Marketing/Public Relations Training and Workshops

Because of growing client demand, we now offer customized workshops for best business practices and career growth and development.

Instructor Mara Woloshin has taught at several Oregon universities since 1989 and is a member of the National Speakers Association. Through her personalized workshops, she has helped numerous Pacific Northwest businesses and individuals achieve success.

For booking and pricing information, please email workshops@woloshin.com.

Simple Steps to Funding and Sustaining Your Business In Oregon

Ensure that your business is resilient and sustainable. Many small business owners and managers are not aware of the many financial resources - from outright grants to low interest loans - that are available statewide. And many small businesses operators are not aware of inexpensive or free training to ensure continued professional and staff development.

While many small businesses professionals have expert knowledge of their products or services, many lack the knowledge of where to even locate tools for basic business set up, operations and planning - one of the major reasons so many businesses fail. Yet Oregon's economy is based on small businesses, which provides up to 80% of the jobs in our state.

The hidden Oregon "treasures" in this workshop include:

Sources of business funding
Grant sources for short-term consultants to help build your business
How to access Oregon's many business incentives
(like tax credits and "forgivable" loans)
Simple tools and templates for efficient daily business operations
Sources of inexpensive (and sometimes free) professional development for owners who want to enhance their own learning and grow staff expertise
Formulas for ensuring that you are making a true profit
How to use 30 minutes and the TIME TM formula for small business planning and success

Successful Job Search in a Recession

Downsized, laid off or seeking first-time employment? Acquiring a career-building job in a down market is not for the passive or the faint-of-heart. In this economic climate, fear is not the answer. This hands-on workshop will teach you successful job-search tools to apply to the most important campaign you will ever be involved with - your own career.

If you are facing a layoff or want to change jobs, this interactive workshop offers a wealth of career-focused practical job search tactics, including:

Skills assessment
Specific job search techniques, based on your years in the workforce
A strategy to transform your job search into a successful and satisfying career pathway

From those entering the market to the first time to senior managers, participants in this workshop will leave with a specific and individualized plan for successful job search.

Write, Right Now!®

Writing is an essential job function, yet many of us get "stuck" in day-to-day writing assignments. This is a new and fun way to learn the writing tools to make letters, reports, speeches, and other written projects an easy and enjoyable part of your job. In this one-day workshop you will learn how to produce concise, clear writing.

Shoestring Marketing

We all face challenges accomplishing our marketing goals with limited resources. However, there are simple ways to maximize and leverage your business marketing effort without going over budget. Best of all, it is possible to effectively and successfully market your business while you (and your staff) carry out other day-to-day job responsibilities.

Are you're spending lots of time and dollars developing fancy advertising, snazzy websites and elaborate marketing packets and still don't have the customer base to show for it? Or are you just too busy doing your business to market at all?

Learn the best practices and some "insider" tricks and tools that you can use to hone your message and reach your yet-to-be discovered group of customers and clients. Find out how to reach targeted audiences who just haven't seen or heard your message in a way that moves them to action.

You will learn techniques that successful marketers use to:

Identify your most likely customers
Conduct a quick, inexpensive market analysis to craft your message for maximum effect
Match the promotional and marketing tools you use with your audience
Practice "non-marketing" marketing to create positive experiences to retain and foster repeat customers (and referrals).
Integrate successful marketing tactics with the other day-to-day activities of your business

Relationship Marketing and Successful Values-Driven Outreach

Since the 1980's, organizations have increasingly looked to evoke permanent behavioral changes in targeted audiences by employing a unique combination of outreach techniques. These techniques became the foundation for what is now called relationship marketing. These techniques employ both carefully planned uses of media and other public relations tools, with strategic interpersonal activity and involvement in community-based programs. The most noted relationship marketing campaigns may be found in the healthcare arena and are responsible for the dramatic decrease in smoking in adults and teens in the United States. Relationship marketing is now commonly used in outreach campaigns on effective parenting, in literacy programs, as well as other numerous health and wellness campaigns.

Relationship marketing is based more on education and training to effect behavioral changes rather than persuasion. In order to take place, relationship marketing is dependent upon groups and organizations discovering shared values. When this takes place, targeted audiences are far more likely to be receptive to learning and change.

The goal of any relationship marketing campaign is to build a bond between targeted audiences and the organization by demonstrating and leveraging the benefits of reciprocal interaction. The more positive and rewarding the relationship between the company (or organization) and the audience, the more likely (and quickly) it is that the intended behavioral change will occur.

This workshop will offer case studies in relationship, values-driven marketing. Handouts will be provided for the creation of individualized plans.