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Level Up!
Digital Marketing Program

The City of Cypress has partnered with the OCIE SBDC Network to present a training and grant program designed to help small businesses throughout the city develop their online presence. 

Expand your online presence with the Level Up! Digital Marketing Program.

Elevate your business with the Level Up! Digital Marketing Program! Learn digital marketing strategies and enhance your online presence through four virtual training sessions and a one-on-one consultation with an SBDC consultant. Complete the program and receive a $2,000 grant for your digital advertising campaigns. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to boost your business!

Eligibility

  • Be a for-profit business;
  • Have a physical commercial location within Cypress (no residential addresses, P.O. Boxes, or Home Occupations);
  • Have between 2 and 100 full-time employees (two part-time employees shall count as one full-time employee), including the owner;
  • Hold an active Cypress Business License for at least one year prior to participating in the Program;
  • Be in good standing with the City and State (current on bills, no liens or judgments, etc.); and
  • Only one participant per business within Cypress is eligible to participate in the Program and receive the $2,000 grant. City retains the discretion to deny any participant who conducts or is affiliated with multiple businesses in Cypress.

Application Process and Timeline

Applicants must apply online via the application presented on this webpage and submit the business’s most recent monthly bank statement and current Cypress Business License. The application period runs from 8 a.m. on September 10, 2024, until 11:59 p.m. on September 24, 2024. SBDC will review the applications for completeness and eligibility. After eligibility approval, selected businesses must submit a completed W-9 Form and signed City of Cypress Business Grant Agreement by October 11, 2024.

Curriculum and Consultation

Each selected participant from a business must attend four virtual training sessions, beginning on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Subsequent sessions will take place each following week on the same day and at the same time. Sessions are conducted in English only. The Level Up! Digital Marketing Program covers the following topics with a focus on digital marketing strategies:

  • Understand how customers find you in a digital world.
  • Why use Google?
  • Learn how to create a Google profile.

Learn how to:

  • Use social media (specifically Facebook and Instagram).
  • Capture pictures and video
  • Create a successful call to action.

Learn how to:

  • How to post a video or picture to Facebook/Instagram.
  • How to attract a fan base to social media. 
  • How to create a successful social media campaign that increases sales.

Explore and evaluate:

  • Different types of advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram
  • The costs for an ad campaign
  • Marketing metrics
  • Components of a Facebook or Instagram ad campaign
  • The social platform X and TikTok

Learn how to:

  • Create and launch your campaign
  • Define what your business offers (call to action and image/video)
  • Target your audience
  • Select keywords
  • Set goals and budget

Each participant must also attend a one-on-one consultation with an assigned SBDC business consultant for customized assistance with their paid advertising platform. If a participant misses a mandatory training session, they must meet with their SBDC consultant for an additional one-on-one consultation. A participant that misses two more mandatory training sessions will not be eligible for a grant.

Grant

Upon completing the training and one-on-one SBDC consulting session, the participant will receive the $2,000 grant, which shall be used to develop a paid digital and online advertising campaign to boost the social media presence of participant’s business. