Advertising and Marketing Q + A

Meet two businesswomen from the Lower Hudson Valley who love helping small businesses stand out from the crowd.

What do we marketers and advertisers discuss in our spare time? Ways to grow our clients’ businesses using creative and effective marketing, advertising, and publishing tactics, of course! 

Below is a conversation between Joanne Louis-Paul (me!), Business Development Director and writer with Rivertown Magazine, and Danielle Centofanti-Davidson, Owner of Main St. Business Strategies. 

Read on to learn more about what they do, the difference between marketing and advertising, and the importance of quality content (which doesn’t have to be daunting).

Meet Joanne | @joanneabouttown

Born, raised, and gratefully living in Rockland County, Joanne Louis-Paul believes in the power of community and is passionate about conscious consumerism and supporting local economies. 

In addition to her work with Rivertown Magazine, Joanne is the Founder of the ever-growing Hudson Valley United Freelancers + Entrepreneurs community and the Co-founder/COO of Hudson Valley Sustainable Fashion Week.

Relationship-oriented collaboration is essential to survival, so all the work she does – be it partnering with Rockland and Bergen Counties’ best and brightest businesses or connecting entrepreneurs with important resources and each other – is held together by this central mission.

Meet Danielle | @mainst_bizstrategies

Danielle Centofanti-Davidson is a Tarrytown, NY native who worked and lived in NYC after graduating from Marist College. After 9+ years working in PR and advertising for national brands, she found her way back to the Hudson Valley and started supporting the marketing needs of local businesses. 

Now, she’s the Owner and Lead Marketer behind Main St. Business Strategies, a boutique agency catering to small and medium-sized businesses across the Hudson Valley and tri-state area. 

Primarily focusing on marketing consulting, brand partnerships, social media strategy, and PR, Danielle supports clients spanning retail, manufacturing, interior design, floristry, and lifestyle makers, to name a few. Pop over to her IG to see what she and her clients have going on!

How we help Hudson Valley businesses with their marketing and advertising strategies

Joanne

Q: What’s the primary goal of your role at Rivertown Magazine? 

A: I’m a Business Development Director and writer with Rivertown Magazine. My dual skillset allows me to work with small business owners to design a cohesive advertising strategy that fits into their overall marketing goals while finding their standout story and bringing that to life for potential clients and customers through beautiful editorial content.

Danielle

Q: And what is the core goal of your work with Main St. Business Strategies? 

A: My primary goal is to bring approachable, creative marketing strategies to small and medium-sized businesses in NY and the tri-state area. I help businesses communicate what their real differentiator is. Whether it be their product or service, in-store experience, customer service, ethos, or mission statement, each business has something that inherently sets it apart from the rest and I work with business owners to creatively market that. The end goal is to make sure the businesses that make up our community and economy are long-lasting. 

Advertising and marketing: What’s the diff?

Danielle

Q: Do you have any tips for businesses looking to break into advertising as part of their marketing strategy? 

A: First, it’s helpful to understand how marketing and advertising work together. Marketing should be looked at as the overarching strategy guiding a business’ roadmap to achieving a goal. Included within that roadmap is advertising, which sits alongside PR, organic communication channels (social media, web), partnerships, etc, and it’s intended to garner measurable reach against a specific target audience using paid tactics. As a business, it’s important to consider which audience you want to reach before spending advertising dollars - this requires a little bit of research.

Joanne

Q: Knowing that advertising is typically part of a business’ wider marketing strategy and budget, what type of businesses do well advertising with Rivertown Magazine? 

A: Our magazine is best suited for business owners who know exactly what they’re promoting and in what timeframe. Since we specialize in editorial-style advertising, businesses with compelling stories also do well in our publication.

Quality content is king for businesses, publications, and audiences

Joanne

Q: Since Rivertown Magazine is making its comeback after a pandemic hiatus, what are some new things businesses and locals can expect? 

