how we can collaborate using the above strategies and others that will successfully meet your needs, please reach out.