March 5, 2025 • 12 mins
A discussion on community connections and local business outreach. Karen Wood shares her journey from real estate to becoming a publisher, emphasizing the importance of targeted local engagement.
• Karen reflects on her background and the transition from real estate to publishing
• Discussion on the unique approach of Advance Neighbors and direct mailing
• Importance of combining print with digital strategies for local businesses
Reach out to learn more about how to connect with your community through local media!
Advance Neighbors
Karen Wood
Davie County
Kwood@bestversionmedia.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Karen Wood.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome good neighbors to the first episode
of GNP Good Neighbor Podcast.
Our host of the future, KarenWood, welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hi, welcome, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah, excited to get you going and getting your
podcast going and having someneighbors on the podcast, it's
going to be fun.
So first let's learn a littlebit about Karen and what she
does.
So why don't you explain aboutwhat you do?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Well, karen Wood, I live here in Advance Bermuda Run
area and I am the publisher forAdvance Neighbors.
So it's been out in thecommunity now just under a year
not quite a year yet and wereach around 3000 homes here in
the Advance area.
And so, yeah, I mean that'swhere I'm at with the Advent's
(01:05):
Neighbors.
My background is in marketing.
I was in real estate beforethat.
I do have a 13-year-old whoattends school here in Davie
County.
We do have older kids who aregrown and gone, so we have some
grandkids as well, so it'salways busy here.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Right, a full family, that's nice, I love that.
So how did you get involved inall of this?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
So I, like I said, was practicing real estate and
towards the last two years ofbeing in real estate I moved
over to the title side and I wasthere for the last two years
and just the market changes,they combined my area with
another area so kind of gotpushed out, if you will, and was
(01:49):
kind of going, well, what do Ido now?
I didn't really want to go backand do transactional part of
real estate.
So I discovered Best VersionMedia, which is our parent
company who powers ourpublications, and thought it was
a good fit because of mymarketing background from 13
(02:11):
years in radio broadcast sales.
So there was a good littleopening, a niche here in our
area and I thought it would makesense.
At the time I was alreadyinvolved with our school doing a
lot of things in the community,so I felt like this was just
another extension to that andanother layer, and so everything
is just kind of tied togethernicely.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I love it, I love it, and now you have your very own
podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I know just another layer and this is exciting.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So you touched on it a bit about, you know,
transitioning through yourcareer.
We've all had challenges,whether personally or
professionally.
Other than that, is theresomething that happened along
your journey that you can lookback at now and say you know
what I went through it, but youknow what I made it through and
I'm in a better place now.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I would definitely say, being laid off.
I think that was the first timethat had ever happened to me in
my 35 plus years of working.
So it was a little bit of ashock, a little bit of, I guess,
an ego deflator, if you willbut I don't think I have a big
ego, but you know.
(03:17):
But yeah, I was kind of takenback and had to take a little
time to process that and thenjust really go okay, what is it
that I want to do?
And fortunately, like I hadsaid, I was already doing a lot
of things in the community andthat was really gratifying to me
and I saw this as anopportunity to kind of take
things to the next level.
(03:38):
But I did have to kind of stepback for a little bit, take a
deep breath and evaluate thingsbefore I move forward.
So I think it was just takingthe time and giving myself time
to do that and I didn't givemyself too much time.
I think I took maybe 30 daysthere you go.
You know, yeah, that that onedefinitely was a hard thing, but
(04:02):
I would say it was the bestthing.
You know how things, how theold saying, you know, sometimes
you don't really know what youneed until it happens, and that
was one of those incidents thatit really was the best thing for
me and it forced me to get outand get back out there and do
something on my own for myselfagain, instead of being
(04:23):
dependent on someone else.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So there you go and now you're in a better place,
absolutely.
So let's talk a little bitabout you know the magazine and
what you do with that side ofthings.
Are there any maybe myths ormisconceptions surrounding what
you do with that and what youoffer that we can maybe kind of
clear up for our listeners today.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Well, when they first see it you know most people
when they, when it first cameout, they they really grabbed a
hold of it because it we did areally good job of trying to
fill niches here in thecommunity that we felt like
might be overlooked from othertype publications that are maybe
more of your pickup,publications that you can just
find in like your grocery storeor high traffic areas.
