It’s one thing for us to tout the benefits of our Community Marketing Program to businesses, cities and DDAs. It’s quite another thing for the business section of a daily newspaper to take notice.

Sure, we’re doing the happy dance about the ink we got in The Oakland Press in the story, Berkleylive, online magazine launched, but more importantly, this story gives an objective view of what the Community Marketing Program and BerkleyLive are all about and how they work.

Although the full Community Marketing Program has yet to be fully implemented in Berkley, we’re thrilled with the attention and readership BerkleyLive has gotten so far, not to mention the effect it’s had on the city’s business district so far.

Another bonus of BerkleyLive is that it has given us material to provide for other media sources (including our media partner, The Oakland Press), as well. Just in the first month, the Community Marketing Associates and BerkleyLive staff have been instrumental in getting these stories out in other news outlets in the month of September alone:

Berkleylive, Berkley’s online lifestyle magazine is here, The Oakland Press, Sept. 6, 2011

Macedonian couple bring ethnic food to Berkley, The Oakland Press, Sept. 11, 2011

Family-owned craft store in Berkley offers DIY merchandise, The Oakland Press, Sept. 13, 2011

Berkley: Aaron Vaughn Band wraps up Robina Rhapsody series, The Oakland Press, Sept. 15, 2011

Munro Crafts of Berkley still going strong, The Oakland Press, Sept. 19, 2011

Somerset gets a sweet taste of Berkley, The Oakland Press, Sept. 21, 2011

Munro Crafts Specializes in Basketball Wives Earrings, Fox 2 News, Sept. 28, 2011

DC Comics renumbering hits the reset button, The Oakland Press, Sept. 29, 2011

We already have other stories that we have lined up with The Oakland Press and other media outlets through the months of October and November, and we’ve been pleased with the following BerkleyLive has been gaining on its own. We’re excited about the benefit this has created not only for the businesses we’ve profiled and have gotten earned media for so far, but to the Berkley business community in general. By bringing this kind of attention for people to visit one business can’t help but to have a spillover effect to other businesses in the area.

Bonnie Caprara is the social media and media relations director of Community Marketing Associates and editor of BerkleyLive. She can be reached at bcaprara@commmktgassoc.com and at CommMktgAssoc on Twitter. Updates on BerkleyLive can be found on Facebook and Twitter.