Starting Monday, the city of Cortez will host a series of four digital marketing classes for members of the community who are interested in learning more about growing their business. Classes are free.
The series is being put on by the Cortez Community and Economic Development Team. According to Helen West, community and economic development specialist, the classes were also made possible by the Community Business Preservation grant that was awarded to the city from the state in 2024.
When the city applied for the grant, they submitted the application with the help of six local businesses. When the city was awarded the grant, the participating businesses were awarded infrastructure or business improvement dollars to be administered through the city.
As part of the grant, the city can host courses based on what the six awarded businesses want to learn to grow and improve their business. Though it is tailored to the awarded businesses, anyone who wishes to attend is welcome to join.
Classes are Monday, Feb. 10. Following classes will be Feb. 24, March 10 and March 24. Each will be 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., with virtual and in-person options available. In-person classes are at City Hall, 123 Roger Smith Ave., and breakfast will be included.
Preregistration is required, though the event is free. On Feb. 10, the class is titled “Communicating Your Why: Creating a Magnetic Brand Identity.”
The Feb. 24 class will cover “developing a winning marketing strategy,” and the March 10 class will teach students to make their website their “most valuable team member.”
The March 24 class is “Demystifying SEO.”
“I’m personally really excited about the ‘Demystifying SEO’ search engine optimization because that feels so overwhelming,” West said. “I’m excited to learn more about SEO. I will be at all of them, but that one I’m really looking forward to.”
Participants my join any number of the classes.
“The first one on the 10th is really understanding the difference between branding and marketing, to dive into messaging theory and learn how to create your brand,” West said. “If a business already has their brand and feel like they’re a well established brand, they don’t need to go to the Feb. 10 meeting.”
The registration link for Feb. 10 is can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/2kh3zbpe. In-person registration will use https://tinyurl.com/CT-marketing.
The registration link for the other dates are available upon request. Direct questions to West at hwest@cortezco.gov.
