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.
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.
Untangle the Marketing Knot
January 5, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Stymied by marketing?
Fed up with social media that sucks your time and offers little or no return?
Disgusted that your competitor got a feature in the local paper and you did not?
Tired of hearing promise after promise about the four hour work week as you put in 40, 50 or 60 hours of effort?
You’re not alone.
It’s time to stop the insanity. Do something different. If your New Year’s resolution involves changing your marketing results, look no further.
“The Six Week Marketing Master Plan” untangles today’s many marketing channels. (Disclosure: I collaborated with designer and web specialist Maria G. Nozza to produce the book in 2009.)
A group of dedicated consultants and coaches is now working through the program. Revision 1.11 launches later this month.
During the past year dozens of professionals have used this system to set and achieve marketing goals. They’ve produced detailed marketing plans customized for each of their businesses.
The Six Week Marketing Master Plan gives structure and streamlines efforts. Participants learn a systematized method to customize collateral and define tactics for visibility.
A new group now forming begins the week of January 24, 2011. For details, complete this contact page.
Each participant receives the revised, expanded and updated Six Week Marketing Master Plan. Classes, limited to 10, meet weekly for three hours.
Six week classes also begin in March and April.
“This program helps you sort and prioritize so you know which business efforts help you succeed,” commented author and facilitator Mary Ellen Merrigan.
“Don’t let another year pass without accomplishing the marketing goals you choose.”
Build Practical and Sane Social Media the DIY Way
October 8, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Floating down endless Facebook streams?
Lost in Tweets?
UnLinked? Dug out? Dropped?
Is your time online simply frittered away?
Do you wonder, “What’s the point?”
The answers are here. In a seminar entitled “DIY Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results” Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses today’s most-talked-about marketing channel, social media.
The free, two-hour workshop is sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center.
You’ll learn:
- Why Facebook is the foundation of social efforts
- How Twitter pumps up visibility
- What FourSquare, Yelp and Groupon mean to brick and mortar stores
- Why getting strategic matters
Details:
10a-12noon, Wednesday, October 21, 2010
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
1304 Fourth Street Southwest
Call to register: 505-248-0132
DIY Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results! offers practical and sane strategies for an online world. All participants receive a Best Practices handout.
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level,” available online at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com. Join Mary Ellen to learn how you can use smart marketing to achieve a positive bottom line.
Ultimate Blog Challenge Nets ProfitMeister Posts About Marketing Master Plan
October 3, 2010 by MaryEllen · 2 Comments
ProfitMeister, a DIY smart marketing strategies blog founded by Mary Ellen Merrigan, joined October’s Ultimate
Blog Challenge.
The Ultimate Blog Challenge, hosted by Michele Scism and Michelle Shaeffer, offers accountability and a learning opportunity for those wanting to increase their blog power.
Challenge participants post 31 times during the month, working with other bloggers to increase readers and traffic. There is a 100 word minimum on each post. (NOTE: The Ultimate Blog Challenge is free. The requirement is 31 times during the month, not specifically one time per day, so if you want to accept the challenge, go for it!)
October’s Profitmeister posts will focus on the corresponding topic of the day from the Smart Marketing Master Plan E-Book, produced earlier this year.
The Smart Marketing series has also been accepted as a marketing certificate series for UNMCE, University of New Mexico Continuing Education.
In a series of six three-hour classes class members will develop a master marketing plan for their business. A step-by-step workbook accompanies each week’s presentation. Each section costs $89 and runs from 6pm – 9pm on Mondays. Attendance is limited to 16.
Smart Marketing Series – UNM Continuing Education
55611 Smart Marketing 1: Assess, Differentiate and Audit Your Firm’s Status – October 25, 2010
55612 Smart Marketing 2: Define Your Target, Develop Content Strategy – November 1, 2010
55613 Smart Marketing 3: Review Competitors, Develop Keywords – November 15, 2010
55614 Smart Marketing 4: Select and implement social media tactics – November 22, 2010
55615 Smart Marketing 5: Collateral and other content specifics – December 6, 2010
55616: Smart Marketing 6: Strategic ways to tie your plan together – December 13, 2010
The Ultimate Challenge Blog Postings will follow the topics as outlined for the marketing class series, thus serving as an additional resource for the class.
About Mary Ellen Merrigan
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients and promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level,” available online. Freelance graphics designer Maria G. Nozza of Design and Thrive collaborated with Mary Ellen to produce a content-packed e-book that encompasses marketing today. Maria specializes in visual graphics and continues to study web marketing. Take your business to a new level with a marketing action plan.
City-sponsored Workshop Helps Local Businesses Do Smarter Marketing
August 18, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
85% of all marketers say social media efforts generate exposure for their business.- 65% of marketers have only been involved with social media for a few months or less.
- The number one question marketers most want answered is how to track social media return on investment.
–Source: 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Michael A. Stelzner, SocialMediaExaminer.com
As a local business you can’t afford to ignore the social media phenomenon. You must: conquer the time drain, decide exactly where you will focus your efforts, and act immediately to claim your share of the market.
In a presentation entitled “Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results,” Mary Ellen Merrigan positions social media for local usage. The 45-minute presentation includes:
- Best practices for Facebook pages, the hottest social media turf out there today
- Examples from Albuquerque businesses making effective social media efforts
- Tip sheets you can use to elevate your brick and mortar visibility starting immediately
“Social Media: Get Strategic, Get Results” is part of a half-day marketing and communications workshop sponsored by the City of Albuquerque Business Center. The purpose of the business resource center in city hall is to make the daunting job of starting and growing a business easier.
The workshop, presented 8am – 12:30pm, Tuesday September 21, 2010, at the WESST Enterprise Center, 609 Broadway NE, includes these additional offerings:
Tom Carroll, Carroll Strategies “Basic Marketing 101 – The ABC’s of Marketing
Doug Turner, DW Turner, Inc. “Press Release 101 and Earned Media – How to achieve successful PR”
For more information or to register, call 505-768-3222.
About Merrigan Group
Mary Ellen Merrigan, owner of Merrigan Group LLC, has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients and promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. A known marketing trainer and speaker, Mary Ellen recently published “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan,” a workbook offering a step-by-step guide to marketing. Learn more at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com.
The immediate past president of Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, (AIBA) Mary Ellen knows well the problems facing today’s entrepreneurs. She delights in presenting practical, low-cost solutions that help you achieve a positive bottom line. Follow her blog, ProfitMeister, for DIY smart marketing strategies.
Get Strategic, Get Results! DIY Social Media
August 9, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever asked, “What’s the point?” this seminar is for you.
If you’re positive you could do than ask people to buy, this seminar is for you.
If you’re not sure that your time online is well-spent, this seminar is for you.
In the second workshop of a three-part Do-It-Yourself series for the Albuquerque South Valley Small Business Development Center, (SBDC) Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses social media for entrepreneurs.
“Get Strategic, Get Results!” provides guidelines for business owners who want to do more than simply get on board with social media.
- Learn why engaging customers online is a must.
- Transform your efforts with five big “Best Practices.”
- Build your foundation for Facebook with 10 tips for using a Facebook page.
- Discover when to hire it out, and what you should know before you do.
To get effective you may only need to tweak your current efforts. Find out more in this free, two-hour workshop sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center.
Details: 10a – 12noon, Tuesday, October 20, 2010 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 1304 Fourth Street Southwest. For additional information or registration, call 505-248-0132.
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level,” available online at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com. Join Mary Ellen to learn how you can use smart marketing to achieve a positive bottom line.
PLAN is a Four Letter Word
June 23, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
If PLAN is a four letter word in your business, reframe. Attend a workshop sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center, 9a-11am July 27, and look at your marketing plan with a new perspective.
“Do-it-Yourself Planning, A Simple Marketing Plan to Finish 2010 with a Bang!” takes gnashing of the teeth out of the equation.
The presentation, part of my Smart Marketing Series, will help you make any course corrections for the year. You’ll get these takeaways:
-
- Learn the two tactics you must use to re-focus your message and really connect with your audience.
- Hear about the three keys to successful communication no matter what media channel you choose.
- Discover how to use a one-page template for your plan.
- List the strategic questions you need for year-end review.
Attend at no charge and receive a FREE 25-question business analysis along with a 15-minute customized follow up session.
Let go of coulda, woulda and shoulda statements for good.
Adopt an action plan you can live with. For more information or to reserve your space, call 505-248-0132.
Details: “Do-it-Yourself Planning,” 9a-11am, Tuesday July 27 at The Albuquerque Hispano chamber of Commerce, 1309 Fourth Street SW. Sponsored by the Albuquerque South Valley SBDC.
About ME:
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients. She promotes the benefits of planning in “The Six-Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level.” Read more.
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