In this all-day conference, you will learn how to engage your customers and prospects online through your website and social media and track your activities so that you know what is working and what needs to be adjusted. Join us to build your marketing toolkit and take a time-out to learn more!
How Marketers Can Drive Business Success With AI (presenter: Sam Leary)
There are only 24 hours in a day — that’s why chat.openai.com is visited more than 1.6 billion times per month; and according to an MIT study, ChatGPT can boost productivity by a whopping 40%, and quality by 20%. But what does all this mean for Wisconsin marketers and small business owners?
In this session, you’ll discover how to leverage the most popular efficiency tool on the market to facilitate business success. We’ll discuss important distinctions between terms, frameworks for writing perfect prompts, and the myriad of ways marketers across all industries are achieving more in less time.
Attendees will learn:
- AI terminology, and distinctions between different types of AI
- Frameworks for writing better AI prompts
- How to rapidly iterate unique Business Plans, Marketing Plans, onboarding & Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) through natural language processing tools like ChatGPT to boost productivity
- Discover how Wisconsin business teams are using AI to get ahead
To Amazon, or Not? Understanding Ecommerce Options for Small Business (presenter: Rick Wingender)
Most retail and B2B sales growth is happening via ecommerce, according to almost every relevant publication and expert. You know you want to sell online, but how do you get started? What are the most important things to know? Should you start with your own website, or on a marketplace like Amazon.com? Or both? If I build my own website, which ecommerce platform should I choose?
There are many pros and cons to each scenario, and many factors can impact your decision. Every business is different. Even if you’ve already started, this course can help you answer a wide range of questions, including channel strategy, digital & traditional marketing strategy, website management, merchandising & inventory management, technical and legal considerations, branding, staffing and skillsets needed, and much more.
How to Get Started with Content Marketing & SEO (presenter: Brian Lee)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is important for making sure your prospective customers can find your website when they’re looking for your products or services. For example, a survey found that 67% of B2B customers start the buying process with a web search.
One of the ways you can improve your search engine rankings is through content marketing, which includes blog articles, listicles and white papers. In addition to helping with SEO, content marketing is a strategy that can be used for inbound marketing, outbound marketing, branding and customer retention. All businesses can and should take part in developing content on a regular basis.
Attendees will learn:
- How to use tools to research relevant keywords
- How to use tools to develop content topics and content
- How to integrate keywords into your content and website
- Best practices for content creation
Digitally Transform the Way You Sell (presenter: James Roloff)
In this engaging 90-minute session designed for business leaders, sales, and marketing professionals eager to harness the potential of digital sales, you’ll discover what digital sales is, its compelling benefits, and leave with a concrete framework to craft your own successful digital sales funnel.
Topics include:
- Digital Sales Clarity: Gain a solid understanding of what digital sales entails and why it’s crucial for modern businesses.
- Blueprint for Success: Receive a framework to construct an effective digital sales funnel tailored to your specific industry and audience.
- Content Strategy Mastery: Learn the art of crafting compelling content that resonates with your target audience and drives conversions.
- Solution Selling Expertise: Master the techniques of solution selling in the digital realm, turning leads into satisfied customers.
- Content Brainstorming Tool: Walk away with a practical content brainstorming tool to kickstart your digital sales strategy immediately.
Registration
Location: Grainger Hall
Schedule: 8:30 am- 4:30 pm
Date: December 12, 2023
Fee: $299 (Includes boxed lunch)
Register HERE Fall 2023 or call 608-262-2451 to register. BONUS: Place 2 or more fall paid SBDC courses in your cart, and use discount code SBDC10 for 10% off. Classes must be purchased in the same transaction.
Registration policy: Payment will be required at time of registration. You must have either a credit card or valid UW-Madison funding string to be able to register.
Cancellation policy: If you cancel before the program begins, there is a $25 cancellation fee. If you cancel after the program begins you will be charged for the full program fee. To cancel, call registration at 608-262-2451. Please note that in the case of a cancellation (by either the participant or the SBDC), participants can only be transferred one time into a new course.
Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu to request accommodations.
Learned so much and also gained confidence in my current strategies and inspiration for future ideas!
Sales & Marketing, Nutkrack
I learned so much, even as an intermediate social manager... The variety of topics was so great. I feel better equipped to take next steps across the board.
Content writer, Naviant (Fall 2021 attendee)
Every speaker was amazing.....I will be back
Samantha Burke, Universal Home Protection LLC
Such a wonderful day. Inspirational and informative.
Manager, Green Life Trading Co., 2023 participant
Each speaker took their ideas and introduced them at my level of understanding and provided simple, easy ideas and examples to implement... thank you for taking the fear out of marketing my business! I feel empowered to grow!
Justine Leo, Elbi Interiors, 2023 participant
The open conversations and ability to chat one-on-one with the presenters was amazing!
Marketing Specialist, UW Interdisciplinary Professional Programs, 2023 participant
The variety of topics made for a really fun day!
Marketing Specialist, UW E-Business Consortium, 2023 participant
Concise, good information that I can take home and continue to work on.
Randy, Cheers MKE
Presenters
Sam Leary, Digital Marketing Specialist, Marketini Media
Sam’s work helping businesses and organizations grow began while he was teaching writing and digital media courses while earning his master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University. A lifelong and passionate Wisconsinite, Sam returned to his home state on a mission to empower local leaders in his region to achieve and exceed their business objectives using tailored mixes of digital and traditional marketing strategies.
As the owner of two small businesses, as well as a former marketing and outreach coordinator at a nonprofit, he relates closely with the internal and external pressures facing many companies today. Sam’s first business, Marketini Media, is a Marketing Firm with an emphasis on digital campaigns, email marketing, and conversion rate optimization, providing full-service solutions that drive revenue and data. Projects have empowered community cornerstones from professional service providers to construction companies, Chambers of Commerce to e-commerce, and retailers to real estate agents.
Rick Wingender, MBA, MS, CSPO, PMP
Rick has been a marketing and ecommerce professional since he launched CircuitCity.com in 1995, and has launched or managed many ecommerce businesses since that time, ranging from $0 to over $120MM in annual revenue. As a practitioner, he’s done everything from creating the strategic vision to being a hands-on button-pusher. Rick has also worked as a “Fractional CMO” and a freelance marketing & ecommerce coach to small business owners for many years, and he loves to teach.
Rick’s expertise includes business strategy, retail merchandising, traditional marketing, all aspects of digital marketing (including email, social, content, and pay-per-click marketing), brand management, digital project and technical digital product management, UI/UX (customer experience), Amazon and marketplaces. He’s managed teams of ecommerce and marketing professionals as large as 18 people. Rick’s four great passions are great user experiences, his many dogs, the Green Bay Packers, and constant professional learning (he has two master’s degree in Marketing to go along with an undergrad degree and hundreds of completed marketing & ecommerce courses).
Brian Lee, APR
Brian Lee, APR, is the president of Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media and Revelation Events. He also is a social media instructor at Madison College, a marketing instructor in the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s UpStart program for female and minority entrepreneurs, and a digital marketing specialist for the National Center for Economic Gardening.
A serial entrepreneur, Brian also runs MadisonStartups.com and EatDrinkMadison.com. He graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in journalism and major in strategic communications and also holds an MBA from Sam Houston State University.
James Roloff, MBA
James is a seasoned sales consultant with a passion for all things digital. Having built his first website in 2001, he has over two decades of experience in building online businesses.
Before founding Roloff Consulting, James spent 9 years leading a sales team at an award-winning web design firm. Today, his expertise spans a wide range of areas, including sales leadership, digital marketing strategies, social media tactics, and consulting services.
One of the core values that drives James is the belief in empowering his clients through education. James finds immense joy in guiding businesses toward success by arming them with the knowledge they need to thrive in the digital landscape.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin System.
It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-2221.