This list of small business events, webinars and conferences is brought to you every two weeks as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.
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The Science of Social Media Marketing 2010
November 23, 2010 at 2:00pm EST, Webinar
Join Dan Zarrella, Social Media Marketing Scientist, to learn best practices for spreading your content virally through social media. More and more people are using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to talk about companies and products with their friends and colleagues. Learn what drives people to share information and opinions online and learn scientifically proven best practices for spreading your content virally through social media.
Small Business Saturday
November 27, 2010, Everywhere!
The first-ever Small Business Saturday is November 27, 2010. It’s one day to support the small businesses that are getting our economy going again. American Express is giving registered Cardmembers a $25 statement credit when they shop at small businesses on Small Business Saturday. More information appears on the Small Business Saturday website and also on the Facebook Page. Show YOUR support – buy from small businesses on Saturday, November 27 (and each day)!
Note: American Express is a sponsor of Small Businesses Trends. But we still think you should buy from small businesses. 🙂
Women’s Leadership Exchange Connect with Your Customer Conferences
November 30, 2010, New York City
December 7, 2010, Los Angeles, CA
December 8, 2010, Fort Lauderdale, FL
These exclusive conferences, designed for successful businesses, focus on the leading edge social media and email marketing strategies and tactics to reach new customers and clients and keep the ones you have. You’ll hear from top marketing experts and business owners on what’s working effectively for them. Plus by meeting face-to-face with other business owners/leaders through WLE’s facilitated networking, you’ll have the opportunity to build relationships with new people. Get ready for growing your business in 2010.
Health Care Reform and How It Will Impact Your Business
November 30, 2010, New York City
This Event is Strictly For Business Owners & C-Suite Executives of Established Companies. Discussion Topics to Include:
* What do I need to do now?
* Will this reduce my health insurance costs?
* Will I have more affordable options?
* What are the penalties if I do not offer my employees affordable coverage?
* Am I eligible for the small business premium credit?
* What is a “Grandfathered Plan” and if so, is it valuable to stay grandfathered?
* What is the “Cadillac Tax” and will it affect me?
How to Manage Your Business’ Online Reputation – and Protect Your Bottom Line
December 1, 2010, 1:00pm EST, Webinar
For small businesses, managing online presence and reputation is critical. More and more consumers are turning to the web to find businesses and products, and more consumers (84%) rely on online reviews or “digital word-of-mouth” to make purchase decisions. One bad online review or blog post can devastate a business if it goes unnoticed and unanswered. An inaccurate or absent online listing can mean lost business and lost revenue. And while the digital landscape becomes broader and more complex, small businesses have largely been left behind.
In this webinar, Ryan Fritzky and Brooks McMahon from Marchex will outline the challenges small businesses face managing their digital footprint, the tools and tactics available to help them, and what the future of online presence and reputation management looks like.
Online Marketing: What’s the Right Mix for Your Small Business or Nonprofit?
December 1, 2010, 12:00pm EST, Webinar
Hitting the right audience with the right message means choosing the right medium for your message. Is it traditional, email, search engine optimization (SEO) or social media? In this free webinar you’ll figure out the most cost-efficient and effective media to reach your target audience.
You’ll learn to focus your e-marketing plan — especially SEO and social media — so your message hits the market: Your most likely customers or donors.
Right Selling to the Right People
December 2, 2010 1:00-2:00 PM EST
Do you have enough clients? Do you have the clients you want? This webinar focuses on identifying the best, most desired customers. We also show you a quick, easy-to-use tool for prioritizing hot, qualified leads versus cooler tire kickers. Joe Pessetto and Zach Karr, financial advisors with a successful client practice, will share their approach for attracting referrals, qualifying prospects and closing great, long-term clients.
Zachary Karr and Joe Pessetto, Wells Fargo Advisors and hosts of the popular weekly radio show “Two for the Money” will talk about how they were able to grow their practice while delivering better client service. How? By right selling to the right people.
Weatherhead 100 Awards
December 07, 2010, Mayfield Heights, OH
Join COSE and the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University as they celebrate Northeast Ohio’s fastest growing companies at the prestigious 2010 Weatherhead 2010 Awards Dinner.
Rocked the Recession: Startup the Nation
December 9-10, 2010, Chicago
750 members of Chicago’s entrepreneurial community will gather for a day of speakers and panels designed to give advice and inspiration to entrepreneurs. Sessions will cover starting a business, growing your business, selling, marketing, PR, funding, scaling, building a team, turning ideas into action, branding, creativity, social media, incubators, blogging, viral videos, and more.
How Facebook Creates Leads & a Community: A Real Case Study
December 14, 2010, 10:00am PST, Webinar
Social Media isn’t magic but when you take the right steps it can have a significant impact on your business. In this webinar, we will hear first-hand tips & lessons learned from Dan Kalm, an insurance agent who has seen incredible business results on Facebook. This session will be co-moderated by Clara Shih, author of the bestselling social media book The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Market, Sell, and Innovate & Chris Andrew, small business success manager at Hearsay who has partnered with hundreds of small businesses to help drive their social media success with Hearsay’s award-winning social customer management solution. Our session will be broken into three segments and will cover: The small business opportunity on Facebook; Discussion with Dan about his use of social media & Hearsay; 10 best practices for Facebook pages that result in real growth
Create A “Get Moving” Marketing & Sales Plan for 2011
January 6, 2010 1:00-2:00 PM EST
Want a plan that focuses your time and money? Rather than complex, time-consuming, dust-collecting volumes, you need a plan that gives you structure and flexibility. You need a live guide that you can look to for direction, and also for options. In this webinar we will help you focus on the key actions and key measures that can help you guide your business into the New Year.
SCORE QuickSTART Series Workshops
January 15, 2011 (first of six weekly sessions) Port Charlotte, FL
The six session QuickSTART™ Series workshops for the nascent entrepreneur (0-18 mo in business) will be presented on six consecutive Saturdays beginning January 15, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to noon, at the Mid County Library in Port Charlotte. Attendees will receive an overview of how to launch a new business in Florida. Details Here.
Entrepreneur Magazine’s Growth 2011 Conference
January 20, 2011, Atlanta, GA
* Nearly a dozen hands-on seminars to help your business soar to your highest vision
* Growth strategies from top business authors, radicals and visionaries
* Meet & tweet with host Amy Cosper, editor in chief of Entrepreneur
* Networking throughout the day to build partnerships and connections
* Business growth perspectives from the Entrepreneur of 2010 winners
Tory Johnson’s 2011 Spark & Hustle National Tour
Multiple Dates and Cities Feb-July 2011
Whether you’re just getting your feet wet with this “business thing,” barely keeping your head above water, or finally ready to swim with the sharks, Spark & Hustle is the place to learn (exactly) how to transform your fledgling (or floundering) business into a wildly profitable venture.
To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar.
If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Events & Contests Submission Form (We do not charge a fee to be included in this listing — it is completely free to list your event.) Only events of interest to small business people, freelancers and entrepreneurs will be considered and included.
Could you give a suggestion on a small business that I could support on November 27?
Great question, Martin! Here are a few quick suggestions:
– Buy a book written by an entrepreneur or small business owner. Most books written for small businesses have authors who are small business owners/entrepreneurs themselves. So by buying the book, you are supporting the entrepreneur who wrote it.
– Go out to dinner at an independently owned (not a chain) restaurant.
– Buy a CD or some MP3 songs from an independent musician — musicians are entrepreneurs, too.
– Have some coffee at an independently-owned coffee shop; also buy some bulk coffee, pastries, coffee mugs or anything else they sell.
– Go over to Etsy and order some fun crafts, jewelry or other items from the independent sellers there.
These are just some ideas to get you started!
– Anita
Thanks Anita! I will take your suggestions and add them to the Small Business Saturday post.