Marketing for Digital Artists Slated for March 2012
January 11, 2012 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
UNM Continuing Education offers the practical “Marketing and Self Promotion for Digital Artists,” course #55622, in March 2012.
The class is focused on marketing and publicity tactics necessary for artists, designers and other professionals. Participants explore benefits of media kits, promotional calendars, email signatures, and web-ready bios.
Real-world examples help students understand how to apply the information. Interactivity is encouraged during each of the three two-hour sessions. Exercises center around steps to move each business forward.
Elements included in the series:
- A basic overview of publicity/visibility options and why they’re critical to success
- General press releases and other information to publicize your work
- Social media, the new PR effort, and how it impacts you
- Prioritizing action items to get the word out
- Getting started with a plan
Previous participants say:
Mary Ellen’s program brings out the excitement in marketing and promotion (and I never knew there was any)! I learned to describe myself, not just present facts. – Chandra Bales
This course helps you focus on your strengths and how to market yourself. It helps you work through the challenges most of us put off, but are highly important in marketing yourself. – Veronica Bafo
Take charge of your marketing efforts. During this six-hour class you’ll build and present a mini-marketing plan, one you’ll be able to put to use immediately.
- UNM CE #55622, Marketing & Self-Promotion for Digital Artists
- 6pm – 8pm, Tuesdays, March 13, 20 and 27
- $179.00 fee
- Discounts may apply
Will you leave your marketing to chance or sign up for this course?
NOTE: If you’re still unsure, join UNMCEDigitalArts on Facebook for updates and discussion about Digital Arts at UNM Continuing Education, including this class.
Promote Your Brand with Social Media
October 22, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
The growing impact of social media forces small business owners to take it seriously.
A recent study suggests that companies of all sizes are re-evaluating their social marketing strategies.
More than 80% of those polled said their companies were failing to implement world-class social media strategies, although the majority acknowledged the rewards of social media programs outweighed the potential risks.
From a practical standpoint, mastering the learning curve of social networks is critical.
A course offering from UNMCE (University of New Mexico Continuing Education), “Marketing with Social Media,” addresses the problem, helping participants jump start their process.
About the course
The nine-hour series offers a strategic approach to social media. An assessment helps participants understand the gap between where they are and where they want to be, goals are established and tactical steps outlined.
Throughout the series, customized solutions are discussed. Expert case studies offer examples of successes and failures in the social world.
As students dialogue their own options, practical answers begin to form. Systems and processes are discussed.
Homework specific to business marketing furthers understanding. Finally, a short term and long term strategy helps each learner understand how best to use social media.
Additional topics covered include:
- Social media for brand promotion
- Integrating the website with social media
- The growing importance of location-based services
- Advantages of selecting one social platform as a company hub
- The difference between broadcasting messages and conversing with customers
- Creative marketing strategies for small business survival
- Realistic schedules for social marketing
A recent UNMCE Infobyte previewed this class.
My talk was filmed and you can see it here.
“Marketing with Social Media” details:
Class # 556236pm – 9pm, Monday and Wednesday evenings, November 7, 9 and 14
$229
Register online
Will you be part of the classroom?
Five Social Media Truths You Need to Know for 2012
August 25, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
“Business more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future.”
- Henry Luce
If you’re considering how social media will impact your business in 2012 attend a free infoByte session “Current Trends with Inbound Marketing and Social Media,”sponsored by UNMCE, University of New Mexico Continuing Education 5:15pm – 6:30pm Tuesday, September 27, 2011.
Presenter Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses the real problems encountered when solopreneurs and micro business owners plunge into business on the web and offers suggested solutions.
With more than 52% of companies world-wide now using social media, there’s no question of its viability. Business owners must increase social media effectiveness.
If you’ve held back because you don’t yet have a perfect strategy, or, if you’ve procrastinated about pursuing social media, this presentation is for you. Understanding these simple truths prepares you for the coming year.
Local examples and case studies offer practical solutions anyone can implement. Mary Ellen provides a simple and clear “how-to.” She presents the importance of action.
The “Five Social Media Truths You Need to Know for 2012” include:
- Explosive growth leads to channel fatigue
- Content continues to gain importance
- Tools to manage social media proliferate
- Boost website traffic through interactivity
- Plan tactics to increase success
Each truth contains a “silver lining,” identified as a specific action or series of action steps to combat the problems the truth represents. Examples from a variety of industries show the value of knowledge and planning.
All attendees receive worksheets as well as tip sheets with additional tools and resources.
Details:
Title: Current Trends with Inbound Marketing and Social Media: Five Social Media Truths You Need to Know for 2012
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Time: 5:15-6:30pm
Place: UNM CE, South Building, 1634 University Blvd NE
Fee: No charge to attend. RSVP required
Review and Update Marketing Plan to Increase Success
July 20, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Even the best marketing plan requires review and updating.
Business climates change. The competitive landscape shifts. Communication tactics morph (Facebook, anyone?) and your business is forced to take notice.
If additional marketing focus is one of your business goals, enroll in “Four Weeks to a Master Marketing Plan,” a class series presented by the Albuquerque South Valley Small Business Development Center.
The Marketing Master Plan derives its success from facilitated sessions with small business owners. This series begins Thursday August 11, 2011 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 1309 Fourth Street SW.
Details: 1pm – 4pm, Thursdays
August 11, 2011 – September 2, 2011
Investment: $250 per attendee
Register online
Dozens of small business owners have completed this series. When asked what they liked best about the classes, previous participants said:
“Group feedback from peers who are knowledgeable and interested in class discussions”
“Directed conversation”
“The push to pinpoint your client and describe your business in seven to eight words is very helpful”
“Development of business bio”
“Goal setting”
“I enjoyed peer input as well as the introduction to many tools to assist in my marketing plan.”
“Finding out ways to multi-task”
“Feedback, helpful weblinks and utilities”
“The comfort level to ask any question”
Five reasons to consider enrolling in the Four-Week Marketing Master Plan class series:
- The structure of this program makes it easy to proceed. No more questions about where to start. Instead, you focus on your business, beginning with its goals, an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses and an overview of your best customer.
- Small groups increase your market planning effectiveness. Participants serve as sounding boards, trusted advisors and creative catalysts for brainstorming.
- With no ringing phones, you concentrate fully on your business and identifying the marketing tactics to make your product/service noticeable.
- Interactive weekly meetings hold you accountable and by the end of the four-session class series, you develop a detailed plan with time lines for each action.
- The workbook, 197-pages of worksheets, guides, resources and questions, is yours to keep.
Costs for the sessions is $250. Participation is limited to 10.
Sessions are presented by Mary Ellen Merrigan, author of “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan.”
Comments from previous 6WMMP participants include:
“I found it was easier to start thinking about a comprehensive marketing plan for my own business through our sharing and feedback sessions and reviewing other class attendees’ strategy.” – Aubrey Owens, BigByte.cc Corp
“Positive ways of learning how to manage the marketing mudslide and use it to your advantage.” Jonathan Kronz, Aveda Institute New Mexico
“I love how the material holds you accountable with lists and worksheets.” – Karyth Becenti, Mark Pardo Hair Skin Body
“Mary Ellen’s program helped me focus, answer questions, and provided direction and suppork.” – Dolores Maez, Inn at the Delta
“The people you meet in class are wonderful and the synergy of ideas are mind-expanding. So much information – you leave each session bursting with new ideas.” – Margaret Onuska
“Mary Ellen’s program was very informative with many social media ideas as well as a detailed outline on developing a marketing plan.” – Janea Davis, Advanced Transcription.
UNM CE Adds Marketing and Self-Promotion Basics Class to Summer Offerings
June 7, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Plagued by nagging marketing questions? Unsure of your next tactical move?
“Marketing and Self-Promotion for Digital Artists,” a two-session class from The University of New Mexico Continuing Education, begins July 26, 2011.
Students in this class will take charge of self-promotional campaigns, understand the marketing choices that work today, and then gain confidence as a result of their work.
The interactive class platform encourages participation. Participants organize marketing information based on practical, real-world case studies and tips as they apply to individual situations.
In addition to identifying messages, participants choose 10 marketing tactics that could best serve them or their business.
By the end of the second session, students develop a mini one-page marketing plan that sums up next future steps.
The course includes:
- A basic overview of publicity/visibility options and why they’re critical to success
- General press releases and other information to publicize your work
- Social media, the new PR effort, and how it impacts you
- Prioritizing action items to get the word out
- Getting started with a plan
Details:
Course #55622 – Marketing and Self-Promotion for Digital Artists
Session one, 6pm – 9pm Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Session two, 6pm – 9pm Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Fee: $179.00
Register online at UNM CE.
Create Your One Page Marketing Plan Now
May 11, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
“It’s expensive to advertise.”
“With so many choices, where do you put your money?”
“Everything is changing – will my business survive?”
If you recognize yourself in these statements/questions, you’re not alone. The sheer proliferation of marketing channels causes many small business owners to request help with marketing. Every day I hear from individuals who want reassurance. It’s a fact: there’s no easy solution.
Move from questions to action in a series of Marketing Master Plan classes sponsored by the South Valley SBDC. Learn from your peers, other small business owners who experience some of the same problems you face.
The Marketing Master Plan Series is back by popular demand. Each of the four-week sessions provides opportunities for hands-on work. Participants receive a copy of the updated 197-page e-book, “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan,” a $69.95 value.
Weekly agendas include:
6WMMP in 4: Week 1 Objectives (1:00pm – 4pm, Thursday May 26, 2011)
• Engage in the 6WMMP challenge
• Prepare a SWOT analysis
• Connect value and differentiation in business
• Define your target audience
• Find your audience online
• Assess your competition
• Grasp the importance of Google analytics
• Understand how this places in the plan
6WMMP in 4: Week 2 Objectives (1:00pm – 4pm, Thursday June 2, 2011)
• Assess your business and social media
• Understand the social threesome
• Solidify the social choice of a Facebook Page
• Identify differences between Profiles & Pages
• Boost knowledge of mobile and local search
• Grasp how a bio fits in and boosts visibility
• Build a measurable social media strategy
• Understand social media’s place in the plan
6WMMP in 4: Week 3 Objectives (2:00pm – 5pm, Thursday June 9, 2011)
• Develop Fact Sheet for collateral materials
• Formulate and prioritize edit list for website
• Review additional web resources
• Discover additional media to showcase
• Prepare to launch an online media room
• Understand how this places in the plan
6WMMP in 4: Week 4 Objectives (1:00pm – 4pm, Thursday June 16, 2011)
• Plan promotions for your business
• Develop and prioritize an editorial calendar
• Produce a blog calendar and categories
• Schedule your strategic publishing plan
• Build your One Page Marketing Plan
• Define next steps
• Celebrate! Completion
The South Valley SBDC first offered this program in April 2011. When asked, “What did you like best about this seminar series?” participants responded:
“feedback, helpful weblinks and utilities”
“finding out ways to multitask”
“group feedback from peers who are knowledgeable and interested in class discussions while Mary Ellen directs the conversation”
“the goal-setting, designing the path”
“flow and positivity”
I enjoyed the opportunity of peer input as well as the introduction to many tools to assist in my marketing plan”
Register through the South Valley SBDC.
“The people you meet in class are wonderful and the synergy of ideas are mind-expanding.” – Margaret Onuska
“I found it was easier to start thinking about a comprehensive marketing plan for my own business through our sharing and feedback sessions and reviewing other class attendees’ strategy.” -Aubrey Owens
“Uplifting, informative, positive ways of learning how to manage the marketing mudslide and use it to your advantage.” – Jonathan Kronz
Conclusion:
Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys said, “A coach is someone who makes you do what you don’t want to do so you can become who you want to be. Get coached on a current marketing plan with the Master Marketing Plan Series. Participants develop their plan during the month and present it at the final session.
Details:
South Valley SBDC
Thursdays, 1-4pm
May 26, 2011 through June 16, 2011
Register online or for more information call Liliana at 505-248-0132.
Advance Your Career With Social Networking
April 5, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
If you’re eyeing a promotion, an impressive title, or a bigger paycheck, social networking could be for you. Dozens of articles touting the benefits of social media make it clear this is more than a passing fad.
On the other hand, if you’ve put your profile up on a number of social networking sites and “nothing has happened,” it could be time for a reality check.
In a presentation for the Administrative Professional Conference, Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses the phenomenon of being everywhere and going nowhere.
“Marketing Yourself with Social Media” presentation takeaways include:
Five simple steps you can take immediately to unleash your persona on the world
A list of best practices for each step
Tips to define your brand across all channels
A guide to identifying your communication channels
Timing, tools and tactics to help your effort succeed
Mary Ellen works with a variety of business professionals to combine new methods of marketing with more traditional ones. She emphasizes quality over quantity and shows individuals how to stand out in a cookie-cutter world. Her presentation includes real-world case studies and ideas you can implement immediately following the presenation.
It’s not too late to take charge of your online reputation. Enroll in this seminar and discover how.
The 2011 Administrative Professional Conference features four tracks: Workplace Tools, Taking Care of Yourself, Creating a Healthy Workplace and Finding a Different Workplace. “Marketing With Social Media” is scheduled for 10:45-12noon on Tuesday April 26, 2011.
UNM Continuing Education presents the 10th Annual Administrative Professional Conference April 26-27. Access more information or register online.
Marketing Master Plan Class Begins March 31
March 8, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Simplify, structure and solidify your marketing plan. Address the tangle of today’s marketing channels in a four week series presented by Mary Ellen Merrigan.
The hands-on workshop offers business owners an opportunity to sort, prioritize and simplify marketing tactics in an interactive, small group setting.
For four weeks beginning March 31 entrepreneurs will work on their business with customized input from other participants and Merrigan. The program includes Merrigan’s 200-page e-book, The Six Week Marketing Master Plan revised and updated in early March 2011.
The series is hosted by the South Valley Small Business Development Center. Call 505-248-0132 to register.
