DIGITAL SKILLS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
The Arizona Commerce Authority’s Small Business Digital Academy is designed to equip the state’s small businesses with digital strategies and literacy. Many customers now expect to engage with businesses online, whether it be reviewing a restaurant menu on Google, buying products on the website or asking questions through social media. Leveraging digital tools can support and improve the resiliency of your business.
The Small Business Digital Academy is held four times a year. Applications for the winter cohort 2022 closed on January 17, 2022.
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
Over the course of six weeks, the Arizona Small Business Academy prepares small businesses to successfully operate in a digitally-driven economy. Entrepreneurs and small business owners will learn strategies for website, social media, e-commerce, search engine optimization (SEO), customer relationship management (CRM) and analytics tools to effectively represent their business online.
Modules are guided by small business experts on Monday and Friday of each week. Throughout the Academy, participants have access to additional learning resources to supplement their understanding and application of strategies learned during the Monday lecture sessions. Live working sessions are held every Friday, with open office hours to ask questions and receive feedback from mentors directly.
Curriculum
- Evaluating Value for Online Needs: Start by identifying your business’s unique value proposition for your customers to optimize your online efforts.
- Getting Online: Build your business credibility by creating and evaluating a website that provides your business the foundation to online success.
- Selling Online: Engage online customers and drive consumer action by selling products and services online.
- Connecting Online: Cultivate quality connections with your potential and return customers and increase brand advocacy through social media strategies.
- Growing Online: Improve your website's traffic by learning how to rank higher in search results and growing your customer base with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies.
- Thriving Online: Evaluate your newly minted online efforts and management systems to grow and improve your business.
ACADEMY APPLICATION SCHEDULE
All interested Arizona small businesses in need of digital marketing and selling assistance are invited to apply for the winter cohort through the streamlined and simple application portal. Applications for the 2022 Winter Cohort are now closed.
Winter Cohort Schedule:
- Orientation Sessions: January 24 - 27, 2022 at 12 p.m.
- Module 1: February 7, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
- Module 2: February 14, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
- Module 3: February 21, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
- Module 4: February 28, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
- Module 5: March 7, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
- Module 6: March 14, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.