Digital Content Strategy Consultants
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Pod Chat | Upcoming Events

Come see the Four Peas in person at one of our upcoming events!

Let’s Get Together

When we can look in each other’s eyes and share our stories, we can all be heard.

 

Upcoming Events with the Peas

We are always looking for ways to educate others about the foundational aspects of marketing as well as the latest trends in the industry. Check out where the Peas will be dropping some knowledge next!

Wishing you could get the Peas to speak at your next event or help educate decision makers in your organization? We’d love to chat about it with you.


Get alerts for our Pod Chat-Live! events, upcoming public speaking events, and hear our insights, opinions, and recommendations in our periodic emails.

 

Apr
3
8:30 AM08:30

Managing Your Company's Website - CVTC Continuing Education

  • CVTC EC Business Education Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

If you’re in charge of maintaining or updating your company’s website, this session is made for you! We’ll talk through your questions, some of the features available in most website content management systems, and some common issues you’ll run into and how to navigate them like a pro.

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How to Build a Marketing Plan - Western Dairyland Women's Business Conference
Oct
25
3:00 PM15:00

How to Build a Marketing Plan - Western Dairyland Women's Business Conference

For small business owners and marketers, building a marketing plan can seem daunting. It’s such a huge function, covering everything from the myriad advertising options out there to email campaigns, sales pitches, customer experience, and referral programs. Where do you even start? In fact, most small businesses don’t have a marketing plan. Why?

  1. Planning takes time, and that's something most small businesses don't have in abundance.

  2. Plans can quickly become outdated.

  3. It’s easier to just try a few (probably “free”) things you’ve heard about or are comfortable doing yourself, see if that works, and hope for the best.

If you're working without a plan, do any of these sound familiar?

  • You’re doing what’s easy for YOU, not what’s best to reach your ideal customer (do you know who this is?).

  • You’re always reacting—to competitors, to social trends, or to a shiny new technology.

  • You’re not sure what to say or how to craft a message that will resonate.

  • You aren’t sure what is a realistic goal to reach, or how to measure when you’ve gotten there.

  • You have trouble scaling or delegating marketing tasks because you don’t know what is needed month-to-month.

  • You’re unsure if the budget you are spending is the right amount and if spending more/less would make a positive difference.

  • You keep doing the same thing and your customers are changing, which will catch up with you eventually.

If you can relate to these common small business marketing challenges, it's time to build your marketing plan! Your marketing plan is a tool in your business; it’s a guide for the day-to-day work that helps drive revenue, and it provides clarity and validation to key stakeholders like bankers, investors, or partners.

Coming up October 25th, I'll be speaking on this topic at the Western Wisconsin Women's Business Center's 20th Annual Conference (Women's Business Conference). I’ll go over the foundational pieces of a marketing plan and show you how to put a plan together that you can use throughout the year and adjust as you grow. We’ll talk through the customer journey to identify tactics at each step of the way. We’ll align budget and metrics to that same customer journey, and give you a dashboard for tracking it all. And we’ll save plenty of time for Q&A so you can get your burning questions answered.

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The Pod Chat - Live! Happy Hour Edition
Sep
14
4:30 PM16:30

The Pod Chat - Live! Happy Hour Edition

Summer is ending and fall is almost upon us. As marketers, that means we’re starting to get into the planning season. We’re headed to Wisco’s in Eau Claire this time - they have some great appetizers, outdoor seating, and a full bar. (We won’t judge if you show up a little early and start without us.)

Haven’t been to a Pod Chat meetup before? Here’s what to expect:

Every Pod Chat is an open format and is a great opportunity to meet other marketers, small business owners, or creatives who are working on marketing projects. You have something you want to ask/learn about? Ask away! Stuck on something? Maybe someone in the group can help.

In the event that we’re not sure what to chat about, we’ll provide some conversation starters and topics to get the gears turning.

For this Pod Chat…The Marketing Mix!

  • How are you determining which tactics to use next year?

  • What channels are working best for you recently?

  • What’s the thing you’re looking forward to testing out in the next year?

  • How’s measurement going (GA4 is here - how have you adapted)?

View Event →
Web Design and E-Commerce Basics - CVTC Continuing Education
Jun
7
8:30 AM08:30

Web Design and E-Commerce Basics - CVTC Continuing Education

  • Chippewa Valley Technical College - Business Education Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Erin will be instructing this course for Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Course Description: Learn the most powerful components of successful, effective web design and e-commerce web design to attract your target audience and sell your products and services seamlessly. Come away with a website audit to assess and enhance your current web design.

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SEO Basics - CVTC Continuing Education
May
17
8:30 AM08:30

SEO Basics - CVTC Continuing Education

  • Chippewa Valley Technical College - Business Education Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Erin will be instructing this course for Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Course Description: Help your business' website to be discovered via search engines like Google by enhancing your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Learn the basics of SEO and come away with a checklist to review and enhance your SEO.

