The Danville Office of Economic Development & Tourism (DOEDT) celebrated the graduation of 12 businesses for “Can You Hear Me Now?!: Marketing Workshop for Small Businesses” on June 17.

The workshop was held in partnership with Leterpress Communications and the Longwood Small Business Development Center over a course of six weeks and focused on relevant marketing techniques, including communications, visual branding, videography, photography, and digital advertising. The training was free and open to any business owner within the city of Danville, with an active business license.

 “I am proud of this group of small business owners for taking the time out of their busy schedules to strengthen their marketing strategies and take their business to the next level,” says DOEDT Project Manager, Samantha Bagbey. “I am looking forward to connecting with more businesses as our office seeks to provide relevant, beneficial programming throughout the city.” 

Participating businesses included: 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co., B and B Travel Getaways, Danville Paint and Supply, Justus Chalking It Up, Kegerreis Digital Marketing, Mélange Productions, Once Upon a Child Danville, Patrick Gibson Photography LLC, Rippe’s, River District Social, S. Jones Photography, and Valkyrie Aerial Acrobatics LLC. 

“My husband, Winston, and I have thoroughly enjoyed this marketing workshop,” says Vice President, Once Upon a Child Danville, Whitney Harrell. “We are appreciative of this opportunity to learn new ways to communicate with our target audience and attract new clients to our store, Once Upon a Child Danville. We enjoyed meeting and networking with other small businesses during this time.” 

“I think the best part about the workshop was how empowered it made me feel to take the marketing side of my business to the next level,” says Will Justus, owner of Justus Chalking It Up.

“Not only did this class take a deep dive into the analytics of social media and advertising, giving us strategies to implement, it also created a welcoming space to network and get to know some other great businesses in the area interested in growing together. The City of Danville does such a wonderful job uplifting its small businesses with resources like this, and I can’t wait for the next opportunity.” 

Each participant received a free one-year subscription to Canva Pro and a one-on-one consultation session on a selected marketing topic with Leterpress Communications. Businesses are encouraged to follow the DOEDT’s social media channels to learn more about upcoming events and trainings.