Harper offers social media class for businesses

From Facebook to Twitter to Pinterest, Tom Cassell has seen the popularity of social media take off in recent years. As the director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College, he has also seen how social media can have a positive effect on businesses ­- provided they know how to best put it to use. "There's been an explosion in social media in the last couple of years, but people don't always understand how it works," Cassell said. "Social media can be much more than just free advertising for a business." Entrepreneurs looking to improve their social media skills are invited to attend Harper's Small Business Boot Camp, a four-part series hosted by the SBDC. Classes have been designed to teach small business owners what they need to know to develop, implement and manage real-world social media marketing and how to analyze and improve their results. Small business owners will learn whether or not social media is right for their businesses, which platform to use and how to best roll out that platform. "We want business owners to understand what is and isn't the best use of their marketing dollars and navigate the complex landscape of social media." Classes take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays June 3 through June 24 at the Harper Professional Center, 650 E Higgins Road, Suite 18 North in Schaumburg. Tuition is $50 per class or $175 for all four. Call (847) 925-6520 or visit harpercollege.edu.