Learn Social Media Marketing for Your Small Biz or Organization!

So you know you need to be doing more to market your business on social media, but you really don't know where to start? No problem. I've got a class for ya!!!

I will be teaching my "Social Media Marketing for Small Business" at the Learning Council again this Fall. It's one evening (6:30 to 8:30 pm) over four weeks. There will be one session in October and another in November.

What's covered?

Each week we will cover a different section: Marketing Basics, Content Creation, Facebook & Twitter, and other Social Media apps that apply to the business mix in the class.

Week one is a review of marketing basics, such as your brand, marketing mediums, why it's still important to have a website, social media vs. traditional media, which social channels work best for your business, basic analytics and more.

Week two we'll cover content creation and why it is important to being successful on social media. Photography tips, videos and editing, blogging, content curation and free content. I'll introduce you to different apps to create your content with.

Week three will be for the big 2: Facebook & Twitter. I'll show you how to set up your profiles, post effectively, engage with users and set up paid ads. We'll dive into the different types of Facebook ads and how to use Facebook and Twitter analytics to gauge effectiveness.

The last week we will look at the apps that would best serve the mix of businesses in the room. So if you're a B2B business we can look at LinkedIn. If you're a retailer we'll check out Instagram. If you're a freelancer or crafter we can look at Pinterest. And unless there are objections, all businesses should have a handle on YouTube, so we can go through that too. We'll also look at Hootsuite and tie it all together.

Who Should Take this Course?

Anyone who owns a business today should have a social media presence. Who manages your social media depends on your company size and structure. If you are a sole proprietor or artist, then, unfortunately, you need to take the course. Don't worry, I promise it will be fun! If you have a bigger organization and have an admin person, then they might be the best fit.

Another person who might want to take this course is someone who is in the job market. Being able to add "social media for business" skills to your résumé is just adding value, even if you are in sales! IMO, if you are an admin professional you need to be able to manage a companies' social media AND website (maybe Wordpress should be the next course I teach... hmmmm). It's just as important, if not more as typing skills and phone manners.

The one caveat or warning I have is this course assumes you have decent computer skills and use at least one type of personal social media on a semi-regular basis. If you are completely new to social media, it might be a great idea to take the Navigating Social Media courses offered through the Learning Council before you take this one.

I'm Ready! Sign Me Up!

Sounds good! Each class has a maximum of six people, so sign up early to get your spot. Call the Learning Council at 780-875-5763 or drop by the Community Services Building at 4419 52 Ave, Lloydminster, AB (just to the west of the RCMP station) to register.

If you have any questions about the course, please contact me and I'll get the answers for you! Hope to see you there!