Registration is required for the free classes, and priority will be given to Jefferson County residents.  These classes always fill up so make sure you get yourself on the list early.

To sign up, call 636-296-5171

Note: Attendees to the September classes will receive a promo code for discounted tickets to Market Saint Louis in October!

Class Dates and Times

Title: Marketing Your Business Website
Summary: Learn how to revive a “dead” website. Topics covered include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), online advertising tips and avenues, along with ways to increase your website traffic and offline marketing ideas.
Dates/Times: Sept 23 at 6PM and Oct 15 at 9:30AM

Title: Leverage Twitter & Facebook for Business
Summary: In this class you’ll learn how to set up a Twitter account and Facebook fan page. You’ll learn about some great tools that will help you grow your fanbase, engage your customers, and how to utilize some ‘behind the scenes’ tricks to get the most out of your new accounts.
Dates/Times: Sept 9 at 9:30AM and Oct 20 at 6PM

Download and Print the Flyer

As many of you know, I’m the moving force behind Market Saint Louis, a twice-a-year business conference that focuses on teaching local St Louis businesses the ways of online optimization, advertising and more.  Speakers from around the country fly in to share their expertise on various subjects, from SEO to Pay per Click and Analytics.  2010 is going to be even bigger, with the conferences featuring two separate tracks – one for beginners and one for businesses that are already in the game to some level.

The event isn’t cheap (although the pre-agenda tickets aren’t very expensive) and some small businesses may have a hard time shelling out several hundred dollars in this economy just to learn how to spend more time and money on the Internet.  But it’s crucial for every business to be online now.

To help quell the fears of those business owners, I’ve partnered up with the Jefferson County Library to teach a series of free classes (yes, I said free) on Online Marketing, Social Media and more.  This series of classes will run January through March, and will be very limited both in amount as well as seating.

If you’re wondering just how your competition gets their website to the top of Google searches for items you sell, you’ll learn. If you know your business needs to be on Twitter or Facebook, but you don’t know how to use these tools, you’ll learn.  And if you want to grow your online sales, you’ll learn.

Scheduled Dates

Twitter Basics and Tips

Jan 14 – 9:30AM to Noon or March 4 – 6:00PM to 8:30PM
Learn how to set up a Twitter account and how to ‘tweet’.  You’ll learn about some great tools that will help you get more followers, find great information about your interests, and how to utilize some ‘behind the scenes’ tricks to get the most out of your new account.

Marketing Your Business Website

Feb 4 – 9:30 AM to Noon  or Mar 25 – 6:00PM to 8:30PM
Do you wonder why your website isn’t listed on Yahoo! or other search engines? Are you clueless about search marketing techniques that can draw customers to your site? We will cover topics such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), online advertising tips and avenues, along with ways to increase your website traffic along with other offline marketing ideas.

Social Media for Business – Leverage Community to Build Your Brand

Feb 11 – 6:00PM to 8:30PM
Learn how to leverage blogging, video and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to grow your business.

Download the flyer / schedule

Sign Up Now

All classes have very limited seating and will be at the Arnold branch of the Jefferson County Library.  To sign up, call 636-296-5171.

These will be the only classes offered this Spring.  For more information on the upcoming Market Saint Louis conference (and to get the cheap ticket price) visit MarketSTL.com

What do you think, too girly?

I’ve been teaching Internet Marketing now for 4 years. Originally the size of the seminars/class were packed out, but now they are waning.  I was teaching one every month, now it looks like maybe 4 a year.

I think part of the problem is perceived value.  The seminars are free, and therefore not much value is passed on.  I bet if I charged $50 for the seminar, people would be more likely to come.  Problem is, I can’t do that as a library volunteer, since its a library sponsored class.  I’d have to find another venue, which means costs for me.

I received only good feedback from the class, which is always nice, but I often wonder what happens after the people leave the class.  Are they simply overwhelmed by the volume of information they got, and don’t know where to start?  Are they overwhelmed to the point that they just say ‘forget about that’ because its so time-intensive?  Or do they simply file this in the ‘I need to do this stuff’ category, and probably never do.

I was asked about my fees, which are comparable to most local SEO firms, probably a little cheaper.  However, as usual, the fees are received with an “Oh wow” or “Oh my gosh” kind of tone.  This probably goes back to the classes being free.  The people that do show up are not those that are apt to spend a lot on their business marketing.

It’s a bummer, really.  There are so many local businesses that could use SEO to their distinct advantage.  I’m continually very surprised by the lack of big businesses that are doing this, giving small businesses in the area a HUGE opportunity to profit, but they don’t see it.

A local furniture store owner, however, has seen it.  He hired me late in 2006 after attending one of these seminars, and has seen record months for nearly a year now.  Record months, month after month!  They are on track to a record year, and they’ve been in business for over 20 years.  They attribute this to SEO, no bones about it.  They’ve dropped their YellowBook ad size significantly, they’ve added some more ‘hip’ products (like organic mattresses – who knew?) and they’ve ramped up their SEO spending.  They are outranking some big furniture stores in the area, and even nationally.  They’ve started drop-shipping some items because of their sudden national exposure.  All these things have resulted in their best year ever, even with the economy in the dumps!  Why don’t other businesses get it?

I implore everyone who has taken my class to take advantage of the information I’ve given you.  I don’t care if you hire me, but use the techniques I’ve shown you and watch your business grow.  It’s really that easy.

As for upcoming seminars, I will be on an SEO panel for an upcoming blogging convention in St. Louis in September, and I may do another free SEO seminar in October.  It may be my last.

Andrew Shotland discusses the true cost of SEO

Search Engine Land talks about free traffic

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/techlh