Building your brand and marketing your service or product to customers can be a daunting task for some businesses. However, marketing is essential for a business to position itself as an integral part of the community.

Winning marketing strategies include a commitment not only to keeping a business in the public eye through social media, print media and other forms of marketing, but also a commitment to the community. In many cases, a business only has a limited amount of time to captivate a potential customer. If the message is unclear, unattractive or boring, the viewer quickly loses interest. Current customers must be marketed to as well, as their retention is an important part of a business’ success.

Image and a unique selling position also are significant factors in an effective marketing strategy. A business’ image should be professionally presented and provide the viewer with a different selling point that will create an eagerness to purchase from the company.

Whether your business is new to the marketing world or you need a refresher course, the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce and Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau encourages all businesses and historic sites to learn and engage in well-organized marketing strategies.

With that in mind, the chamber and CVB will hold a Marketing 101 class Nov. 19. The class will cover writing and publishing press releases, creating engaging social-media content and producing basic — yet appealing — fliers. The class cost is $5. Registration is first come, first serve by emailing assistant@libertycounty.org or calling 368-4445. The class is limited to the first 20 participants, so sign up today!

Scott is an administrative assistant with the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce.