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Writer's pictureNadia B

Downtown Bellingham’s Partnership programs can help small businesses thrive

Updated: Nov 27

I love Downtown Bellingham. As a website designer who serves small businesses in the

Bellingham community–and as someone who has lived here for twenty years–I’m

downtown a lot. And I know a good program when I see one.


Recently, I’ve been exploring opportunities with the City Center. The Downtown

Bellingham Partnership offers so many events and free programs that make these

collaborations happen organically. I’m in the middle of a three-part seminar series

offered by both the Downtown Bellingham Partnership and Intellitonic.


Highlights from the spring series on SEO and Google Business Profiles

Earlier in March, I attended the first of three seminars offered by both Downtown

Bellingham Partnership and Intellitonic. This series is all about building your business’

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Google Business Profiles.


When I found out about the series via Instagram, I signed up immediately. I’ve been

prioritizing in-person workshops lately because I love the perks of “real life” connection

and exploring new, local venues.


SEO updates change as search engines change how they rank information, so I seek

professional training like this each year. The most valuable part of the March 12

session–which focused on SEO best practices–was that it reinforced knowledge points I

already had, making me feel confident that I was up to speed. I also learned some new

tips that I can’t wait to incorporate for my clients who want their websites to rank higher.


An unexpected perk of this session was the value of being at a new location (for me) in

Downtown Bellingham: The Blue Room, mainly known for live music events and more,

makes for a great space to do a “day workshop” too.


a building  where the blue room is located in downtown bellingham

The last session on digital marketing best practices just wrapped up last week.


Fall 2023 workshop on social media was a worthwhile investment


Snapshot of the social media workshop offered by Brilliant Marketing and Joyco Digital, hosted at Veritas Media & Studio V. Photo by Downtown Bellingham Partnership.

Last September, I also partook in a paid workshop series offered by Brilliant Marketing

and Joyco Digital. The venue was hosted at Veritas Media & Studio V, which offers

studio space for workshops and your product/service filming needs.


Emily Trickey of Brilliant Marketing and Daniel Joyner of Joyco Digital did a fabulous job

explaining how to create compelling content. They broke down social media strategies

in a helpful way. As someone who helps people refresh their online business presence,

I appreciate the tips that Trickey and Joyner offered people, many of whom attended

this workshop to help boost their business based in Downtown Bellingham.


Business collaborations are vital for economic growth and social connection

In addition to the informative content of the actual workshops, it was also neat to

discover venues I did not know about. I’m a patron of multiple downtown spots, and now

have new ones to add to my list.


A few events and businesses I love in Bellingham:


nadia and a client sitting at a table at Makeworth coffesshop, doing business and enjoying a cup of coffee and some pastries

Speaking of Pure Bliss Desserts, we always have a piece of cake there for birthdays. I

love a good Bellingham tradition.



nadia and her mom celebrating her birthday at pure bliss with chocolate cake and prosecco

I’m also involved with Western Washington University, as a mentor to marketing

students. I recently offered a Web Design and Social Media presentation to the Student

Marketing Association (SMA) and I’ve occasionally been a judge at the Marketing Case

Competition. It feels good to share my expertise and learn from students, too.


nadia at western washington university doing a presentation on web design and social media management. standing in the middle with six western students in front of the projector


Lastly, I’m a proud member of Whatcom Young Professionals, which I recommend to

anyone looking for a community of supportive people interested in growing their

careers.


Can you tell how much I love Bellingham? It’s great to watch new and old businesses

thrive here. If you are a small business owner in Bellingham and you want to refresh

your online presence, let’s connect. As you can tell, my heart is in it.

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