Speaking

Speaking Calendar

Laura is booking speaking/teaching events for 2019.

NEW ONLINE COURSE!

Build Your Writing Business and Create Your Business Plan

This two-part online course is co-taught by Laura Christianson and Susy Flory. During this premium training, writers and communicators will develop and grow the business side of your work. For details and informational videos, visit bit.ly/buildwritingbiz.  

PART ONE: BUILD YOUR WRITING BUSINESS

(6 sessions)

We’ll step into the business mindset and explore the following topics:

  • Identify as an entrepreneur 
  • Discover and refine your rare and valuable skills 
  • The beautiful interplay of writing as hobby/ministry/business
  • Earn money writing 
  • Diversify your income stream 
  • Pros & cons of the gig life 
  • Understand the 10 essential components of a business plan 
  • Budget, business license, taxes, proposal & invoicing basics 
  • Cultivate a support team 
  • Productivity Strategies 
  • Marketing & websites 

Do you want to learn more about how to turn your writing, blogging, or communicating into a business? This is the course for you.

PART TWO: CREATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN: A COHORT

(4 sessions)

You’ll write and complete your business plan (with deadlines and accountability) with close coaching and mentoring from Laura and Susy, along with inspiration and encouragement from your cohort (the other folks in the class).

  • Dive deep into the 10 components of a business plan
  • Create a unique, actionable business plan for your business
  • Get instant feedback, advice, and encouragement
  • Join a cohort of like-minded writers and communicators who are working on turning their writing into a business

If you’re ready to get help to create an actionable business plan for your writing, blogging, or communicating with a group of new friends, then this is the course for you.

Both courses feature:

  • Teaching sessions with Susy and Laura via Zoom meetings
  • Access to the recorded teaching sessions
  • Downloadable worksheets and other materials
  • Exclusive access to a private Facebook group with coaching/mentoring from Laura and Susy.

Susy Flory is a New York Times bestselling author and co-author, a Bible study teacher, and director of the West Coast Christian Writers (WCCW) conference.

Laura Christianson is a marketing communications specialist, brand coach, educator, Bible study facilitator, and marketing director for West Coast Christian Writers.

WRITERS CONFERENCES

2019 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference

2019 Oregon Christian Writers Summer Coaching Conference

  • August 12-15, 2019, Portland, OR – Laura will teach a coaching class, Plan Your Dynamite Website.

ONLINE TRAINING WITH LAURA

De-Clutter Your Website’s HOME Page

De-Clutter Your Website's Home Page | Free Training with Laura Christianson from BloggingBistro.com

Join Laura for a free 90-minute small group online coaching session where you’ll learn how to axe the deadwood that makes your HOME page perform poorly and look dated. New trainings monthly! For details and to reserve your spot, click here.

Your Website Budget Blueprint

This online training program, taught by Laura Christianson, is open for registration. Get course details and register at WebsiteBudgetBlueprint.com.

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business professional who’s planning to build a new website during the coming months, this course is for you. You’ll learn:

  • How much a website should — and shouldn’t — cost
  • Creative ways to reduce your website “construction” costs
  • How to create a realistic, itemized budget for your new website
  • What questions to ask prospective website vendors, so you get the biggest bang for your investment
  • Critical information your website estimate and contract must include
  • Top tactics for negotiating an agreement with your website vendor

If you’re planning to hire help to build some, most, or all of your website, this self-paced video course (slides + audio + workbook) will equip you to confidently make critical decisions about your website.

Facebook Ads Basic Training

Specifically for local businesses and local events. Learn your way around Ads Manager and master the art of creating Facebook ad campaigns that convert like crazy.

In-person training for Seattle-area businesses; training via video conference call for those outside the Puget Sound region.

This interactive training is two sessions of approximately two hours apiece.

Contact Laura Christianson for information and pricing.

“Before I took Laura’s training, I knew absolutely nothing about Facebook advertising. Now I feel comfortable creating an ad and targeting the correct audience.  Laura taught us the value in creating more than one ad and testing it to be certain we are maximizing our value by reaching the right people.”

—Sandie Swartout, Operations Manager,
Rosie Rourke Team,
John L. Scott Real Estate, Kent North Office

“Finally! The tools we needed to learn how to put an effective Facebook ad campaign together. There was a lot more to it than we thought and we were grateful for Laura’s class. She made it fun and simple!”

– Rosie Rourke, Managing Broker, and team:
Jonathan Byrum, Sandie Swartout, Sherry Lane, Liz DeSmith
John L. Scott Real Estate, Kent North Office

Laura’s Speaking Topics

Click each topic for full descriptions.

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Bootcamp: Plan Your Dynamite Website

Whether you’re in the beginning stages of establishing your brand or you’re re-branding your business, this hands-on class will help you plan a solid foundation for a professional website.

