SCORE Minnesota

Small Business Social Media Boot Camp

June 21, 2010

As an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner, are you fighting for sales? Would you like to have a weapon that could blow your competition out of the water? Would you like that weapon to cost little or nothing? Of course you would.

Although the economy is down,  business start-ups are, well, up. Statistics from the Kauffman Foundation, a think tank for entrepreneurs in Kansas City, MO, found that small business start-ups hit a record high in 2009. This certainly is the case in Minnesota. Each week, over 100 aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners contact SCORE Minnesota for assistance.

This may sound crazy, but, the timing for small business success has never been better. Sure, money is tight, but, today, small businesses have a secret weapon. Major shifts in the business environment, including resistance to traditional (costly) advertising, have given small business one of the most powerful weapons ever invented to beat the competition; Social Media.

Imagine that you are in a fierce battle facing many foes who are a lot bigger and stronger than you. Then you hear about a powerful new weapon that has been invented that will allow you to take on even the most formidable of foes. You would probably think, “I could really use a weapon like that. Where can I get it?”

Or, maybe you are standing on the sidelines, thinking, “Social Media is just a new way to socialize”. If so, watch the videos at Hubspot and you will see that Social Media is changing, not just the way we communicate, its changing the way we market and sell.

Even if you already know the power of Social Media, you may be intimidated or confused about what to do and where to start. This is what many SCORE clients are telling us. In response to this need, we are offering a Social Media and Internet Marketing Boot Camp on Thursday, June 24 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Embassy Suites, 7901 34^th Avenue South, Bloomington, Minn. Due to the intense interest in this topic, attendees are encouraged to register as soon as possible. The $99 fee includes coffee, lunch, materials and plenty of time for questions.

Loren Herbst, district director of SCORE Minnesota says, “Social Media and Internet marketing are effectively leveling the playing field for small-business owners. Today, entrepreneurs or small business owners can build a growing enterprise more cost-effectively and compete more successfully than ever before if they know how to use social media and Internet marketing.”

“Social media and Internet marketing tools are hot because they require little or no investment to generate big results, but small business owners are not taking advantage of them because they don’t know how,” says Herbst.“Lately, it seems that everybody has become an expert. However, just because someone knows how to create an account and use the features on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social-media tools, they may not be experts in marketing. When social media and Internet marketing fail to produce results, it is generally due to a lack of a sound marketing strategy.”

“Minnesota small businesses can avoid making this mistake by attending this seminar. Presented by marketing experts, attendees will learn how to use social media and Internet marketing strategically to generate sales and expand their businesses.”

The daylong seminar, sponsored by six local SCORE chapters, is designed to help entrepreneurs and small-business owners build their business with tools of little or no cost. Entrepreneurs from across the state are expected to attend and will receive practical knowledge, strategies and tools to generate leads and revenue from the Internet.

SCORE, a non-profit organization and resource partner of The Small Business Administration, has been providing no-cost business advice and low-cost entrepreneurial training on starting and growing a small business since 1970. In 2009, more than 400 Minnesota SCORE volunteers helped over 5,000 Minnesota entrepreneurs with no-cost mentoring and advice.

If you want to learn more about how to start, operate and grow a successful business contact SCORE by clicking the link on the right to the office nearest you or click here to request free face to face counseling.

Have you ever considered volunteering for SCORE? Our members help millions of new or existing small businesses succeed each year by sharing their knowledge and experience. Click here or the link on the right to the office nearest you to learn more.

You can also connect with SCORE in their LinkedIn Group and on Twitter. More information about SCORE is available by clicking the SCORE ‘tab” above.

At the least, allow me to invite you to our new LinkedIn group, “Minnesota Small Business – Powered by SCORE”. In the group you will have the opportunity to meet many of your peers (other small biz owners) as well as many of our SCORE counselors. The group is a great forum for asking or answering questions or simply commenting on posts by others. Join us today.

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Filed under: Marketing,Online Marketing,Social Media

Tags: Facebook, internet marketing, LinkedIn, score, social media, Social Media seminar, Twitter