I am not a social media expert. I’m a guy who has tried and failed and tried and succeeded over the last year in my efforts to build a brand. Lately I’ve been asked to share my story at events, seminars and have been asked to do some private consulting. I love teaching. As a youth pastor, I taught large and small groups of students for six years. As a guitar teacher, I taught as many as 25 students weekly, and taught regularly for eight years. As a marketing executive at the largest US bank, I teach, train, and manage projects for the company intranet. Because of the interest in my story, I’ve partnered with local networking site, LaunchPadINW to put together five classes that I will be teaching over the next several months.

Inspired by the analogy given by Rick Bakas of Bakas Media, the classes will cover the strategies that I’ve learned and observed over the last year. Using myself and others as real world case studies, we’ll walk through the process of creating a strategy, understanding the tools, developing content, building a following, and harvesting the social currently for increased revenue and/or decreased expense. Social media tools are best used as integration and supplement to your existing marketing strategy. Take the classes that most fit what you need. Move beyond the theory and start planting the seeds of success.

The Classes

PART 1: Planting the Seeds for Social Media Success ($39)

CLICK HERE to RSVP for the for the class on January 26

Take the steps to plant a healthy vineyard of social media vines. Proper placement, planning and strategy can help your future harvest return a greater yield.

Are you looking for ways to get ahead, reach more customers and generate more revenue? He who has the most relationships wins. Statistics say that 50% of Facebook users and nearly 70% of Twitter users are more likely to BUY product from someone they follow or ‘like’. It’s time to move beyond the theory and 101 courses into some serious real world examples. Learn how to integrate social media tools into your engagement strategy. Plant the seeds that will yield a harvest of social media success.

Follow the story of Nectar Tasting Room, Spokane Wine Magazine and other real world case studies who have successfully implemented social media strategies to build or enhance a brand.

• 10 ways social media can benefit your business
• Build your followership and start developing your online currency
• Tips for converting your existing brand to an online presence
• Finding your online voice
• Facebook: Should you like me or be my friend
• Twitter: Understand the language
• Five no brainers that will have immediate impact
• Learn the three pronged approach to success, Commitment, Content and Caring!

Part Two: Cultivate Your Online Identity ($39)

Now that you’ve planted the seeds of success, learn how to engage your audience and build brand ambassadors. Walk through the 7 rules of engagement, leverage the opt in economy, and how you can measure conversation and brand mentions. 90 minute class

Part Three: Harvest Your ROI by Cashing In Your Online Currency ($49)

The fruit is ready and the harvest is here. Learn practical ways to cash in on the online currency you have developed. Develop strategies to track your efforts and take steps to reduce your traditional media advertising. 60 minute class

Using Twitter to Make your Business Fly ($29)

Understand the language and harness the power of this often misunderstood platform. We’ll walk through the basics of creating an account, learning the terms (@, mentions, DM, re-tweet, favorites, hashtags, etc), and how to grow a following. The class will also cover the powerful Twitter search engine and how you can use it to keep track of conversations that relate to your business in your area. 90 minute class.

Blogging for Better Business ($49)

Blogging showcases your knowledge base, builds credibility, creates traffic, and increases your search engine optimization and marketing. Learn how to establish and build a business blog from the ground up. Turn your blog into a full blown web site. Develop a strategy for content and learn how to maximize the SEO of each new post. 90 minute class.

Presenter Profile

Josh Wade is the owner of Nectar Tasting Room and Spokane Wine Magazine. Exclusively using social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and a blog, Josh built a brand and a following for a business that did not yet exist. Through the relationships built in social media, Josh was able to build a following of 4,000 people (on Facebook and Twitter) and grow NectarWineBlog into one of the most successful wine blogs in the country. These efforts lead to the launch of Spokane Wine Magazine and Nectar Tasting Room in downtown Spokane. Josh’s wine blog receive nearly 10,000 unique visitors per month and he is ranked in top 3 of social media users in Spokane, top 5 wine blogs in the Northwest and top 25 in the country.