(05:08):
And you know, the misconceptionthat people forget or don't
realize is our publication ismailed into homes every single
month.
It's those high value homes andthose same eyeballs every
single month it's mailed into.
So we kind of put sponsors,they get invited in people's
homes every single month.
And so sometimes people forgetthat or they're like, oh, I
(05:33):
didn't realize that, becausethey may see it out in a public
place where someone may haveleft it, or I might have left a
copy or two, you know.
But that's a big thing, I think, is they forget or don't
realize that it's mailed everysingle month.
Obviously the people who get itknow it, but businesses and so
forth don't, and they reallylike that that.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
You know we're inviting their business into
people's homes every month, sothat's a big one absolutely, and
so you, you've also um, youtouched on a little bit too, but
you, you have other offeringsto help connect the community
and the businesses locally, um,you know, through some digital
and online presence and thingslike that.
(06:13):
So I was going to ask abouttrending things or things
changing in the industry.
That's a big one.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
That's a really big one.
And digital is definitelyanother layer that we add on.
You know we start with yourprint because most people, most
businesses and the readers andpeople, they trust print when
they see you in print and thereaders and people they trust
print when they see you in print, there's a higher trust factor.
And then when you layer ontothat digital, we take those
(06:39):
sponsors ads and turn them intodigital ads and basically put
them into the same area thattheir print falls.
So we geofence that and thenthe person can see the ad on
their coffee table.
They'll see it on their phone,on their laptops and multiple
(07:00):
places that we can put them.
And then our total onlinepresence is not just about those
ads.
It's about being found, beingfound easily and then being
credible.
When you are found, you know sothrough our online presence and
our review programs and ourtotal digital packages.
So our advertisers and sponsorsare seeing great results from
(07:22):
having all of those multiplelayers to reinforce their
branding.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, and you're hitting.
You're hitting these peoplefrom multiple angles.
Not everybody reads a magazine,not everybody's on their phone
or on digital, but you'recovering the basis Exactly.
I love that.
I love that.
So are you from this areaoriginally?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I am originally from the area.
I was born and raised inKernersville, which, from where
I live, is, you know, 20 mileson the in Forsyth County, which
is just across the bridge forfolks who know here in Davie
County and Bermuda Run, it'sright across the Yadkin.
So yeah, I am born and raisedhere and have worked in the
(08:01):
triad my entire career, otherthan a short stint when we lived
in Hilton Head for about threeyears.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Wow, wow, so a native , so native, that's right.
So I know your job can be verydemanding.
You probably don't have a lotof free time, especially with a
13-year-old as well.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
But when you get a moment of free time, what do you
enjoy doing outside of work?
You know entertaining, hangingout with friends.
I really enjoy having folksover And're a big music fan or
lovers in this house, so we havea pretty extensive music
collection as well as theelectronics to support that in
(08:46):
the stereo speakers and all thatkind of stuff.
My husband is a person from thesixties and seventies so he's
got the classic rock.
We enjoy that a lot.
Of course, I have dogs, so Ilove doing things with the dogs
and being outdoors.
I definitely like to beoutdoors and I love to travel to
when we can.
(09:06):
Now that my son is playing moretravel type sports, we're
taking full advantage of thatand try to turn things into
little vague mini vacations whenhe goes and travels different
places.
So that's been.
That's been fun.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
That's a great idea.
So is there one thing you wishour listeners knew about what
Karen Wood does and connectingthe community and businesses and
its residents that maybe theywouldn't be aware of?
Speaker 3 (09:34):
You know we work really hard to put businesses in
front of consumers who can useand afford their services for
sure.
And then I also work hard forthose businesses to do other
things over and beyond just whatthey see in the magazine.
You know I'm a naturalconnector and networker, so I
(09:56):
love to connect my clients andbusinesses to other people who
can use their services just ingeneral and even just residents.
