I have started helping Beyond Green Construction in Easthampton, Massachusetts, with raising awareness through PR and digital marketing. This is the first piece I wrote for co-owner Sean Jeffords. It was recently published in the Gazette’s Easthampton Area Business Guide 2019. 

You’ll never see anyone on the Beyond Green Construction team tossing a recyclable into a dumpster on a job site. Members of the Easthampton company have too much respect for the planet. Along with their experience and knowledge, the dedication fuels their work as home improvement contractors.

Founded by three brothers in 1998, Beyond Green Construction takes on jobs from whole-home remodels and kitchen and bathroom renovations and additions to commercial projects. What sets the firm apart is a focus on saving home and business owners money on energy costs, creating signature designs, and improving overall comfort.

“When people do home improvement projects, they can partner with us in making intentional change that will result in reduced energy costs and a more comfortable home,” co-owner Sean Jeffords said. “Homeowners can create their own solar energy and choose whether they want to be connected to the grid.”

Jeffords said helping people save energy and go solar feels critical. “Solar helps people make a difference and reduce their impact on the environment while saving money on their utility bills,” he said. “It’s much more affordable than some might think.”

While you will never find Jeffords knocking on your door with a high-pressure presentation to sell you solar, he will meet in a no-cost consultation and explain the options for reducing energy and going solar. He can also discuss available incentives and financial support.  

Jeffords graduated from the carpentry program at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in 1994, and established Beyond Green Construction with his brothers Andy and Jamey in 1998.

This summer, Beyond Green Construction had a booth at many community events, at which staff volunteers handed out free drinks and snacks to event-goers. More substantially, the company also has stewardship programs, through which it donates services to mission-driven organizations with specific projects on their wish lists.

Jeffords said this year, Beyond Green Construction participated in a schoolhouse renovation at Mass Audubon’s Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and is also donating the insulation for a museum renovation at Historic Northampton. “We recognize the importance of giving back to our community. We want to foster the ability that nonprofits have to get good work done,” he said.  

Contact Beyond Green Construction at 413-529-0544 to talk about a renovation to your home, business, or mission-driven organization or visit www.BeyondGreen.biz.

Contact me if you need help writing an article for a business or trade publication.

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LACONIA—Janice Beetle, a longtime writer and editor from Western Massachusetts, has expanded her services into the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Beetle, who lives both in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and Laconia, runs two businesses, Beetle Press and Janice Beetle Books LLC. She is offering her services through both organizations in this region.

Through Beetle Press, Beetle offers a range of writing, editing, and digital marketing services.

A former journalist, she writes and distributes press releases to local media and also does media consulting. 

The scope of the other services she offers is broad; she writes and edits articles for publications that include newspapers, alumni magazines, campaign reports, and annual reports. She also partners with marketing directors and organization leaders, serving as an extension of their marketing teams. 

Beetle helps her clients identify and develop the stories that help them raise awareness and develop volunteer bases and fundraising efforts. She tells client stories across multiple channels, which include PR, blogs, and messaging on social media.

Beetle’s clients in this region include the Laconia Daily Sun, Plymouth State University, and Patrick’s Pub & Eatery, owned by her brothers Jeffrey and Allan Beetle.

Beetle Press was founded in 1998. In Western Mass, Beetle’s clients include Smith College School of Social Work, Westfield State University, United Way of Hampshire County, Florence Bank, Thornes Marketplace, and Glenmeadow, a retirement community.

Janice Beetle Books is a newer business, founded this spring, and it focuses on book development. “People come to me with an idea for a book that they are passionate about,” Beetle said. “They need help with some part of the work—whether it’s developing the idea, writing or editing the manuscript, or navigating the publishing process.”

“It’s very exciting to help people bring a long-held desire from book idea to bookshelf,” she added.

Beetle also offers writing coaching services for creative writers.

The following are recent clients and their book titles: Jim Ricci, author of Hand, Horse and Motor: The Development of the Lawn Mower Industry in the United States; Tom Zink, author of Seasoned: A Memoir of Grief and Grace; and Peter Cichon, who co-wrote Flight of Integrity with Beetle. All titles are available on JaniceBeetleBooks.com.

Flight of Integrity is a novel that fictionalizes a turn for the worst in Cichon’s career. It will be published by Off the Common Books in Amherst, Massachusetts, in September. Beetle will read from the book in the fall at venues in the region.

She would be pleased to be invited to read and discuss the book development process by community groups, book groups, or women’s groups. Contact Beetle at Janice@BeetlePress.com.

Learn more about Beetle Press at BeetlePress.com.

Learn more about Janice Beetle Books at JaniceBeetleBooks.com.

Beetle holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Westfield State College. 

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A year ago, while still planning out my career, I was an intern with Beetle Press. Now, as a digital content strategist, I am responsible for creating, curating and developing strategies for written and multimedia content, such as press releases, articles, blog posts, infographics and videos. I also manage the social media platforms and propose new platforms for organizations and magazines to use to extend their reach.

I know that social media is key to content strategy for several reasons. It’s essentially free advertising, with the exception of paid “boosted” social media posts, and that makes it easier to come across new organic viewers, readers and users.

Digital is the way that marketing is headed, and it’s crucial to get familiar and get involved. Potential clients are already using social media platforms, and it’s a great way to reach them, better nowadays, when people are watching commercial television less and less.

Here are three key tips for social media success:

Know your current audience and your target audience(s). If you already have an established website, product, publication or blog, you already have an established audience; they are the people who are currently engaged with whatever your business or organization is offering up online and electronically. It’s important to research and understand the demographics of your existing audiences on Facebook, Instagram, your blog and website, to name a few, and determine new audiences you want to target. Then create content for both.

Separate your content in a way that makes sense. Organizing your content is extremely important, especially because, as noted earlier, you probably have more than one target audience. If you run a website that has content about technology, fashion and politics, it’s necessary to separate those content hubs. Some of your audience base wants to read all three sections, but others most likely only want one fact, or perhaps, two. Make it easy for different target demographics to find what they’re seeking. On social media, you can use different lists and sections, depending on the platform that you’re using. For example, Twitter offers a feature known as “lists” through which you can separate people you follow by categories that you choose, which makes it easier to sort through posts. If you have a large enough readership, you can even separate your social media accounts—The New York Times has separate Twitter and Facebook pages for its weekly Modern Love column, for example.

Know when, what and where to post. There is an abundance of research on the Internet about the best times of day to post on social media, the most effective SEO (search-engine optimization) keywords, and the typical formats of most viral content. Use all of that research to your advantage, and then keep your audience and intended audiences in mind. Is there a difference, according to research or personal experience, in when 20-year-olds are most likely to share a post versus when 40-year-olds are most likely? Do college students share how-to articles more often than middle-aged parents? Map out your current audiences and what types of content they share, when they share that content, and which social media platforms they’re using. In general, younger users are the most likely to be on brand-new platforms first, while it takes older users longer to learn and become involved on a social platform. If you’re concerned that a user may not know how to navigate your social media, make it easier for them by including an explanation of how to share your content.

Take advantage of the very cost-effective social media available to you, and experiment a little with how you use it to market your content and reach your viewers. Test by creating fun surveys, or offering contests with prizes involved, or asking for reader-submitted photographs. You may just find that there’s an unexpected way to reach your viewership that you hadn’t thought of before.

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