A: We are excited to announce that we have new owners with over 20 years of experience in media and publishing. Alain Begun and Bruce Apar have been successfully running River Journal and River Journal North in Westchester for many years, so we at Rivertown now have access to those publications and their demographics, as well. 

Locals can expect fun new recurring features in each issue, including Meet the Maker, where I’ll be interviewing a different Rockland-based artisan and highlighting their work.

Danielle

Q: What’s one area of marketing clients are most overwhelmed by and often shy away from that they shouldn’t?

A: Content marketing. “Content” is an incredibly overused word with a definition that’s become more and more unclear, but at its core, it’s really less daunting than we’ve built it up to be. Basically, content is how we highlight what differentiates our business from another using words and/or visuals. Having at least one idea that can be communicated effectively in two to three different formats – whether it’s a blog post or social media video, for example – is hugely beneficial. Always consider repurposing a single idea into a number of versions for various platforms and spaces!

Better Together

Beacon-based businesses Peaceful Provisions + Miss Tea collaborate on the Cinnamon Rose doughnut.

One of HVUFE’s core values is Collaboration. I’m a big believer in the power of partnership and the creativity that can flow out of the right mix. New eyes bring different perspectives and mission-aligned brands mutually benefit from electric synergy. When we work together, we expand the horizon of what is possible.

I get giddy when I stumble across Hudson Valley businesses doing cool things together, so when this Pumpkin Chai doughnut popped up on my feed, I just knew I had to highlight the ongoing partnership between Beacon-based makers Peaceful Provisions and Miss Tea.

Passion Meets Integrity

Peaceful Provisions is a family, minority, and women-owned artisan shop and marketplace specializing in small-batch, scratch-made vegan doughnuts. Twin sisters Brittany and Justine Soto are at the helm of this three-person crew and they take pride in the detailed love and care they put into every bite.

Every single step of their doughnut-making process is done by hand using only the best ingredients. They emphasize quality over quantity at every level of production and strive to offer mindfully and compassionately crafted products for their family, friends and patrons. 

Miss Tea is owned and run by lifelong besties, Mor and Revital. They have traveled the world, exploring exotic places and going on adventures you can only do with a friend you trust. 

Throughout their journeys, even in the most desolate of places, they always found their way back home with a cup of tea. That’s the soul of their brand. 

These women are committed to honoring the power of natural healing through herbs and sharing with their community this simple ceremony that always seems to bring a quiet moment and peace of mind.

Chance Encounters 

In April 2022, while waiting in line at Big Mouth Coffee (yet another co-conspirator in yum), Brittany noticed a flyer for a healing event at Miss Tea and felt compelled to check it out. 

After the event ended and she got a chance to chat with Mor, she was certain she wanted to build some kind of connection between their businesses. The tea purveyors were equally enthused and, shortly after, their first creation was born: the Cinnamon Rose doughnut (pictured).

The sisters’ passion is what made working together so appealing to Mor. “I love Peaceful Provisions’ creations. I respect the way they treat their brand and product. They don't compromise on the quality of their doughnuts the same way we don't compromise on the quality of our teas. Their specialty is beyond baking and the integrity towards their brand and customers is intact.”

Make Room for Magic

When I asked Peaceful Provisions what advice they have for new makers looking to team up with other businesses, Brittany said, “Try to have a childlike sense of wonder where anything is possible and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! You learn a significant amount when you do. Along the way, you realize you’re building a tribe of people and businesses that you can count on and you open the door to so much possibility.”

Mor assured, “You are in the right place at the right time. Enjoy the experience itself and the people you collaborate with.”

Follow these rockstar businesses on Instagram to stay posted on new, upcoming creations and pop in to say hi next time you’re in the area!

@peacefulprovisions | 383 main st. | beacon

@mymisstea | 520-a main st. | beacon

The Power of the Headshot

Shot by Cristal Rojas of Creative C Agency

I just wanted to take a moment to give a HUGE shout out to Cristal Rojas of Creative C Agency for the amazing work she did shooting my editorial-style headshots and photos!

