Jewelry designer and goldsmith Brett Garrett targets his creations to a narrow audience, but he uses social media to reach millions in order to communicate with potential customers. And it’s working: he has a current base of 990 Twitter followers, up from 45 in October.
Garrett is an example of a small local entrepreneur who’s making full use of the worldwide trend known as social media marketing—and he largely attributes his growth to a non-credit course he completed at Pellissippi State Community College.
“Social Media Marketing Workshop for Business” is a popular class led by instructor Mark Schaefer, an award-winning author and educator who also teaches graduate courses in social media marketing for Rutgers University. Garrett says he was not only pleased with the skills he learned from Schaefer but also impressed by the instructor’s encouragement.
“I had read books saying that you can’t make it online,” said Garrett. “Mark easily convinced me that’s not at all true. I target high-end retail with my designs, not wholesale to merchants. It’s all about getting others to talk about you. Social media is powerful, and Mark showed me how I can do this on my own.”
The four-part, hands-on workshop places special focus on developing an appropriate strategy for using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube as marketing platforms for any business. Students need only a basic understanding of the internet and Web navigation to benefit from the class.
Pellissippi State offers “Social Media Marketing” this March on Tuesdays. Classes begin on March 8 and continue through March 29. Session hours are 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Cost is $189 and a total of .8 CEUs (continuing education units) are available. All sessions meet at the Pellissippi Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road.
For information on this or other courses offered through Pellissippi State’s Business and Community Services, visit www.pstcc.edu/bcs or call (865) 539-7167.