Ten Graduate SMARTS 2.0 in Russell Springs
RUSSELL SPRINGS, KY – Some Southern Kentucky business owners went back to school in May to learn how social media management and online marketing could help grow their businesses.
Ten men and women, in various stages of business development, completed Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED’s) 12-hour course – SMARTS 2.0 at the Lake Cumberland Area Development District. The course is designed to help entrepreneurs navigate, simplify and utilize social media, online marketing and more to advance their businesses in an ever-changing digital economy.
Owlet Furniture owner Jeff Vanhook traveled from Rockcastle County to take the course. He said the class was helpful in getting his Google Maps addresses correct for both locations of his business.
“I learned how to work on my Google profile for both locations and how to track insights separately,” he said following the graduation.
Robin Brown, with Trifecta Houseboats, said she enjoyed all aspects of the course. “This class has helped me to understand how important a presence on social media is to my company,” Brown said. “It’s also inexpensive.”
Other graduates include: David Phillips, of Hospice of Lake Cumberland; Sasha Gossett, with Hospice of Lake Cumberland; Jo Carpenter, with Timber Point Resort; Tyler Matney with Neat Companies; Tammy Banks, of MedPlus Staffing; Loretta Johnson, of Indiview Media; Judy Hachey and Gwen Landis, with the Lake Cumberland ADD.
The three-hour, four-session course is concentrated on utilization of the internet to
increase a greater customer base and make online marketing easier and more successful. The program is focused on existing and startup businesses. Topics covered include: getting found online, utilizing Google and social media for advertising, building a website and building an online brand.
SKED Small Business Training Director Amanda Kelly teaches the classes, along with Small Business Training Specialist Kyle Smith. Kelly, who also teaches SKED’s Entrepreneurial SMARTS small business training program and leads LINK Southeast Kentucky, developed SMARTS 2.0 as a way to give SKED’s Entrepreneurial SMARTS graduates a follow-up course, if you will, to the small business training class.
Kelly said the students in the Russell Springs class were eager to learn. “This class came ready to learn,” Kelly said. “I hope the lessons shared are helpful to their businesses’ growth and success in the coming years.”
Future SMARTS 2.0 courses are currently being planned to cater to local small business owners’ needs. For more information about 2.0, contact Amanda Kelly at . For more information about SKED, visit: www.southeastkentucky.com.
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Formed 32 years ago by Fifth District Congressman Hal Rogers to create jobs in Southeast Kentucky, the economic development organization, based in Somerset, serves a 45-county region in Kentucky. Staff works with business owners, small and large, throughout its service area to identify financing solutions to fund their location, expansion and working capital needs.
