Mediaboss Marketing

Leigh Black Irvin , lirvin@daily-times.com 5:16 p.m. MT Jan. 24, 2017

Judy Castleberry, director of the San Juan College Enterprise Center, and Chris Hunter, director of WESST, talk on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, about the importance of business marketing planning at the colleges Enterprise Center.(Photo: Leigh Black Irvin/The Daily Times)Buy Photo

FARMINGTON San Juan College'sEnterprise Center will offer several marketing presentations to help business owners get out the word about their products and ideas.

The center andWESST, a business development organization, will host a free "bring your lunch" presentation on Thursday entitled "Marketing: Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail."

Enterprise Center Director Judy Castleberry will present at the event, which is part of a series of 12business-related presentations that will be offered this year.

Also, on Feb. 2,the Farmington Small Business Development Centerwill offer three workshops for small businesses that focus on internet marketing.

Castleberry said many of the questions the Enterprise Center an organization thatprovides services and resources to new and existing businessesreceives deal with marketing. She said businesses that don't plan for marketing end up spendingmoney on other items and then run out of funds when it comes times to market themselves.

"It's more than just sticking up a sign and saying 'for sale.' It's about the entire message:branding, where do I want to advertise, what makes my business special and different in the marketplaceand who is my target audience,"she said.

Castleberry also plans to speak about how marketing has evolved, particularly as it has moved to the internet.

"Now consumers want conversation, they want to give comments," she said. "Marketing is now more about a dialogue than a monologue."

It's more than just sticking up a sign and saying 'for sale.' It's about the entire message: branding, where do I want to advertise, what makes my business special and different in the marketplace and who is my target audience.

While Chris Hunter, director of Farmingtons WESST office, agreed social media is a crucial part of modern marketing, he said having a website is still important for many businesses. Websites allow owners to list more information about their products and post resources.

"A website also allows you to have permanency,"he said.

Hunter said his organization helps businesses fine-tune their marketingby targeting customers.

"We have to find out who, ideally, will value what the business has to sell," he said. "We help them sharpen their product or service, help them place their product, help figure out pricing and how to promote the product, so customers can understand how their business is different, and why different can be better."

The Small Business Development Center'sworkshops next month willfocus on social media, online marketing and building a website. The featuredspeaker will beEric Spellmann, who developed apopular marketing video series.

"I don't believe (local business owners) are fully up on social media and the website aspect of business," said Carmen Martinez, director of the Small Business Development Center. "Websites are supposed to be a selling tool that help retailers reach out to others. We need to try to expand our selling base, especially since the economy isn'tas great as it could be."

Leigh Black Irvin is the business editor for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4621.

What: "Marketing: Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail" presentation

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday

Where: Room 5028, San Juan College's Quality Center for Business, 5101 College Blvd., Farmington

More info: No cost. Bring your lunch. Call Chris Hunter at 505-566-3715or Judy Castleberry at 505-566-3699.

What: Farmington Small Business Development Center's marketing workshop series

When: All workshops are on Feb. 2. "The Art of Generating Quality Leaders using Social Media"is at 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. "A Retailer's Guide to Online Marketing" is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring your lunch. "5 Secrets to a Business-Building Website" is from1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Where: Merrion Room, San Juan College's School of Energy, 5301 College Blvd.,Farmington

More info:Cost is $20 per session or $50 for all three. Registration and payment required by Feb. 1. Call 505-566-3528 or email SBDC@sanjuancollege.eduto register.

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Marketing events aim to help local businesses - Farmington Daily Times