Social Media for Business 2014 Classes

It is the time for New Years Resolutions and self improvement. It’s a good time to get KCC-OCET Social Media for Business classes onto your schedule for 2014. These classes are fun, affordable and easy to fit into your schedule. You have no excuse.

Our first series in 2014 ran January 29 to March 12.
Our second series ran July 23 to September 3rd as below.
We will have a new series beginning in late January 2015. Details soon!
Expect us to meet on the same day, Wednesdays 1-4pm.

The University of Hawaii campus on Kauai – KCC OCET is a tremendous resource for residents of Kauai. If you haven’t taken a continuing education course there yet, you certainly should look at doing so. You will find the OCET classrooms comfortable and well-equipped.

As many of you know, bringing the voice of Kauai to the internet is a passion of mine. Many business owners on Kauai are now realizing that they need to understand the tools of social media to reach new customers.

I can tell you with confidence that my classes in 2012 and 2013 got very positive reviews and the students got value from the classes. Some of those reviews are below.

What:
Social Marketing for Business Series
Instructor Linda Sherman
Each class in the series is unique and stands on its own, so you can sign up for one or all of them
There is an introduction and an advanced class for Twitter, Facebook and GooglePlus. There is an overview of Social Media for Business and finally an introduction to YouTube which is included in the GooglePlus introduction class.

Except for the Introduction to Social Media, which was created by request as a lecture; all of the classes are highly interactive. We use live web examples, including your business profiles and others in your industry. To make it fair for all attendees, I try my best to parcel out my response to questions fairly among the students. If you have already attended an advanced class, don’t hesitate to come again. All of the social media platforms and their tools are constantly changing. You are guaranteed to learn something new. Except for the Introduction to Social Media (first class in the series) you should bring a laptop to each class. You may be OK with a tablet, but it can be more challenging for things like setting up accounts.

Pick and choose which classes you want, or take all of them. You will get a deep dive into the important social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and YouTube. We will make reference to SEO (search engine optimization), WordPress (the leading platform for building websites), Instagram and FourSquare.

The classes have been set at three hours each because Linda Sherman has found in working one-on-one training clients in social media marketing that three hours is the optimal block of time for a student to effectively learn these new skills.

When:
Wednesdays 1pm to 4pm July 23 to September 3, 2014

Download the class schedule here: Social Media for Business KCC OCET with Linda Sherman Summer 2014 July 23 – Sept 3

July 23, Wednesday, 1-4pm:
Social Media for Business, Getting Started, an Overview for Business Owners and Managers

Discover how to integrate social media marketing into your overall business plan. Understand the basics of what each major social media platform is and what it offers. Learn how to engage fans and respond to customer complaints posted on social platforms. Unlike all of Linda’s other classes in this series, this is NOT an interactive, hands-on class. There will be several structured opportunities to ask questions but the rest of the class will be in a lecture format. A laptop is not required for this session.

July 30, Wednesday, 1-4pm: Social Media for Business, Google Plus and YouTube
Learn how to set up a YouTube channel and integrate YouTube into your website and other social media platforms. GooglePlus is important to your business because like YouTube, it is Google so it helps your business get found. Learn the basics of how to set up and use Google Plus. BONUS: You will be added to my KCC-OCET GooglePlus Circle.

As a small business owner, you do your own PR. PR News recently wrote: If you’re in PR, then you’re in the content business, and if you’re in the content business, then it might be said that you work for Google. Your PR messages are filtered through the prism of Google’s algorithm, and to get your messages seen you need to take an active role in working with Google’s capabilities and tools — or risk having your messages buried by your competition.

I was interviewed by Forbes regarding the importance of GooglePlus. The article went viral (by Forbes standards).

August 6, Wednesday, 1-4pm; Social Media for Business, Intermediate Google Plus
We will cover Google Plus About Page set-up, HangOuts, circle filtering, styling your writing, notifications, authorship and a follow-up on concepts from the introduction class, including how to +mention and address posts. All Google Plus classes include membership in the valuable KCC- OCET Google Plus circle.

August 13, Wednesday, 1-4pm; Social Media for Business, Introduction to Facebook
This class is for those who want to have a Facebook Page but don’t know how to get started. You will learn essential basics; how to set up your page, how to use the admin interface, what you should post on your page and how often you should post.

