Club offers workshop on branding, websites Friday, Oct. 9

In today’s world, branding and websites are essential, especially for freelance journalists. That’s why the National Press Club Freelance Committee is hosting a workshop on these topics from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 9 in the conference rooms.

The event is free for Club members and $15 for non-members. Register online.

The panel on branding and marketing, starting at 1 p.m., will feature Beth Lawton and Ray Sidney-Smith, both extensively versed in helping individuals and small businesses with marketing.

Lawton is founder of Canoe Media Services, a company focused on helping small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profits tell their stories through social media, multimedia, email newsletters and more. She is also a freelance writer, marketing consultant and recovering journalist.

Sidney-Smith is owner of W3 Consulting. A “technology strategist,” Ray concentrates on helping small businesses and entrepreneurs market and brand themselves using modern technology, particularly social media. He is the author of "SoLoMo Success: Social Media, Local and Mobile Marketing Small Business Strategy Explained."

The panel on website design and optimization, starting at 3 p.m., will feature Roy Abdo, Jane Friedman and Reggie Holmes.

Friedman is a writer, publishing expert and online entrepreneur whose websites receive more than 130,000 visits a month. She's the former digital editor for the Virginia Quarterly Review and teaches digital media and publishing at the University of Virginia.

Holmes is a freelance graphic designer. He has been running his boutique design studio, Enthuse Creative, since 2013.

Freelance Committee Vice Chair Brooke C. Stoddard, a freelance writer and editor, will moderate both panels. The workshop will end at 5 p.m.