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Marketing & Branding Essentials Course

with Murphy Funkhouser


Dates

Tuesdays
Feb 25 - Apr 8

Time

6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Price

$100

Location

Online — Zoom, NC + Google Map

You may qualify for a partial scholarship if you live in a rural WNC location, have a low-to-moderate income, or are an agricultural business. Apply within the application.  If you have questions reach out to scholarship@mountainbizworks.org. 

Each class offering has a limited number of scholarships and they are available on a first come, first served basis. 

 

There is no class meeting March 18th.   

Ready to Market Your Business? Start Here!

You’ve got a product or service you’re excited to share with the world—but how do you get the word out? With so many marketing options available, it can feel overwhelming to create a strategy that’s both effective and affordable.

Join us for a 6-week course that will help you master the basics of branding and marketing. Together, we’ll explore the fundamentals of:

  • Branding: Build recognition and trust by establishing a strong identity and creating a connection with your audience.
  • Marketing: Learn which tools and strategies will attract, engage, and convert customers effectively.

This course includes interactive, hands-on exercises to help you:

  • Develop a marketing plan tailored to your business.
  • Craft website copy that captures your message.
  • Create engaging social media content and refine your brand’s aesthetic.

By the end of this course, you’ll walk away with actionable tools to market your business confidently today—and a roadmap to grow into an enduring, memorable brand!

This course is perfect for:

  • Business owners with an established concept or business model.
  • Entrepreneurs ready to bring their product or service to market.
  • Anyone eager to learn the essentials of marketing and branding while creating a practical, tactical marketing plan.

Recommended but not required: Completion of our Foundations Course or prior business coaching.


Facilitator

Meet our facilitator for this course.

Mountain BizWorks event presenter, Murphy Funkhouser

Murphy Funkhouser

Murphy Funkhouser is a marketing and brand consultant with over 20 years of experience. She was the co-founder and owner of Kudzu Brands, based in A...

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Murphy Funkhouser is a marketing and brand consultant with over 20 years of experience. She was the co-founder and owner of Kudzu Brands, based in Asheville, for ten years and now owns a private brand and marketing consulting firm, BrandStage Consulting. Her expertise includes creating, launching, and building brands and developing business and non-profit marketing strategies. 

Murphy has taught branding and entrepreneurship at UNC-Asheville, AB Tech and Blue Ridge Community College. She is on the UNC-Asheville Management and Accountancy Department Advisory Board. She is a graduate of the Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses program at Babson College and a two-time Mountain BizWorks ScaleUp participant.

In 2018, Murphy was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year from the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, she received the Girl Scout’s Woman of Distinction Award for her work with female entrepreneurs.

Murphy is currently obtaining her Master’s Degree in Communications and Storytelling from East Tennessee State University.

In addition to helping her clients tell their stories. Murphy also has some of her own. She shares her personal story as the author and performer of multiple award-winning plays that have been performed across the country.

Schedule

Week 1

What Are You Selling (Really)?

Murphy Funkhouser

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We start by defining the true value of your product or service.

Week 2

Target Audience

Murphy Funkhouser

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Next, we engage in market research to identify the customer segment who are most likely to buy your product or service. 

Week 3

Branding VS Marketing

Murphy Funkhouser

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Then, we’ll cover how Branding differs from Marketing and how they work together.

Week 4

Digital Marketing

Murphy Funkhouser

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In this session, we will look at the most common social media platforms, how to use (or not use) social media and digital marketing based on your target market and, the most current SEO practices.

Week 5

What is YOUR Message

Murphy Funkhouser

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In this session, we’ll refer back to the various marketing tactics learned and write your own marketing message.

Week 6

Building Your Marketing Plan

Murphy Funkhouser

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Finally, we will apply everything we have covered in class to complete a One Page Marketing Plan. We will wrap up by determining tangible metrics to measure success and setting goals for the next steps. 

Details

Date
February 25
Time:
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Event categories:
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Organizer

Mountain BizWorks
Phone
828-253-2834 ext 10

Venue

Virtual
Online — Zoom, NC + Google Map