Workshop to Offer Small-Business Owners Advice on Marketing

Promotion, promotion, promotion.

That, said Joseph Huggins, director of the Gold Coast Small Business Development Center in Ventura, is a key ingredient for a successful business venture.

Huggins will be offering tips on promoting local enterprises in his “How to Market Your Small Business” workshop Wednesday at the development center. The presentation is part of a series of workshops aimed at helping small businesses in Ventura County.

“For local businesses, it’s a good idea to go to some of the chamber meetings, be visible at networking groups,” Huggins said. “At our last workshop, a woman from Ventura County came to the class looking to start up a CPA-type of business. At the workshop she picked up three clients.”

Huggins said the workshop will cover different approaches to promoting businesses, including advertising in trade journals; direct advertising such as telemarketing; incentive advertising, in which a business offers discounts and other benefits to prospective customers, and word-of-mouth advertising.

In addition to promotion, the workshop will cover market research, identifying target markets, product development, pricing philosophies and strategies and channels of distribution.

“Promotion will be at the heart of the presentation,” he said. “But in general, it will be a broad discussion on the basics of marketing.”

The workshop will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Small Business Development Center, 5700 Ralston St., Suite 310. The cost is $10. Call 658-2688 for reservations.