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!
Harnessing AI: Strategies to Supercharge Your Business Development and Marketing (presented by: Garth Beyer)
Start scratching the surface of artificial intelligence, and discover the transformative power of AI tools in business development and marketing. In this session, we will explore practical strategies to leverage artificial intelligence for optimizing the launch of a business, accelerating growth, and enhancing customer engagement. Whether you’re a startup or looking to modernize your approach to an existing business, this presentation will provide actionable insights and real-world examples to help you integrate AI effectively. Tools we plan to share (knowing this stuff changes all the time!) include:
- Jasper AI
- Rytr
- Perplexity
- DALL-E
- Fireflies
- Canva
- ChatGPT
In this engaging presentation, we’ll discuss lessons learned from experienced marketers and demonstrate first-hand how AI can benefit your business.
Finding Your People: How to Identify and Attract Your Ideal Audience (presented by: Justine Kessler)
“When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.” – Meredith Hill
Defining and understanding your target audience can help you create more effective sales and marketing strategies, build stronger customer relationships, and ultimately achieve greater success. This session will feature practical exercises and real-world examples to help you learn how to create effective marketing strategies that resonate with your customers. We’ll go inside one well-known local brand to understand the insights that drove them to redefine their target audience, explore how this change influenced their business decisions, and evaluate the resulting business impact – and then we’ll apply these principles to help you define or refine your own audience profile.
Session objectives:
- Understand how target audience identification can help guide and focus your business decisions
- Learn how to define your target audience and create detailed customer personas to inform sales and marketing strategies
- Feel confident using practical audience research techniques like surveys, social media insights, and listening sessions to further enhance your understanding of your target audience
Minimal Effort, Maximum Impact: Digital Marketing Basics for Busy Entrepreneurs (presented by: Emily Ruyle)
Enter the fast-paced world of digital marketing with “Minimal Effort, Maximum Impact: Digital Marketing Basics for Busy Entrepreneurs.”
This session is designed to show you how to make a big impact with minimal effort. We’ll cover essential tactics like email marketing and social proof that can drive significant growth for your business, even when time and experience are limited.
You’ll walk away with actionable strategies and examples that demonstrate how these simple yet powerful tools can be integrated into your busy schedule. Get ready to maximize your marketing efforts with strategies designed specifically for small business owners on the go.
Registration
Location: Grainger Hall, Wisconsin School of Business, UW-Madison
Schedule: 8:30 am- 4:30 pm
Date: November 21, 2024
Course Fee: $309 (Includes boxed lunch. We cannot guarantee lunch for those who register less than 2 weeks ahead of the event)
Registration Deadlines
| Registration type | Date | Fee |
| Earlybird | Earlybird closes: | Earlybird Registration Fee: |
| Late Registration | Late Registration begins: | Late Registration Fee: |
| Course registration closes | — |
Registration coming soon for Fall 2024 or call 608-262-2451 to register. BONUS: Place 2 or more paid leadership courses in your cart, and use discount code SBDC10 for 10% off. Classes must be purchased in the same transaction.
Registration & Cancellation policies
- 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.
- We cannot guarantee that a meal can be provided for in-person participants registering less than 14 days prior to the event date.
- Cancelations at least 24 hours before the program begins will incur a $25 cancellation fee. Cancelations less than 24 hours before the start of the program will incur 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, Fortune Favors
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, Fall 2024
Session: Master Your Target Audience to Boost Business Impact
Presenter: Justine Kessler
As a strategic marketing executive, Justine’s passion ignites when she’s able to leverage the art and science of marketing to help grow brands that improve people’s lives. For over 20 years, Justine has helped build strong brands, attract and grow customers, develop high-performing teams, and drive business success for healthcare and financial services organizations.
Known as a dynamic changemaker, Justine leverages collaboration, curiosity and authenticity to deliver high-impact strategies and drive meaningful change.
Prior to her current role as Director, B2B Marketing Strategy at Labcorp, Justine held marketing leadership positions at UW Credit Union, Healthgrades, and image.works.
Justine holds a master’s degree in marketing and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin, as well as a professional certificate in executive leadership from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Session: Harnessing AI: Strategies to Supercharge Your Business Development and Marketing
Presenter: Garth Beyer, Garth’s Brew Bar
Garth Beyer is the owner of the award-winning beer bar, Garth’s Brew Bar, and marketing manager of beverage production solutions for Encompass Technologies. He’s also a freelance beer writer, showing up in publications like Madison Magazine, Men’s Health, and others. Garth is also a Certified Cicerone® (the beer equivalent of a sommelier for wine) and loves going on hikes with his wife, two daughters and Bernese mountain dog.
Session: Minimal Effort, Maximum Impact: Digital Marketing Basics for Busy Entrepreneurs
Presenter: Emily Ruyle, Marketing Strategist, Small Business Advocate, and Digital Marketing Expert
Emily Ruyle is a seasoned marketing strategist with over a two decades of experience in helping small businesses navigate the world of digital marketing. As a former seven-figure e-commerce business owner, Emily brings firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities that small business owners face in today’s competitive landscape.
Currently serving as the Marketing Manager at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Emily has spearheaded numerous successful campaigns that have driven engagement, boosted sales, and strengthened brand presence. Her approach is rooted in understanding the unique needs of small business owners, particularly those who are short on time and resources.
Emily’s expertise spans a wide range of digital marketing tactics, from email and SMS marketing, content marketing, paid social, to building a subscription membership, all designed to maximize impact with minimal effort. She believes that with the right tools and a clear strategy, any small business can thrive in the digital space.
A sought-after strategic consultant, Emily is dedicated to demystifying digital marketing for small business owners. Her practical, no-nonsense advice has helped countless entrepreneurs build sustainable marketing practices that drive growth and success.
When she’s not helping businesses thrive, Emily enjoys traveling the world, painting, and spending time with her family.
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.