Date: Thursday 8/25/2022
Time: 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Format: Online

Fee: No cost due to sponsor support
Sponsor:  College of The Albemarle Small Business Center

Your brand is your handle to open the door to your business, products and services. When you learn how to market your own company brand, you have a more solid foundation to grow your business and have a competitive advantage over your competitors, who have less branding expertise.

You will also gain more expertise to stay focused on your brand, have less brand drift, and better understand your unique brand that will make it easier to make future decisions to grow and scale-up your business.

Gary Heisey with Brand Door will guide through a copyrighted process that consists of 172 pages to create your custom brand marketing plan for 2022.

The process will cover Online Marketing, Website, Best Social Media Choices, Social Media Posting Strategies, Google My Business, Customer Database, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Text Marketing, Print Marketing i.e. rack card, Business Card, Community Partnering, Networking, etc.

Speaker: Gary Heisey – Marketing and Brand Expert with Brand Door

Register Online

Creating Your Brand

Fee: No cost, due to sponsor support
Sponsor: College of The Albemarle Small Business Center

Create Your Brand: Every Business Needs a Good Brand Your brand is more than your name or your logo.

It describes the value you bring to your customers and the experience you strive to give them. A good brand will distinguish your company from its competitors, attract customers, and improve sales.

In this “how to” seminar, you will learn the elements of a good brand and how to create your new brand.

This branding seminar is intended for those starting a new business or for an existing new business owners who only have a name and logo, but not a complete brand. Elements of a good brand include: compelling trademark free name, matching domain name, eye catching logo, connecting tagline, inspiring brand story, strong brand promise, elevator pitch that connects with people, company culture that attracts new customers, right pricing strategy, brand font and colors that work together to “attract” new customers and “retain” existing customers.

Speaker: Gary Heisey Marketing and Brand Expert with Brand Door

Register Online

Date:

BEST PRACTICE: One of the best ways to be found on the Internet to market your business is with Google My Business to attract new customers that can be repeat profitable customers. Until you are Top of Mind in marketing this helps you become Top of Search in Marketing for free.

Prior to Google my Business, you had to consistently work to be found near the top of page one on search. By being listed on Google My Business and learning how to move up in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools, you are near the top of page one in search. Plus, it is free.

According to Google My Business:

1. Makes it easy for your business to be in one, easy-to-use location.
2. Puts your business info on Search, Maps and Google+ so that customers can find you, no matter what device they’re using.
3. Gives customers the right info at the right time, whether that be driving directions to your business in Maps, hours of operations in Search or a phone number they can click to call you on mobile phones.
4. Helps build a loyal fan base. Customers can show their appreciation with ratings and reviews, use the +1 button to endorse your content, and re-share your Google+ posts across the web.

This seminar is good for creating your Google My Business site and for those that “already” have Google My Business that want to move up in Google.

Speaker: Gary Heisey Marketing and Brand Expert with Brand Door

Co-Sponsors: Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce

Click Here to Register

Date: 5/23/2022
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Fee: No cost due to sponsor support

Marketing for the 21st Century small business is more dynamic and challenging than ever. Discover how to most effectively and efficiently use the many marketing tools available.

Gain insights to understand and reach your customer, analyze your industry and business environment and differentiate between branding, advertising, and grassroots marketing techniques.

Explore the components of an effective marketing plan in this comprehensive seminar.

Speaker: Gary Heisey Marketing and Brand Expert with Brand Door

Co-Sponsors: Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce

Click Here to Register

Note: Must Take Part One to Take Part Two

A brand is more than a name and logo. It is the perception that people have in their mind about a company, product or service that attracts them to you. Marketing a brand is like a 6-cylinder engine. If all 6-cylinders are not working together, one does not get the full power from the engine. Having only a website, business card and social media is like only having 3 cylinders. You do not get the full power from the brand.

Can the Market Your Brand Workshop help you with your market your company, product or service?

Take this self-test. You get one point for each that fits your company.
___ Healthy Increases in Annual Sales
___ High Profit Margins 
___ Top of Search – Page 1 on Google My Business with a 4.5-5 Star Rating and High Number of Reviews
___ Branded Mobile-Friendly Website with High Traffic Numbers
___ Top Of Mind  (When people think of your business category your name pops into their mind.)
___ Branded Social Media Platform with High Number of Likes & Followers
___ Branded Content Strategy (know and use key words that attract customers)
___ Branded Collateral Material (all printed materials are current and effective i.e. business card)
___ Use Brand Pivot Point in Making Marketing Decisions
___ Have and use a Customer Database to Market the Brand
___ Market to all 3 Stages in the Customer Cycle (Prospect, 1st Time Customer and Repeat Customer)
___ Use Brand Tagline in all Online and Print Marketing Materials
___ Branded Advertising Specialties (all promotional materials are current and effective i.e. tee-shirts)
___ Branded Company Spaces (promote brand in offices, lobby, store front, hallways, bathroom, etc.)
___ Branded External and Internal Signage (use signage to promote brand and it is current)
___ Total
If you have a score of less than 14, the Market Your Brand Workshop can help create a plan to better Market Your Brand.

Bonus: Workshop comes with a 171 Page Market Your Brand Workbook that is downloadable and fillable

Speaker: Gary Heisey, Brand and Marketing Expert with Brand Door

Sponsors: Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce

Register Online

Market Your Brand (Part 1 of 2)

A brand is more than a name and logo. It is the perception that people have in their mind about a company, product or service that attracts them to you. Marketing a brand is like a 6-cylinder engine. If all 6-cylinders are not working together, one does not get the full power from the engine. Having only a website, business card and social media is like only having 3 cylinders. You do not get the full power from the brand.

Can the Market Your Brand Workshop help you with your market your company, product or service?

Take this self-test. You get one point for each that fits your company.
___ Healthy Increases in Annual Sales
___ High Profit Margins 
___ Top of Search – Page 1 on Google My Business with a 4.5-5 Star Rating and High Number of Reviews
___ Branded Mobile-Friendly Website with High Traffic Numbers
___ Top Of Mind  (When people think of your business category your name pops into their mind.)
___ Branded Social Media Platform with High Number of Likes & Followers
___ Branded Content Strategy (know and use key words that attract customers)
___ Branded Collateral Material (all printed materials are current and effective i.e. business card)
___ Use Brand Pivot Point in Making Marketing Decisions
___ Have and use a Customer Database to Market the Brand
___ Market to all 3 Stages in the Customer Cycle (Prospect, 1st Time Customer and Repeat Customer)
___ Use Brand Tagline in all Online and Print Marketing Materials
___ Branded Advertising Specialties (all promotional materials are current and effective i.e. tee-shirts)
___ Branded Company Spaces (promote brand in offices, lobby, store front, hallways, bathroom, etc.)
___ Branded External and Internal Signage (use signage to promote brand and it is current)
___ Total
If you have a score of less than 14, the Market Your Brand Workshop can help create a plan to better Market Your Brand.

Bonus: Workshop comes with a 171 Page Market Your Brand Workbook that is downloadable and fillable

Speaker: Gary Heisey, Brand and Marketing Expert with Brand Door

Sponsors: Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce

Register Online

Date:

A business plan can be the most important tool a small business owner has. Learn how to turn your ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success or grow your business to the next level.

This seminar teaches you the important components of a business plan and helps you lay the foundation for a winning plan. Find out how marketing, operations, and finance are interrelated. Fund out how to identify your customers and reach them. Find out how to come up with the best pricing strategies and prices for your products and services. Find out how to find capital to start or grow your business.

Discover how a business plan is used by potential lenders, the dos and don’ts of writing a plan and steps for making the process easy. This seminar is designed for new and established business owners.

Seminar comes with:  28 page down loadable fillable Business Plan Workbook

Speaker: Gary Heisey Marketing and Branding Expert with Brand Door

Sponsors: Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce

Register Online

A flowchart of three arrows and words representing customer lifecycling, with the words Prospects, Customers, Advocates, symbolizing the process of turning a prospect into a customer, then into someone who will advocate for the business to attract new consumers

Date: 1/27/2022
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Cost: No cost due to sponsor support

Format: Online with Zoom

Understand the basics of starting a business in this seminar that takes you from idea to opportunity.

Learn key strategies for start-up, financing and marketing as well as important information about legal issues, licensing, zoning, operations and more.

Realize the importance of a self-assessment and how to evaluate the feasibility of your business idea. Discover the resources available to help you start and successfully operate your business.

Speaker: Gary Heisey Marketing and Branding Expert with Brand Door

Sponsors: Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce

Register Online

Date: January 20, 2022
Time: 9:00-11:00am
Fee: No cost due to sponsor support
Format: Online with Zoom

Companies face a landscape disrupted by a pandemic: HR staffing issues, supply chain shortages, shift in consumer purchasing patterns, new business models, revenue disruptions and new applications of tech to name a few. Is your business prepared to be more successful in 2022?

The seminar will start with a 10 question business success self-test to help you look at your business’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for growth.

Learn what experts with Forbes, Inc, Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Social Media Today, Hubspot, Forrester, etc. are sharing how to be more successful in 2022. Now is the time to get ready.

By getting ready now, you will create a “new competitive advantage” for your business to start the year. Being proactive is a better business management strategy than one of reacting.

Speaker: Gary Heisey, Marketing and Branding Expert with Brand Door

Gary Heisey is the marketing and branding expert with his company Brand Door and has a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship. Gary teaches Small Business Center classes, serves as the Executive Director for the Mission Accelerator Business Program and is the incoming Executive Director for the Henderson County Leadership Program.

Gary has personally taught over 600 business seminars, facilitated over 20 business conferences and assisted over 1,000 start-ups, growth and scale-up companies with management advice, branding, marketing, social media, access to capital, and business planning.

Sponsors: Davidson-Davie Community College Small Business Center, Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce

This zoom presentation will require a second registration on zoom. Please look for a link in reminder emails. You may want to check SPAM prior to the event for these emails. Please plan to log on early to make sure that you have the information needed to access this event.

Zoom workshop to provide business assessment to move forward to a better 2022

Register Online