You know I'm always happy tohelp connect them with something
that they need.
So I'm a natural connector andI really just enjoy that aspect
and it comes pretty natural tome.
So you know I would like peoplejust to kind of think of me as,
(10:19):
like Karen Connects, I'm yourcommunity connector.
When you need something, thinkwe need to call Karen or look in
the magazine or go to Karen'swhat you know her website, her
Facebook, karen, or look in themagazine or go to Karen's what
you know her website, herFacebook page or whatever,
because I really strive to dothat.
Whether it's through a businessneed, a personal need or
something through the school,you know, just basically
(10:40):
anything inside the community Istrive and work really hard to
do that.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
There we go.
Every community needs a Karenright, a good Karen right, a
good Karen, a connecting Karen.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
That's right, and I was the original Karen before
the Karen got hijacked, right.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Can't say, jim, that doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
That's a Karen right.
That doesn't work, Right?
So how?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
do listeners go about contacting you if they wanted
to learn more?
Speaker 3 (11:07):
So they can reach out to me at Kw ood@
bestversionmedia.
com they can.
We have a Facebook page so theycan go to Best Version Media
Advanced Neighbors and we canalso be found on
advancedneighbors.
com.
It'll take you straight to alanding page with contact
(11:29):
information and those are thebest ways to get a hold of me
and message me, facebook me andwe can start the conversation
from there.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Very good, any last words for our listeners?
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Just that.
I'm excited to meet and connectyou, whether you're a neighbor,
a resident or a business.
That's what I'm here for is toconnect everyone into the
community.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Absolutely, and if they want to be on the podcast,
feel free to reach out to me.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
This is the next thing that I'm super, super
excited about, which is gettingfolks on here in this podcast so
that the listeners and thecommunity can learn more about
that person on a different level.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Perfect, perfect.
Karen, it's been a pleasuregetting to know you.
Thank you for being such a goodneighbor.
I'm excited that this podcasthas taken off and you're going
to be a great benefit to thecommunity Well, a bigger benefit
to the community.
So thank you for your timetoday.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Thank you.
I appreciate it and, with that,have a great day, jim.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
And now that, thank you for listening to the Good
Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpdaviecom.
That's gnpdaviecom.
That's GNPDavie.
com, or call 336-403-3675.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Karen Wood.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome good neighbors to the first episode
of GNP Good Neighbor Podcast.
Our host of the future, KarenWood, welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hi, welcome, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah, excited to get you going and getting your
podcast going and having someneighbors on the podcast, it's
going to be fun.
So first let's learn a littlebit about Karen and what she
does.
So why don't you explain aboutwhat you do?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Well, karen Wood, I live here in Advance Bermuda Run
area and I am the publisher forAdvance Neighbors.
So it's been out in thecommunity now just under a year
not quite a year yet and wereach around 3000 homes here in
the Advance area.
And so, yeah, I mean that'swhere I'm at with the Advent's
(01:05):
Neighbors.
My background is in marketing.
I was in real estate beforethat.
I do have a 13-year-old whoattends school here in Davie
County.
We do have older kids who aregrown and gone, so we have some
grandkids as well, so it'salways busy here.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Right, a full family, that's nice, I love that.
So how did you get involved inall of this?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
So I, like I said, was practicing real estate and
towards the last two years ofbeing in real estate I moved
over to the title side and I wasthere for the last two years
and just the market changes,they combined my area with
another area so kind of gotpushed out, if you will, and was
(01:49):
kind of going, well, what do Ido now?
I didn't really want to go backand do transactional part of
real estate.
So I discovered Best VersionMedia, which is our parent
company who powers ourpublications, and thought it was
a good fit because of mymarketing background from 13
(02:11):
years in radio broadcast sales.
So there was a good littleopening, a niche here in our
area and I thought it would makesense.
At the time I was alreadyinvolved with our school doing a
lot of things in the community,so I felt like this was just
another extension to that andanother layer, and so everything
is just kind of tied togethernicely.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I love it, I love it, and now you have your very own
podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I know just another layer and this is exciting.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So you touched on it a bit about, you know,
transitioning through yourcareer.
