Communications for Small Business Owners

Focusing on communicating with existing and potential customers, is an essential skill that will help boost the number of customers and profits.

This course will help small business owners to develop and convey an effective message through a variety of channels, including traditional media and social media.

Course Topics:

Session One: Course Overview

Session Two: Key Communication Components

• What Communication Is All About

Session Three: The Building Blocks

• Business and Marketing Strategy
• Public Relations Plan
• Working on the Plan
• Elevator Pitch and Executive Summary
• Developing Your Pitch
• Practice Makes Perfect

Session Four: Your Communications Plan

• Introduction
• Selecting Your Communications Destination
• Choosing a Communications Route
• Making Connections
• Establishing a Communications Vehicle
• Developing an Approval Process
• Inbound vs. Outbound: How Can We Help You?

Session Five: The Five C’s of a Successful Message

• Be Clear
• Be Concise
• Be Complete
• Be Correct
• Be Compelling

Session Six: Communication Strategies

• Setting a Goal for Each Communications Piece
• Strengthening Your Core Message

Session Seven: Sharing Information Through Media Releases

• Key Pieces of the Media Release
• Drafting Your Message
• Getting Into It

Session Eight: Communicating Online

• Blogging Tips and Tricks
• Making Connections
• Connecting Through Social Media
• Social Media Plan Worksheet

Session Nine: Using Stories to Communicate

• The Importance of Story
• Tell Me A Story

Session Ten: Polishers and Time Savers

• Communication Fact Sheets
• Getting It Together
• Reduce, Re-Use, and Recycle

Session Eleven: Enhancing Your Results

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Optimizing Our Results
• Taking Your Communication Pulse
• Focusing on the Research
• SWOT Analysis
• Making Connections

Session Twelve: Maintaining Your Message in Crisis

• Recommended Reading List
• Personal Action Plan