Note there is a difference between a Facebook personal Timeline (or profile) and a Facebook Page.
Personal Timelines (profiles) have “friends”, Pages have “likes”. Pages are for brands, companies and non-profits. Personal Timelines are for individuals.

It is expected that you already have a Facebook Personal Timeline or profile and know the basics of using Facebook.

August 20, Wednesday, 1-4pm; Social Media for Business, Introduction to Twitter
Twitter is not yet popular on Kauai, but travelers to Kauai from elsewhere may use it both to search for information and share their experience regarding your business with their followers. Learn how to set up your Twitter account and the basics of how to tweet, post photos on Twitter, find mentions of you and your business, and interact with customers.

August 27, Wednesday, 1-4pm; Social Media for Business, Intermediate Facebook
Already using Facebook but want to get tips to make your efforts more effective? There will be reviews of existing Facebook Pages including an opportunity for class participants who wish to get feedback on their own Pages during the session.

September 3, Wednesday, 1-4pm; Social Media for Business, Intermediate Twitter
Have a Twitter account but you could be more effective? Learn how to use Twitter tools, what to tweet about, how to participate in a Twitter chat, how to find people to interact with, what Klout is and why it matters.

Cost:
Extremely affordable especially with ETF support. Your business or non-profit should qualify to receive 50% assistance through the ETF (Employment and Training Fund). You can contact David Longmore at Workwise 274-3056 for information about this great tuition break.

At this price, your business or non-profit cannot afford not to invest in know-how that will more than pay back in the viability of your enterprise.

How to Register:
Call KCC-OCET at 808-245-8318.
Or register on-line on the KCC-OCET website.
Registering at least 5 days before the class ensures that the class will run.

Tuition Refund Policy:
100% tuition refund will be provided to withdrawal requests received at least 3 working days prior to the class meeting day. Refund requests can be made by phone, fax, email, or postal mail (postmarked date will be used).

Where:
Kauai Community College, KCC-OCET, Lihue
3-1901 Kaumualii Hwy, Lihue 96766 Cross street: Puhi Road
KCC OCET is the Office of Continuing Education and Training of the University of Hawaii for Kauai
We meet in Classroom 103
There is usually a sign that says what room we are in when you enter the building. Note the front door of the KCC-OCET building has the bookstore on one side and the KCC-OCET office on the other side.
There is a blue circle on the map here showing you where the building is. When you enter from Kaumualii Highway, it is the low-rise second building that you see.

Why:
A shift has occurred in what it takes to market to new customers and communicate with existing ones. Whether your customers are visitors or residents of Kauai, more and more of them are turning to the internet to find your small business or non-profit. You will learn how social media marketing fits into your overall marketing plan. Even if you plan to have someone else run your social media programs for you, you should learn how to set up and manage that support and know enough to delegate with authority.

Not only should you be building your brand online for your company but you should have a personal brand online. This is important both for business owners, as I point out in these Six Tips published by the SalesForce Blog, and anyone who plans to continue working in marketing.

Reviews from Students:
“Very useful”
“Lots of good information and very thorough”
“Fun”
“Like the hand’s on”
“Love that you offer these classes”

Sharing
We would be grateful if you share the information about this class with your friends and colleagues. If you are sharing on Twitter, here is the shortened link for you http://bit.ly/KCCLS. The KCC-OCET twitter address is: @KauaiCCOCET. There is a FourSquare check-in for your FourSquare and Instagram check-ins before, during or after class. For Facebook Check-ins and links, the KCC-OCET Facebook Page. My Twitter addresses are @LindaSherman and @KauaiTalk.

Hope to see you at one of the classes!

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This all began with a social media marketing seminar that the Chamber of Commerce of Kauai hosted on June 29th, 2012 at the OCET facility.

The June 29th social media marketing seminar provided an overview of social media and an introduction to some important new platforms including Pinterest and Instagram. Though the seminar was well received, it became obvious that many of the participants wanted a deep dive by topic. We could also see that some participants needed a beginning class and some were ready for intermediate level discussion. Peggy Lake, the fabulous training coordinator for OCET recognized these factors and initiated the Social Media for Business series to address the social media marketing learning requirements of Kauai.