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General Articles

December 1, 2021 By ZB Group

How Brands Can Build Positive Touchpoints with Four Media Types

Creating brand loyalty in the digital age is challenging but it’s on a more-level playing field. You must get consumers to think positively about your brand via different touchpoints. Shira Ovide, a technology writer for The New York Times, explores this in her column with the headline, “The Internet Broke Brand Loyalty.” Here’s a telling part of her piece:

“Think about the ways that you might have bought something in the Before Times – like, before 2010. Maybe you drove to your local hardware store looking for a cordless drill, and it stocked only Dewalt models. You trusted the store to sell a good product – or if you didn’t, it was your only option anyway. That’s what you bought. The retailer essentially made the choice for you, Mr. Levin and Mr. Lowitz said. (co-founders of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners) That’s not usually how we shop anymore. Instead of having that solo choice, we can browse the gazillion cordless drills on Amazon from our sofas and evaluate online customer reviews.”

The pandemic intensified “going online” making it often the first place consumers turn before purchasing goods and services whether by checking-out Amazon or major retail websites, company or brand websites, the news media, blogs, social media, online communities, trade publications, or influencers they follow.

Today, brands need to utilize the four main types of media under the communications umbrella to effectively reach and engage with prospects and customers. The PESO Model, created by Gini Dietrich, the founder of Spin Sucks, demonstrates how each media type ideally provides the greatest benefit when it’s integrated with the other ones.

The model blends paid, earned, shared and owned media, to establish credibility, trust and authority that fuels a brand reputation. Earned media includes building relationships with journalists, bloggers, podcasters, editors, writers, producers and influencers, so they share your story with their audiences – be it readers, viewers or listeners. For example, we garnered these for different clients; a major market radio interview, an interview with a national wire service, a featured story in The New York Times, a Q&A on a blog, a magazine article, a newspaper feature, a bylined article, and a conversation on a podcast.

The PESO Model illustrated in the graphic below, provides a clear framework for communicators like us to explain how the different media types work best in concert in today’s fast-paced evolving media landscape. Kudos to Gini for launching it in 2014 and sharing it widely ever since.

2020 PESO Model Graphic
Credit: Spin Sucks

At ZB Group, our services focus on the earned and shared media spheres within the headings earned media, community, partnerships, reputation and marketing communications, to achieve our clients’ goals. Please reach out to learn how we can add value and turbocharge your marketing campaign so that your brand is top-of-mind.

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: brand loyalty, brand touchpoints, community building, earned media, influencer marketing, media relations, PESO Model, Public Relations, shared media, Shira Ovide, The New York Times, Thought Leadership

October 18, 2021 By ZB Group

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

———

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

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: #nationalwomenssmallbusinessmonth, #NWSBM, digital PR, earned media, Edye's Naturals, media interviews, social media influencers, Storytelling, The Horse Institute, women business owners, Woolverton Inn

August 10, 2021 By ZB Group

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.

Filed Under: General Articles, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: Axios, digital media, Dot Dot Dot, Happy Bones Happy Life podcast, Los Angeles Times, media coverage, media landscape, media list, media platforms, NBC News NOW, newspapers, NJ Tech Weekly, Pew Research Center, Puck, The Profile

June 23, 2021 By ZB Group

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.  

Filed Under: General Articles, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: brand story, business media, Chamber LIVE, client collaboration, digital media, lifestyle bloggers, networking events, online content, Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber, social media influencers, Woolverton Inn, ZB Group

January 4, 2021 By Debbie Bayes

Why the Work Phone Call is Back in Vogue

Coffee mug with an iPhone while working
Image by Derek Robinson from Pixabay

Surprisingly, the phone call has become a popular method of business communication by young people while working remotely as The Wall Street Journal reported in The Resurrection of the Office Phone Call. Apparently establishing more rewarding connections to decreasing digital carbon emissions are among the advantages of phone calls over video meetings, emails and texts.

During the pandemic, millennials discovered the benefits of communicating with colleagues, mentors, clients and prospects by phone and phone traffic has shot up. The work call provides an effective method for one-on-one discussions without concerns related to using Zoom such as what to wear, whether your background is tidy and appropriate or if the lighting is good.

A phone’s portability is another plus. You can talk while getting fresh air or moving around inside instead of being stuck in front of a computer.

When I started in public relations, reaching out to the media to pitch story ideas and guest recommendations by phone was a mainstay. However, once email became universal it has generally been the preferred method when initially pitching producers, writers, editors, influencers and bloggers.

I often find a hybrid approach of calls and emails is most effective during the follow-up process and cuts back on the number of emails exchanged. Once a media professional is interested in an idea, a phone call is an efficient way to build a rapport while confirming details concerning a proposed interview, product feature, or bylined article. Also, connecting on social media is a good idea to learn more about them and share their work.

With growing concerns about the environment, CBS This Morning’s “Eye on Earth” correspondent shared our reliance on IT for remote work negatively impacts the planet. We may not be commuting as much, but sending 100 emails leaves the same carbon footprint as driving a mile in a car. In fact, the BBC’s Smart Guide to Climate Change says making video calls over the internet has a much higher carbon footprint than do mobile phone calls.

More rationale in support of phone conversations was explained in an article in Scientific American. It discusses a paper slated for publication in the Journal of Experimental Psychology by Professor Nicholas Epley at the University of Chicago Booth School who studies social cognition and Assistant Professor of marketing and psychology Amit Kumar at the University of Texas. Their research indicates people should consider talking rather than typing to forge better connections and more satisfying interactions.

Another study with young children cited in The New York Times showed that telephone communication was just as effective as being able to touch and see a parent. “The clear implication is that you don’t need to literally see your loved ones and friends to feel your bond with them,” psychiatrist Dr. Richard Friedman writes in a recent op-ed.

As the iconic song reminds us, “Everything Old is New Again.”

Contact us to learn how we can help promote your brand with our hybrid approach and other effective strategies to amplify your marketing in 2021.

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Journalism, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: 2021 integrated marketing, BBC, Business communications, CBS This Morning, media relations, millennials and work, pitching journalists, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, working remotely

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