You will:

  • Learn the two most important questions visitors ask when they visit your website
  • Plan a reader-focused HOME page
  • Craft your website’s promise statement
  • Understand why an email list is the backbone of your site
  • Learn the essential qualities of a compelling free offer
  • Learn how to avoid the most common mistake people make when crafting their ABOUT page copy
  • Get top tips for helping Google discover your site
  • Discover four essential components of a thoughtfully designed website

NOTE: In this bootcamp, we will NOT debate the merits of WordPress vs. Squarespace vs. Wix, or choose a theme for our website, or talk about website hosting plans and other “tech stuff” specific to an individual’s website. We will focus on the basics that everyone who builds a website must do in order to launch a professional website that delivers a powerful punch.

6-8 hour course, can be customized for various industries.
Some sessions can be taught as 60-minute, stand-alone workshops.

Essential Elements of a WOWful Website

Does your website deliver a powerful, professional punch in two seconds or less? Or, are you embarrassed to send people to your website because it’s so awful?

If you answered “yes” to the second question, you’ll want to attend this workshop. Laura Christianson, who specializes in creating custom, mobile-friendly WordPress websites, will reveal the four most common causes of cringe-worthy websites and show you how to repair the damage.

60 to 90-minute workshop

Testimonial Power

A positive testimonial from a customer is a highly effective way to build your brand. Learn a simple four-step strategy for how to solicit, construct, edit, and publish written and video testimonials.

45-60-minute workshop 

How to Make Search Engines Love Your Website (and Blog)

Learn how – and where – to add basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to your website or blog so you get noticed by Google, Bing, and Yahoo and steadily move up in the search engine rankings.

60 to 90-minute workshop

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Blogging Basics for Beginners

Nearly 60% of consumers research online before purchasing a product or service. Those people don’t want to do business with a brand; they want to get to know the person behind the brand. Your blog plays a critical role in helping prospects and customers get to know you and learn to trust you.

If you want to blog but aren’t sure where to start, this course is for you. You’ll come away with a blogging strategy you can implement immediately.

Session 1: Five fatal blogging mistakes to avoid

Session 2: Five questions to ask before you start blogging

Session 3: The major blogging platforms, and which one is best for you

Session 4: The anatomy of a blog

Session 5: Best practices for creating blog content

Session 6: Top tips for promoting blog posts

6-8 hour course, can be customized for various industries.
Most sessions can be taught as 60-minute, stand-alone workshops.

 

Take Your Blogging & Social Media Marketing to the Next Level

You’ve been blogging and using social media for a while, but you feel stuck. Why aren’t you getting the traffic, comments, likes, and shares you envisioned? Is there something you could be doing differently? During this course, we’ll revisit the basics you may be neglecting, and we’ll explore advanced techniques for beefing up your online presence.

Session 1: Know your audience; know your message

Session 2: Crafting content for readers who have the attention span of a goldfish

Session 3: Chunkifying and visual storytelling

Session 4: Social strategies that work

Session 5: Quick tips for optimizing your blog posts and social updates

Session 6: Ridiculously simple ways to improve your e-mail marketing

6-8 hour course, can be customized for various industries.
Most sessions can be taught as 60-minute, stand-alone workshops.

 

5 Fatal Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

Ready to blog but afraid you’ll do it wrong? During this workshop, you’ll learn five things NOT to do, and how to develop solid foundational practices that will help you dominate your niche.

60 to 90-minute keynote or workshop

Blog Your Way to a Book

If you blog three times a week for a year, you’ll have published the equivalent of a full-length book. During this hands-on workshop, you’ll construct a 30-day plan for blogging a book. You’ll learn how to choose a marketable topic, craft engaging content, create a publication schedule, and establish an avid fan base. Your “blog book” will increase your visibility and credibility – and it just may pique the interest of an agent or editor.

90-minute keynote or workshop

How to Publish a $100 Blog Post

Imagine you’re getting paid $100 for every article you publish on your blog. During this workshop, you’ll learn a simple technique to plan, polish, publish, and publicize a blog post that’s worth every penny of the sweat equity you invest.

1-hour workshop

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Marketing Online: The Art of Thinking Backwards

“If we build it, they will come.” Many entrepreneurs fall into the “Field of Dreams” trap, assuming that the mere presence of a website, blog, or Facebook page will cause customers to line up at our doorstep.

The truth is, “If we build it, they might come. Or they might not.”

During this intensive course, we’ll turn marketing on its head. We’ll start by defining what makes your marketing successful and work our way backwards through a 7-step strategy you can use to promote your business.

We’ll take a whirlwind tour through the major social networks, evaluate which tools will resonate best with your audience, and discuss how to get the biggest return on your time investment.

6-8 hour course, can be customized for various industries.

