‘One-Stop Shop’ Promotes River Town Businesses Across All Media  

Never before in the history of commerce have businesses of every type and size had so many avenues available to engage with the public through every step of the customer journey – before, during, and after a transaction. 

At the same time, the abundance of marketing opportunities creates confusion for the average small- to medium-size business (SMB). 

Questions abound … How do I know if my website is doing its job? When am I supposed to find time to manage social media the right way? Does my tired-looking logo look out of touch with the times? Isn’t video too expensive for my budget? Would email marketing make sense for me?  

Help is on the way. A new local service, who might be knowledgeable with data such as the Voice of the Customer, has been formed to answer those and any other questions for local businesses that want to professionalize their brand’s image, extend their audience reach, and improve profitability.   

It is called River Towns Marketing, Powered by The Shop.   

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Operating as a convenient one-stop marketing agency for overwhelmed business owners, the joint venture is under the banner of River Towns Media LLC, owned by Alain Begun, publisher of River Journal and River Journal North. (riverjournalonline.com). 

The two publications, mailed each month by USPS to virtually everyone from Irvington to Peekskill, have the largest combined circulation (50,000) and readership (135,000) of any magazine or newspaper in Westchester County. 

The Shop (theshopkeys.com) is a premier Hudson Valley creative agency owned by Madison Avenue veterans Peter McKinley, Kelly Duke, and Wayne Treptow. Their highly diverse roster of clients ranges from local retail and childcare facilities, not-for-profit organizations, school districts and local municipalities, to large, corporate B2B and B2C marketers. 

“Our one-stop shop concept,” says Alain Begun, “allows us to offer the most convenient and cost-effective marketing solutions in Westchester. Our impactful local print and digital presence with the two River Journals is a good fit with The Shop’s award-winning quality of digital and creative services. It puts River Towns Marketing in a unique position to provide a wide range of marketing options. We believe every business is unique, and shouldn’t accept one-size-fits-all marketing solutions.”  

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Adds Peter McKinley of The Shop, “SMBs tend to underestimate the value proposition of their brand, and of such modern marketing essentials as video, targeted email-marketing, a high-performing website, and social media amplification.” 

Both Begun and McKinley remind clients that a consumer doesn’t act on a purchase or trust a brand until she has been exposed to its message several times in different media.   

Studies show that print ads project more authority than any other ad medium, making print and digital ideal partners for any effective marketing strategy.  

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In addition to websites, email marketing, video creation, social media amplification, and branding design, says Begun, “we also create, from scratch, custom publishing products for clients and distribute them through either or both River Journal and River Journal North.” Past issues can be viewed in PDF form on riverjournalonline.com. 
 
Begun added that River Towns Media is preparing to launch a podcast series focusing on local personalities and influencers in business, the arts, health, education and government.  It will be hosted and co-produced by Christian Larson, a veteran of TV news in New York City and regular contributor to the River Journals.  

For a free consultation by the experts at River Towns Marketing, contact Alain Begun at publisher@rivertownsmedia.com or 646.512.3925; or Peter McKinley at peter@theshopkeys.com or 917.769.9438. 

• theshopkeys.com/home-river-journal