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May
4
4:30 PM16:30

The Pod Chat - Live! Happy Hour Edition

It has been a minute since we’ve gotten the Pod together, but we’re anxious to get out of our snow boots and into our short sleeves to have a cocktail / mocktail / beer with our favorite group of marketers. This will be a little more unstructured than in the past, but we’re going to give it a go!

Every Pod Chat is an open format and is a great opportunity to meet other marketers, small businesses, or creatives who are working on marketing projects. You have something you want to ask/learn about? Ask away! Stuck on something? Maybe someone in the group can help.

In the event that we’re not sure what to chat about, we’ll provide some conversation starters and topics to get the gears turning.

For this Pod Chat…Social Media!

  • How are you managing your social media channels and content?

  • What tools work best for you / are on your must-have list?

  • Are you struggling with the ethics of social media companies, and our roles as marketers in this ecosystem? (Spoiler alert: I am.)

  • Are there new channels you’re exploring, or that your audience is exploring?

  • Are you planning to move your social audiences to owned channels in the future?

View Event →
Nov
10
12:00 PM12:00

Pod Chat @ Shanghai Bistro

Every Pod Chat is an open format. You have something you want to ask/learn about? Ask away! Stuck on something? Maybe someone in the group can help.

In the event that we’re not sure what to chat about, we’ll provide some conversation starters and topics to get the gears turning.

For this Pod Chat…Web 3.0 and the Metaverse!

  • What are these?

  • Are you planning for how Web 3.0 will impact your business?

  • For the content creators - are you feeling optimistic for this new model?

  • What about NFTs…have you considered creating them for digital assets?

  • Are virtual reality / augmented reality experiences being discussed or developed in your industry - for customers, competitors, or others?

View Event →
Oct
13
9:00 AM09:00

Web Design & E-Commerce Basics - CVTC Continuing Education

  • St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Course Description: Learn the most powerful components of successful, effective web design and e-commerce web design to attract your target audience and sell your products and services seamlessly. Come away with a website audit to assess and enhance your current web design.

View Event →
Aug
18
12:00 PM12:00

Pod Chat @ Wisco's Bar & Eatery

Every Pod Chat is an open format. You have something you want to ask/learn about? Ask away! Stuck on something? Maybe someone in the group can help.

In the event that we’re not sure what to chat about, we’ll provide some conversation starters and topics to get the gears turning.

For this Pod Chat…Communication!

  • How have you had to adjust to different communication styles in your org?

  • When/How have you successfully advocated for your ideas with leadership?

  • Presenting new ideas - the tools…can we just talk about PowerPoint for a minute? Yay/Nay?

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May
5
12:00 PM12:00

Pod Chat @ Cancun Mexican Grill

Every Pod Chat is an open format. You have something you want to ask/learn about? Ask away! Stuck on something? Maybe someone in the group can help.

In the event that we’re not sure what to chat about, we’ll provide some conversation starters and topics to get the gears turning.

For this Pod Chat…The Marketing Mix!

  • How are you determining which tactics to use each year?

  • What metrics/measurement tools do you use to gauge success?

  • What channels are working best for you recently?

  • What’s the thing you’re looking forward to testing out in the next year?

View Event →
Apr
27
12:50 PM12:50

Managing Your Company’s Online Presence: In-House or Outsource?

Are you responsible for managing your company’s online presence? If you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone. The digital world offers a ton of opportunities, but it can also take a lot of time to do it well. We’ll explore some digital marketing tasks that you can do on your own to help the business reach its goals. We’ll also help you identify when it’s time to find digital marketing help. We’ll cover things like:

  • What to look for in a digital marketing vendor

  • Different types of marketing vendors

  • What questions to ask

  • Ways to build a strong relationship with your marketing vendor

  • Lingo used by digital marketers so you feel confident in your selection and understand the results

Presentation Details

Erin will be speaking at the Learn.Grow.Lead. Conference hosted by CVTC! The event will be held in-person at CVTC’s Business Education Center.

View Event →
Feb
3
12:00 PM12:00

Pod Chat @ The Nucleus

Every Pod Chat is an open format. You have something you want to ask/learn about? Ask away! Stuck on something? Maybe someone in the group can help.

In the event that we’re not sure what to chat about, we’ll provide some conversation starters and topics to get the gears turning.

For this Pod Chat…Social Media!

  • How are you managing your social media channels and content?

  • What tools work best for you / are on your must-have list?

  • Are you struggling with the ethics of social media companies, and our roles as marketers in this ecosystem? (Spoiler alert: I am.)

  • Are there new channels you’re exploring, or that your audience is exploring?

  • Are you planning to move your social audiences to owned channels in the future?

View Event →