How to Be More Productive on Social Media

The average social media user spends 3.6 hours on social networks every day! But how much of that time are you using effectively to grow your business?

If you suspect you’ve been frittering away your time on Facebook and other social channels, it’s time to re-evaluate your goals. During this workshop, you’ll learn techniques for gathering, scheduling, streamlining and analyzing content so you get the biggest bang for your time investment.

60 to 75-minute workshop

Social Media Mania for Writers

Word-of-mouth sells more books than all other methods of book promotion combined. And social networking is the new word-of-mouth. During this hands-on course, you’ll shape a strategy that integrates your website, blog, and social media accounts. You’ll learn to engage professionally with your followers and position yourself as the go-to resource in your niche.  If you describe yourself as “technologically challenged” and are tired of asking teenagers for help, this is the course for you. Bring your laptop–we’re going (crazy) online!

6-8 hour course

#HeavenlyHashtags

Learn what hashtags are and how to use them correctly on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You’ll head home from this workshop with five brilliant ways to use hashtags.

75-minute workshop for intermediate social media users

How Pinteresting! 12 Ways to Promote Your Writing on Pinterest

Learn how to create Pinterest boards that enhance your brand and capture the attention of your female readership. You’ll go home with at least a dozen fresh ideas you can begin using immediately.

60 to 90-minute workshop for writers

Making “Cents” of Facebook Advertising

If you’ve never run a Facebook ad but are willing to try, you’ll learn the essential steps you must take before creating any type of Facebook ad campaign:

  • determine campaign goals
  • target the appropriate audience
  • plan graphics
  • craft ad copy
  • set a budget
  • determine pricing

60 to 90-minute workshop

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Forge a Fiery Business Brand

A strong brand reflects the values you hold most dear and helps people connect with you in meaningful ways. During this course, you’ll learn what branding is—and isn’t—and you’ll craft and communicate a brand story that resonates deeply with your target customer.

Session 1: Identify your core values

Session 2: Aim for your target audience

Session 3: Craft your brand’s promise statement

Session 4: Build brand loyalty

Session 5: Design dynamic marketing materials

Session 6: Promote yourself powerfully

6-8-hour course, can be customized for various industries.
Most sessions can be taught as 60-minute, stand-alone workshops.

The Essential Brand Identity Kit

Your marketing materials must reflect and promote your brand. You’ll learn how to enhance your brand with a logo, business card, stationery package, sales brochures, and other print pieces.

60 to 90-minute workshop

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[toggle title=”Past Speaking Engagements”]

  • 2019 West Coast Christian Writers Conference (Livermore, CA)

    • Laura taught a daylong Mastermind seminar: Your Author Platform’s Secret Sauce: A Dynamite Website.
    • Laura serves as Marketing Director for West Coast Christian Writers.