We've all had challenges,whether personally or
professionally.
Other than that, is theresomething that happened along
your journey that you can lookback at now and say you know
what I went through it, but youknow what I made it through and
I'm in a better place now.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I would definitely say, being laid off.
I think that was the first timethat had ever happened to me in
my 35 plus years of working.
So it was a little bit of ashock, a little bit of, I guess,
an ego deflator, if you willbut I don't think I have a big
ego, but you know.
(03:17):
But yeah, I was kind of takenback and had to take a little
time to process that and thenjust really go okay, what is it
that I want to do?
And fortunately, like I hadsaid, I was already doing a lot
of things in the community andthat was really gratifying to me
and I saw this as anopportunity to kind of take
things to the next level.
(03:38):
But I did have to kind of stepback for a little bit, take a
deep breath and evaluate thingsbefore I move forward.
So I think it was just takingthe time and giving myself time
to do that and I didn't givemyself too much time.
I think I took maybe 30 daysthere you go.
You know, yeah, that that onedefinitely was a hard thing, but
(04:02):
I would say it was the bestthing.
You know how things, how theold saying, you know, sometimes
you don't really know what youneed until it happens, and that
was one of those incidents thatit really was the best thing for
me and it forced me to get outand get back out there and do
something on my own for myselfagain, instead of being
(04:23):
dependent on someone else.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So there you go and now you're in a better place,
absolutely.
So let's talk a little bitabout you know the magazine and
what you do with that side ofthings.
Are there any maybe myths ormisconceptions surrounding what
you do with that and what youoffer that we can maybe kind of
clear up for our listeners today.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Well, when they first see it you know most people
when they, when it first cameout, they they really grabbed a
hold of it because it we did areally good job of trying to
fill niches here in thecommunity that we felt like
might be overlooked from othertype publications that are maybe
more of your pickup,publications that you can just
find in like your grocery storeor high traffic areas.
(05:08):
And you know, the misconceptionthat people forget or don't
realize is our publication ismailed into homes every single
month.
It's those high value homes andthose same eyeballs every
single month it's mailed into.
So we kind of put sponsors,they get invited in people's
homes every single month.
And so sometimes people forgetthat or they're like, oh, I
(05:33):
didn't realize that, becausethey may see it out in a public
place where someone may haveleft it, or I might have left a
copy or two, you know.
But that's a big thing, I think, is they forget or don't
realize that it's mailed everysingle month.
Obviously the people who get itknow it, but businesses and so
forth don't, and they reallylike that that.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
You know we're inviting their business into
people's homes every month, sothat's a big one absolutely, and
so you, you've also um, youtouched on a little bit too, but
you, you have other offeringsto help connect the community
and the businesses locally, um,you know, through some digital
and online presence and thingslike that.
(06:13):
So I was going to ask abouttrending things or things
changing in the industry.
That's a big one.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
That's a really big one.
And digital is definitelyanother layer that we add on.
You know we start with yourprint because most people, most
businesses and the readers andpeople, they trust print when
they see you in print and thereaders and people they trust
print when they see you in print, there's a higher trust factor.
And then when you layer ontothat digital, we take those
(06:39):
sponsors ads and turn them intodigital ads and basically put
them into the same area thattheir print falls.
So we geofence that and thenthe person can see the ad on
their coffee table.
They'll see it on their phone,on their laptops and multiple
(07:00):
places that we can put them.
And then our total onlinepresence is not just about those
ads.
It's about being found, beingfound easily and then being
credible.
When you are found, you know sothrough our online presence and
our review programs and ourtotal digital packages.
So our advertisers and sponsorsare seeing great results from
(07:22):
having all of those multiplelayers to reinforce their
branding.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, and you're hitting.
You're hitting these peoplefrom multiple angles.
Not everybody reads a magazine,not everybody's on their phone
or on digital, but you'recovering the basis Exactly.
I love that.
I love that.
So are you from this areaoriginally?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I am originally from the area.
