Learning Lab

Looking to gain brand exposure, find new customers and develop a loyal clientele? Digital marketing is an indispensable tool for business owners today, but the competition for an online audience is fierce and marketing technology is changing rapidly. This workshop series will teach you how to effectively implement and manage a digital marketing strategy to reach your target audience – using powerful tools that are available for free online.

All sessions will take place virtually on Zoom on Wednesday evenings. Businesses may choose to join any sessions they would like.

Sessions:*
* September 25: Digital Footprint
* October 2: SEO & Website Optimization
* October 9: Content Marketing
* October 16: Email Marketing
* October 23: Social Media
* October 30: Metrics for Success

Outcomes For Participants:*
* Essential tools for building and assessing your digital marketing strategy
* An understanding of SEO, email and social media marketing
* A data-driven approach to monitoring your marketing efforts
* A roadmap for future digital marketing plans

Any interested businesses who completed the registration form after September 24, please email Taylor Novick-Finder (taylor@madeinnyc.org) for Zoom details.

Forging relationships with bigger brands can be intimidating, and for smaller businesses, it’s difficult to know where to start. These partnerships can be a game changer for up-and-coming brands looking to expand their distribution channels and sales opportunities. In this interactive workshop series, makers work together over three weeks to assess their business’ strengths and weaknesses and build a roadmap to create marketing opportunities through working with other brands. This is a deep-dive opportunity to openly discuss, ideate, get feedback, and strategize on collaboration strategies.

All sessions will take place virtually on Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Businesses must commit to all six sessions to participate.

Outcomes For Participants:
* Identification of potential collaboration partners
* Deep assessment of business strength and weaknesses
* Custom strategies and action plans for identified collaboration partners, along with methods to replicate collaboration opportunities with other partners down the line

This intensive one-day workshop opens with a quick refresher on the basics of digital marketing strategy covered in the six-part Digital Marketing Strategy series, including SEO, email and social media. It then dives deep into advanced tools and strategies, followed by interactive modules to explore and assess your current digital marketing strategy. Through collaboration and using free and low-cost tools available online, participants will build their own comprehensive digital marketing action plan by the end of the session.

This workshop intensive will take place virtually on Zoom on Wednesday, November 20 from 4pm to 8pm.

Made in NYC’s Digital Marketing Strategy workshop series is a pre-requisite for this workshop.

In our increasingly volatile world, business collaborations are becoming more and more important to build networks, respond to changes in markets and innovate/diversity in offerings. Implementing strategic collaboration plans in global uncertainty calls for continuing tactical interventions, to better realize/adjust short & long term goals.

This program aims to advance collaboration efforts of businesses through 1-1 advisory, group ideation and work sessions. Businesses must attend “Strategic Collaborations” prior to joining this program and must commit to all 5 weeks.
This will be a 4-session workshop series and participation in all sessions is required. The workshops will take place in-person at the Pratt Institute Brooklyn campus in Clinton Hill in early 2025.

*Outcomes For Participants *
* Revising strategic plans to identify opportunities tailored to collaboration partners, ideating solutions for areas that need troubleshooting
* Identifying business actions to advance collaboration efforts
* Identifying strategic tactics within active or prospective collaborations

Week 1 | Group Workshop
Date: January 28, 2025 Time: 8:30am - 10:30am

Week 2 - 4 | 1-1 Consultations
Date: February 3 - Feb 21, 2025
Time: Available times to be shared in week 1

Week 5 | 1-1 Group Workshop
Date: Feb 25, 2025 Time: 8:30am - 10:30am

Registration will be made available in early January, 2025. Previous participation in Made in NYC’s Marketing Collaborations workshop series is a pre-requisite for this program.

This 5-part workshop series equips you with the skills to build a website that attracts customers and grows your business. From understanding the basics of SEO to claiming your digital domain to website design, we’ll guide you through every facet of website creation, ensuring that your online presence stands out. Learn about the different, cost-effective website platforms, finding one that fits your budget. Classes are interactive and provide one-on-one support throughout, ensuring you leave feeling confident and empowered.

The first two classes will take place over Zoom, followed by three classes in-person at Pratt Institute’s Manhattan campus on W 14th St.

*Outcomes For Participants *
* Develop a clear website strategy aligned with your business goals.
* Create a visually appealing website using proven design and branding principles
* Understand cost-effective website hosting/platform solutions.
* Learn SEO basics to improve search ranking and increase organic traffic.
* Understanding of basic website analytics.
* Gain confidence to maintain your own website on an ongoing basis.

This workshop series will take place in early 2025. Dates and registration will be announced in early January, 2025.

This 3.5 hour workshop intensive will support entrepreneurs in developing an appropriate mood and accessible language to market to their prospective audience. As you lockdown the complexity of your mission statement into a digestible, concise paragraph you will reflect on your passion points— that are at the very foundation of your business—and understand who you will best serve. You will also consider being accessible in your reach and explore creative prompts to build an awareness of unspoken language. By better understanding your business’ value in the industry, you will be able to create or revamp the messaging you would like others to receive to grow your business.

*Outcomes For Participants *
* Have the space to ponder the mission of your business and the value you add to that mission as owner
* Work collaboratively with facilitator and peers to brainstorm your business advantage over competitors, and research competitors in your trade that can impact your business
* Writing workshop time to organize, edit and construct your mission
* Competitive analysis of your competitors’ strength and weaknesses to inform your business choices
* Business storytelling guidance to develop the art of explaining yourself, your business and reaching your audience and future employees, suppliers, vendors, etc.
* Considering how you can take steps to make your business more accessible through your branding choices
* Create art responses where words may not yet be developed to help better understand what motivates you and what worries you in this process

Dates and registration will be announced in early January, 2025.