Details:
1pm – 4pm, four consecutive Thursdays,
March 31, April 7, April 14 and April 21
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber, 1309 Fourth Street SW, AlbuquerquePre-registration required. $250.00 per participant
Past participants of the Six Week Marketing Master Plan give the program high marks. See comments below:
“I feel I have gone down the rabbit hole and lord it is ALOT of info!”
Phoenix Forrester, Phoenix Forrester Fine Art“You may feel like you are herding cats when you add constantly changing social media to your marketing responsibilities. Mary Ellen’s book, Six-Week Marketing Master Plan, adds the right catnip to your marketing tool bag.”
Jane F. Lee, Ed.D., Vice President, TeachTown“The training that Mary Ellen offered enabled me to develop a strategic plan for the development of a new external website which has garnered support and funding from the top executive management of my organization. Thanks to Mary’s training, I was able to develop a plan which has encompassed strategies ranging from better content oversight on thousands of outdated pages to an evolved social networking campaign as well as better marketing and communication in all aspects of the website. I continue to use the concepts that I learned in the class daily as my team moves forward with overhauling our outdated and ancient website.”
Ann Lorenz“I feel that this is the best $$ I have spent on marketing since I started my business.”
Cindy Padilla, Kokopelli Bodyworks
To learn more contact Mary Ellen through this website form.
Marketing with Social Media Course Slated for March
February 17, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
The combination of moving faster and being connected 24/7 means one thing: you must be more clear in your communication.
Social media provides an opportunity to directly connect with customers, vendors, potential employers and friends. Frequently, the proliferation of social channels and the lack of a cohesive strategy dooms the effort before it begins.
Marketing with Social Media, a nine-hour course from UNM Continuing Education puts you in a position of choice. The three-session course will help you:
- Realistically assess where you are and where you want to go
- Explore social options that complement current strategies and serve your purpose
- Understand how major social media channels best serve their participants
- Explore the ever-changing world of Facebook Pages (formerly called Fan pages)
- Identify the differences between Profiles and Pages on Facebook, the number one social media choice, and review communication strategy differences for the two
- Gain knowledge of resources to automate and systematize your social media experience
- Develop a strategy for choosing your communication channel and making it more successful
- Review examples of best practices to solidify thought processes
Details:
What: Course # 55623
When: Wednesdays, 6pm – 9pm – Three sessions, March 16, 23, 30
Where: CE South Building, 1634 University NE
Price: $229
About the Instructor:
Mary Ellen Merrigan specializes in practical and sane marketing strategies for small business owners. She offers realistic solutions customized to each participant.
Workshop participants say:
“With Mary Ellen as guide, I learned how to navigate the tsunami of marketing strategies, how to create a marketing plan for my business and most important, how to stay true to myself. Get her eBook, but take her course or get her as a consultant. For it is Mary Ellen herself that brings the magic, that inspires, that helps you probe deep into what makes your business unique. And, the best part is that she models what she teaches. She is authentic. Thank you, Mary Ellen.” – Gail Summers
“A great place to start marketing your business with social media.” – Victor Lopez
“Extremely useful for initiating business strategy for social media.” – Janet Bridgers
Mary Ellen continues to keep abreast of the ever-changing world of social media. She has two social media certifications and just completed a two-week Facebook Page training course. For special questions, connect with Mary Ellen via email.
How will next year be different?
November 3, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Would you be pleased with another year exactly like this? If the answer is “yes,” read no further.
If your answer is “no,” what changes are you making? How will you ensure that next year will be a stronger opportunity for your business?
“Do-It-Yourself Planning: A Simple Marketing Plan for 2011” presents potential solutions for entrepreneurs.
- Learn two tactics to refocus your message and connect with your audience
- Review specific questions for year-end evaluation
- Focus on your audience and the best mix of marketing channels to reach them
- Discover the flexibility and viability of a simple plan template for your business
This worhshop is sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development sponsors this workshop 9a – 11am Tuesday, November 16 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce.
Even if you’ve not been a social media fan, jump start your year with the right social media for you.
Reach your best customers with a combination of old school tactics and new media. This interactive workshop gives you the opportunity to explore these ideas and more.
Details:
“DIY Planning: A Simple Marketing Plan for 2011”
9am – 11am | Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Register: Telephone: (505) 248-0132 E-mail: svsbdc@cnm.edu
Sponsor: http://www.nmsbdc.org/southvalley/
Location: Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce | 1309 Fourth Street SW
About The Presenter:
Mary Ellen Merrigan consults with small business owners to combine greater visibility with profitable growth. Many of her smart marketing strategies contain a D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) component.
She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level.” The e-book offers a step-by-step guide to integrating social media with other tactics for solid sales and is sold online.
In addition, the series is now offered by UNM Continuing Education as a certificate level class (Smart Marketing Series) in the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters.
Search
Recent Posts
Categories
Useful Links