She was a complete professional and made me feel very comfortable and confident in front of the camera.

I can’t stress the importance of having professionally-shot images for your business enough. I know it can feel like just one of a million other things on your never-ending to-do list, but you have to prioritize it.

Investing in your images helps to make you and your brand look polished and buttoned-up. Potential clients and customers will trust you more quickly and thus, are far more likely to work with you over someone else.

Smartphones take beautiful photos, but if you’re ready to start marketing yourself to the general public more seriously, please put in the money and time to work with a talented photographer like Cristal. You won’t regret it!

HV Noisemakers: Nellybombs

Queen Bombs slaying the comfy vibe

Nellybombs is who Amy Winehouse would’ve been if she’d gone to rehab. She’s a spiritual upgrade with a haunting voice that uniquely echoes Aretha, Billie, and other soul angels, but this isn’t the story of a sad songbird warbling over her clipped wings. This is the story of a phoenix who dares to rise time and again.

Onelia Llano moved to the Hudson Valley from the Bronx at the age of 10, lending to her amalgamation of down-to-earth sweetness, spacey visions, and New York swagger. She’s something of an anomaly, a self-proclaimed misfit.

One of the things that sets Nelly apart from other local artists, aside from her amazing voice, is her stage presence. She’s got it and being around her in her element imbues audiences with a heavy dose of “get out of my way” attitude.

But life hasn’t been without its challenges. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing Miss Bombs perform live, you’d have no idea that this sassed-up songstress struggles with anxiety.

“It’s definitely hard being an artist and having a negative thought process and [it] has definitely held me back in a lot of ways. Fran and I have had a lot of obstacles throughout this journey together and the fact that we keep going makes me really proud. No matter what happens, we love making music and we are going to do it, even if no one is listening.”

Despite the daily hurdles, Nelly has chosen to strive for the positive. “Music is therapy for me. At times it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m trying to enjoy the ride.” If you follow her on social media, you’ll see her efforts to stay sunny. Vegan noms, hiking, running (and the occasional Dunkaroos to feed her inner child).

When I asked her what impact she wanted her music to have, she answered, “Life is not easy. So if I can offer some relief and sense of connection, I feel good about what we are doing. I know for me, when I am going through a hard time, it is sometimes comforting to know someone is going through the same thing.”

She and Fran perform feel-good covers, from Motown to TLC, but have plenty of original music between them, too. Nelly writes about her firsthand experiences, especially the difficult ones that she’s not able to process otherwise. “Writing helps me work it all out.”

And Fran has been a huge support and source of encouragement in the time they’ve been working together. “I really am super thankful to have Francisco in my life. He has helped me push through some really hard times... I am so glad I get to go through this journey with my best friend! I really don’t think I would be where I am today without him!”

Nelly and Fran, the Dynamic Duo

Fran’s succinctly soulful licks are the musical core of their most recent album, “Dana Ave.” Released on June 28th, this collection of songs tells the story of the painful end of a toxic relationship. “I was depressed and anxious and had no self-confidence. I had trouble playing gigs and sometimes couldn’t even get out of bed. It was the first time I had really experienced heartbreak. I remember one day Fran telling me I need to write through the pain and that’s what I did. I wrote the songs in about two weeks. They helped me get through the breakup and learn to love myself again.”

If there’s anything we can take away from Nelly’s story (and there’s a lot), it’s this: if she can muster the courage to chase her dreams in the face of adversity, so can you. “I used to work full-time while going to school part-time and gig on the weekends. I never thought I would be able to do music full-time when I first started out. After about a year of hustling and playing any gig I could get, I was able to make the shift. I really wasn’t sure how to manage myself, but it happened pretty organically. The gigs kept coming and eventually, I was making enough to quit my job and just focus on music. It was, and still is, not as easy as it sounds … but it has taught me a lot! I am super thankful I have the opportunity to create every day and make a living doing what I love. There are ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Dana Ave. is available on all streaming platforms.