Teacher of Social Media Masterclass: Branding Yourself Online

Student reviews:

"Trainer Penelope was excellent. She was patient, handled the group really well and gave us some good practical tips and advice as well."

Julie-Anne Rogers

"A great informal, intimate workshop. Lots of opportunity to ask questions and learn from others."

- John Taylor

"Very informative but fun :). Would definitely recommend it."

Karen Au Yeung

"Very good, instructor knowledgeable and communicates well. Suggest having follow up events to help us move to the next level."

- Lynne Klapecki

Class overview (via Classie)

Social media is not a fad - it's the biggest change in the way we communicate since the invention of the printing press. People rely more and more on these platforms every day, for entertainment, interpersonal relationships, for news, employment, business, customer service - pretty much everything.

When it comes to creating an online identity, the lines between personal and professional are becoming pretty blurry - some companies use their social media to provide personal, casual, behind-the-curtain customer service, and some individuals use social media as their own personal empire, creating a career out of their own personality. Businesses foster loyalty with people who follow them, allowing a return to genuine grass-roots marketing, and bloggers end up with book deals based solely on the humour in their Tweets.

Did you know that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook and Twitter is grandparents and 80% of companies now use Linkedin as their primary hiring tool? This workshop is especially designed to allow you a better understanding of social media and how to use it to your advantage - no matter what you’re logging on for. If you’re representing a business, promoting an event, writing your first novel, job-hunting, publicizing your own personality or just looking to keep in touch, we’ll help you master social media from the ground up.

Your instructor Penelope works for one of Australia’s largest digital publishers and relies heavily on various social media platforms in her work. Over the course of the workshop, you’ll learn the secrets of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn - as well as a few extra hints about services that will benefit your social media usage. Penelope sets the pace based on each group’s dynamic - even if you need help setting up accounts, that’s where you’ll start.

Some of the topics Penelope will cover include: good and bad examples - from business to celebrities, linking your accounts, privacy settings, giving accounts a certain tone, the importance of posting different content for various platforms, timing your posts for maximum views, gaining followers, reaching out to influential accounts, customer service via Twitter and Facebook, and even that all-important 21st century life skill: dealing with trolls.

Beginners are welcome at any of our sessions, but you may want to choose one of our "Level 1 - Absolute Beginners" sessions where the main focus will be social media for personal use, getting started with accounts, learning about the difference in platforms, and launching your small business or brand into the social media world.

If you've already got your accounts set up know a bit about what's what, you're ready to take "the next step." Come along to one of our Level 2 classes and learn about what you may be missing, combining your accounts to save time, the best platforms for your specific demographic, Facebook advertising and deciphering likes, engagement, virality and other metrics to effectively track your social ROI.

From bloggers to brands, budding comedians to small business owners - if you’re not making the most of your social media, these workshops are an absolute must.

Participants will need to bring along their laptop (and charger, just in case) and will also use their smartphone. You must have data/internet access on your phone, but wifi is provided for the laptops.