I was born and raised inKernersville, which, from where
I live, is, you know, 20 mileson the in Forsyth County, which
is just across the bridge forfolks who know here in Davie
County and Bermuda Run, it'sright across the Yadkin.
So yeah, I am born and raisedhere and have worked in the
(08:01):
triad my entire career, otherthan a short stint when we lived
in Hilton Head for about threeyears.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Wow, wow, so a native , so native, that's right.
So I know your job can be verydemanding.
You probably don't have a lotof free time, especially with a
13-year-old as well.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
But when you get a moment of free time, what do you
enjoy doing outside of work?
You know entertaining, hangingout with friends.
I really enjoy having folksover And're a big music fan or
lovers in this house, so we havea pretty extensive music
collection as well as theelectronics to support that in
(08:46):
the stereo speakers and all thatkind of stuff.
My husband is a person from thesixties and seventies so he's
got the classic rock.
We enjoy that a lot.
Of course, I have dogs, so Ilove doing things with the dogs
and being outdoors.
I definitely like to beoutdoors and I love to travel to
when we can.
(09:06):
Now that my son is playing moretravel type sports, we're
taking full advantage of thatand try to turn things into
little vague mini vacations whenhe goes and travels different
places.
So that's been.
That's been fun.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
That's a great idea.
So is there one thing you wishour listeners knew about what
Karen Wood does and connectingthe community and businesses and
its residents that maybe theywouldn't be aware of?
Speaker 3 (09:34):
You know we work really hard to put businesses in
front of consumers who can useand afford their services for
sure.
And then I also work hard forthose businesses to do other
things over and beyond just whatthey see in the magazine.
You know I'm a naturalconnector and networker, so I
(09:56):
love to connect my clients andbusinesses to other people who
can use their services just ingeneral and even just residents.
You know I'm always happy tohelp connect them with something
that they need.
So I'm a natural connector andI really just enjoy that aspect
and it comes pretty natural tome.
So you know I would like peoplejust to kind of think of me as,
(10:19):
like Karen Connects, I'm yourcommunity connector.
When you need something, thinkwe need to call Karen or look in
the magazine or go to Karen'swhat you know her website, her
Facebook, karen, or look in themagazine or go to Karen's what
you know her website, herFacebook page or whatever,
because I really strive to dothat.
Whether it's through a businessneed, a personal need or
something through the school,you know, just basically
(10:40):
anything inside the community Istrive and work really hard to
do that.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
There we go.
Every community needs a Karenright, a good Karen right, a
good Karen, a connecting Karen.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
That's right, and I was the original Karen before
the Karen got hijacked, right.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Can't say, jim, that doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
That's a Karen right.
That doesn't work, Right?
So how?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
do listeners go about contacting you if they wanted
to learn more?
Speaker 3 (11:07):
So they can reach out to me at Kw ood@
bestversionmedia.
com they can.
We have a Facebook page so theycan go to Best Version Media
Advanced Neighbors and we canalso be found on
advancedneighbors.
com.
It'll take you straight to alanding page with contact
(11:29):
information and those are thebest ways to get a hold of me
and message me, facebook me andwe can start the conversation
from there.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Very good, any last words for our listeners?
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Just that.
I'm excited to meet and connectyou, whether you're a neighbor,
a resident or a business.
That's what I'm here for is toconnect everyone into the
community.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Absolutely, and if they want to be on the podcast,
feel free to reach out to me.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
This is the next thing that I'm super, super
excited about, which is gettingfolks on here in this podcast so
that the listeners and thecommunity can learn more about
that person on a different level.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Perfect, perfect.
Karen, it's been a pleasuregetting to know you.
Thank you for being such a goodneighbor.
I'm excited that this podcasthas taken off and you're going
to be a great benefit to thecommunity Well, a bigger benefit
to the community.
So thank you for your timetoday.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Thank you.
I appreciate it and, with that,have a great day, jim.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
And now that, thank you for listening to the Good
Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpdaviecom.
That's gnpdaviecom.
That's GNPDavie.
com, or call 336-403-3675.
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