Vancouver freelancers, get ready for a day-long workshop that will help you boost your social media skills in ways that will grow your influence and help you find new opportunities and potential clients.

Don’t Fool Around! Learn the Right Way to Use Social Media is scheduled for Saturday, April 1st from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Vancouver Film School (306 Abbott Street).

This workshop will be led by Katt Stearns, the founder of Katt Stearns Consulting. Katt has helped numerous small- and medium-sized organizations develop marketing strategies to share their stories and grow their businesses.

Katt says she often sees freelancers struggle with social media because they don't understand that it's all about relationships.

"Social is a two-way conversation. And most of the marketing that we do is one-way. So you’re really getting to know the people that you’re working with. And those relationships, over time, start to lead to more and more opportunities," she says.

Another mistake that freelancers make is that many of us feel we have to be on every single platform available.

"People feel they have to be everywhere," she says. "Most people, they’ve got a business to run, they’re trying to get clients, they’re trying to run their day-to-day work. And if you’ve got 15 different social platforms set up it’s really tough for you to be excellent at every single one of them," she says.

Stearns will help workshop participants decide which platforms best suit their needs by figuring out a broader business marketing plan. She'll help you optimize your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to get more exposure and results. She'll also explain how to build an engaging following and how to best use hashtags, contests, ads and promotions. During this workshop she'll be inviting a few participants to share their social media accounts, for a live and interactive discussion on ways to improve their online marketing. You can connect with Katt Stearns on Twitter at @KattStearns.

This event is free for CMG Freelance members. Non-members can gain admission for $150, which also includes a year-long CMG Freelance Membership. Members of affiliated organizations can attend at a discounted rate. You can also become a member for just $15/month. Members of our like-minded associations such as TMAC, PWAC, and CWA Canada Associate Members are eligible for significantly discounted admission and memberships. Contact Don Genova for details on the discount at don@dongenova.com.