Anybody who is currently in business or has ever launched a new business learns pretty fast that there is not a whole lot of truth to the theory of "if you build it, they will come." True enough, some folks are fortunate to get a rapid-fire burst of energy from people eager to sample the new kids on the block, but simply opening your doors and waiting for the surge is hardly a marketing strategy.
For those who would like to learn what it does take to craft a marketing strategy, there's help. On Saturday, February 11, 2017, the Women's Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance will hold the first of four workshops in its Blueprint for Success: The Fundamentals of Marketing series. Led by experienced professionals from local marketing agencies, the course is designed to help area small business owners craft a winning strategy to stand out in today's competitive marketplace.
Margaret Adams, Manager of the Women's Business Center says, "The primary goal of the Women's Business Center is to support local small businesses and their contributions to economic growth in our area through a number of educational resources." She adds, "We developed this four-part course after identifying a need for improved marketing support for small businesses, especially those that have recently opened their doors."
Combining the knowledge of marketing fundamentals with hands-on workshops to develop marketing collateral including a logo, website and promotional pieces, the Blueprint For Success workshop series will provide participants with tangible deliverables they can utilize right away to better leverage their businesses' competitive advantages.
Preregistration is required for this workshop; and you can click the link below to register.The deadline for registration is Friday, February 3, 2017.
All classes will be held at Lake Michigan College, 2755 E. Napier Avenue in Benton Harbor, Room B-307 from 9:00am to 11:00am.
Blueprint for Success: The Fundamentals of Marketing runs $200 for the entire series of four courses or can be purchased in segments at $55 per class, however, to gain the most benefit from this workshop, participants are encouraged to sign up for the entire series.
Here's what you will find in the series:
Saturday, February 11: The Fundamentals of Marketing
This course kicks off the Blueprint for Success series. Participants will create their working marketing plan and a creative brief to use when developing marketing assets for their businesses. This class is a prerequisite for the subsequent workshops. There are 33 available seats for this course.
February 25: Logo Design Workshop
With the guidance and assistance of professional graphic designers, participants will create a company logo for use on their website, social media, signage, communications and other marketing collateral. There are ten available seats for this course.
Saturday, March 4: Website Design Workshop
Participants in this workshop will use a content management web platform of their choice and will begin to create their own homepage and landing page with assistance from web designers. During this workshop they will gain the skills needed to finish their site independently. There are ten available seats for this course.
Saturday, March 11: Promotional Marketing Workshop
Participants will discover techniques to drive new and repeat business. With support from graphic designers, they will also create branded marketing assets for use in raising awareness of their products and growing their businesses. There are ten available seats for this course.
Blueprint for Success is an opportunity for small business owners to have access to local marketing experts who can help build their brand through logo creation and extend their marketing reach through website development. The resources and information in this workshop series will help local small businesses to increase their marketing presence.
For more information on this workshop series, you can contact Margaret Adams at 269-925-6100 or email her at madams@cstonealliance.org. Registration for this course is required no later than Friday, February 3, 2017. Click below to register:
