Rogers-Lowell Area News

Successful blogging and website classes available this fall at NTI Business & Industry

Two classes being offered a second time at NTI Business & Industry will help local small businesses and organizations prepare for a stronger 2018 business year. An effective and professional online presence is vital for communicating with current and potential clients and learning the best practices for website content and basic corporate blogging principles are the first steps in mastering online content marketing.

NTIBI is partnering with Jamie Smith, owner of the writing services business Jamie’s Notebook, to offer “The Basics of Website Content” Sept.6 and “Simplifying the Art of Business Blogging” on Oct. 10. Both classes will be 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the NTIBI campus (the Collegiate Center at 1540 Ford Ave. in Springdale). Each class is $49 per person. Contact instructor Jamie Smith (jamie@jamiesnotebook.com) to learn more about registration.

“These classes are designed to empower the small business owner or nonprofit organization to improve their online communication and grow their audiences,” Smith said. “With the new year rapidly approaching, now is the time to get these key components of your marketing plan in place and up to par.”

While businesses and organizations are the usual target audience for these workshops, writers wanting to learn a new niche that could possibly grow their income potential would also benefit, she added.

Gretchen Sawyer, program manager at NTI Business & Industry, agreed that the courses will provide unique professional development and business growth opportunities for the end of 2017 and going into 2018.
“Part of our purpose is to provide classes that help those in business and industry to grow their business and be more effective,” she said.

The course descriptions are as follows:

The Basics of Website Content
Whether you’re creating your own website or providing content for your website designer, it’s important for a small business owner to understand what makes a good website.

This course will include:
• A website checklist-what each website should include
• Best practices for writing each page
• Suggested industry-specific pages
• Writing tips for online audiences
• Developing an individual site plan with ideas for content

Simplifying the Art of Business Blogging
Have you been told you need a blog to attract attention to your website and business? Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts.

This seminar will simplify how to make that happen so you can get on your way to better business success. The information will help small business owners either be prepared to start a business blog or will help them understand what to look for in a blog written by a freelance writer.

Simplifying the Art of Business Blogging is designed to teach the basics of blogging for a business including:
• Why a business should have a blog
• How to decide if you should do your blog in-house or outsource it
• Planning your business blog
• What to write about
• Best practices for formatting
• Best practices for writing
• Tips for success, including how to integrate into your overall sales and marketing plan.

Both classes will have hands-on activities.

About NTI Business & Industry
NTIB has special expertise in industrial maintenance training, and offer endless courses in leadership and personal development classes. They are able to customize most classes to meet individual client needs. Their mission is:
• To establish a core curriculum based on the needs of Northwest Arkansas businesses and industries, focusing on 'hands-on/skill-based' training.
• To provide and improve training opportunities for existing employees and employers in the areas of industry-specific employment skills and advanced technologies.
• To promote careers and career development for the Northwest Arkansas community.
• To promote a solid work ethic among its students/employees.
• To improve the quality of the workforce.

About Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith of Jamie’s Notebook gives companies and organizations “a voice with the written word.” Her mission is to help businesses and organizations discover and express their passion and purpose through the content they produce.
Jamie has become well-known in Northwest Arkansas and surrounding area for her ability to create content that informs, inspires and enlightens. As well as leading seminars for organizations, she offers one-on-one consulting on the fine art of writing online.