    2018 Oregon Christian Writers Conference (Portland, OR)

    • Laura taught “Plan Your Dynamite Website” (a 7-hour coaching class) and a workshop, “5 Fatal Blogging Mistakes to Avoid.”
    • She also mentored individuals one-on-one throughout the conference
  • 2018 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (near Santa Cruz, CA)
    • Laura Christianson and Susy Flory co-taught the new Career Growth Track (7 sessions)
  • 2018 LIT Masterclass (Livermore, CA)
    • Laura serves on the Board of Directors for West Coast Christian Writers and this conference.
    • Email Marketing for Fiction Writers
  • West Coast Christian Writers Conference 2017 (Livermore, CA)
    • Laura serves on the Board of Directors for this organization and conference.
    • Essential Elements of a WOWful Website (workshop)
    • Help for Facebook Fatigue (workshop)
    • Coaching & Critique team member
  • Facebook Ads Basic Training for Local Businesses (Kent, WA)
  • Two 2-hour training sessions at John L. Scott Real Estate, Kent North office (Sept. & Oct. 2016)
  • PENCON 2016 (Colorado Springs, CO)
    • How to Be More Productive on Social Media (workshop)
    • WOWful (not WOEful) Websites (workshop)
    • Faculty panel participant
  • Northwest Christian Writers Renewal Conference 2016 (Bellevue, WA)
    • #HeavenlyHashtags to Build Your Brand (75-minute workshop)
    • 5 Fatal Blogging and Social Media Mistakes to Avoid (75-minute workshop)
  • Rivers of Ink Writers Conference 2015 (Richland, WA)
    • Planning a Book Launch (workshop)
  • Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference 2015 (near Santa Cruz, CA)
    • Take Your Blogging and Social Media to the Next Level (2-day pre-conference course)
    • Planning Your Book Launch: Q & A with Davis Bunn, Janet Kobobel Grant, and Laura Christianson
    • Critique Team Member, specializing in blog and social media coaching & critique
  • West Coast Christian Writers Conference 2015 (Fremont, CA)
    • Conference Marketing Director
    • Authors Unplugged (Panelist)
  • Richmond Christians Who Write October 2014 meeting (Richmond, VA)
    • Blog Your Way to a Book (Keynote Presentation)
  • Northwest Christian Writers Association May 2014 meeting (Seattle area)
    • Blog Your Way to a Book (Keynote Presentation)
  • Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference 2014 (near Santa Cruz, CA)
    • Head Start Mentoring Clinic on Blogging (8 hours of instruction)
    • Create a Compelling Landing Page (1-hour workshop)
    • Critique Team Member: Websites, Blogs, Social Media (one-on-one appointments)
  • Christian Writers Seminar 2014 (Castro Valley, CA)
    • How Pinteresting! Fun Ways to Promote Your Writing on Pinterest (1-hour workshop)
  • Washington State Continuing Education Council, Winter 2014 conference (Tacoma Community College)
    • Shaping Your Social Media Strategy (2-hour presentation)
  • Writing for the Soul Conference 2014 (Colorado Springs, CO)
    • How to Market Your Writing Online Without Annoying Your Readers (2-hour workshop)
    • Wowful (not Woeful) Websites (1-hour workshop)
    • Create a Compelling Landing Page (1-hour workshop)
    • How to Spot an Unethical Website Designer (15-minute roundtable sessions)
    • Conquer the Facebook Monster (1-hour workshop)
    • Making “Cents” of Facebook Advertising (1-hour workshop)
    • How Pinteresting! Fun Ways to Promote Your Writing on Pinterest (1-hour workshop)
  • Technology Conference for Writers & Speakers 2014 (Kirkland)
    • Wowful (not Woeful) Websites (1-hour workshop)
    • Create a Compelling Landing Page (1-hour workshop)
    • Conquer the Facebook Monster (1-hour workshop)
  • Skagit Valley Writers League (Burlington, WA)
    • Blog Your Way to a Book Deal (2-hour workshop, 2013)

 

  • Greater Everett Community Foundation (Monroe, WA and Arlington, WA)
    • Social Media Basics for Non-Profits (2-hour workshop, 2013 and 2012)
  • Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference 2013, 2011, 2010 (near Santa Cruz, CA)
    • Marketing Your Writing Online: The Art of Thinking Backwards (8-hour course, 2013)
    • Q&A Sessions: Facebook, Pinterest, Blogging (1 hour each, 2013)
    • Social Media Mania (8-hour course, 2011)
    • 12 Cool Google Tools for Writers (1-hour workshop, 2011)
    • Build Your Writing Business With a Facebook Page (1-hour workshop, 2011)
    • Build a Sturdy Platform on the Internet (8-hour course on branding, 2010)
  • Oregon Christian Writers Conference, Winter 2013 (Salem, Oregon)
    • Internet Marketing: The Art of Thinking Backwards (1-hour workshop)
    • Blog Your Way to a Book Deal (1-hour workshop)
  • Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center (Everett & Monroe campuses)
    • Facebook Pages for Business (3-hour course)
    • Business Blogging Basics (3-hour course)
    • Boost Your Business With LinkedIn (2-hour course)
    • Expand Your Brand, One Tweet at a Time (2-hour course)
    • Broadcast Your Business With a YouTube Channel (2-hour course)
  • Focus on Farming Conference 2011 (Comcast Arena, Everett, WA)
    • Simple Social Media Strategies (Workshop)
  • Practice Share Retreat 2011 (Leavenworth, WA)
    • Using Social Media Effectively in your Veterinary Practice (2-hour workshop)
  • Northwest Christian Writers Association monthly meeting –
    • The Wonders of Google’s Wonder Wheel (Write Start)
    • 22 Cool Google Tools for Writers (Workshop)
    • Getting Published (Expert Panel)
  • North Sound Development Association
    • Social Media Strategies for Non-Profits (Keynote Speaker)
  • Christian Writers Seminar 2011(Castro Valley, CA)
    • 2011 Conference Keynote Speaker
    • Boggled by Blogging (workshop)
    • Build Your Writing Business With a Facebook Page (workshop)
  • Northwest Christian Writers Renewal (Bothell, WA)
    • Social Media Mania (4-workshop series, co-taught with Christopher Miller)
  • Write on the Sound Writers Conference (Edmonds, WA)
    • Shaping Your Social Media Strategy
  • First American Title and Escrow (Snohomish County, WA)
    • Blogging for Real Estate Agents (sponsored by Kristine Jameson)
  • GROW Washington & City of Snohomish, WA
    • Social Networking on a Shoestring for Small Business Owners
  • Florida Christian Writers Conference 2010 (Leesburg, FL)
    • Branding Yourself for Maximum Impact (6-hour course)

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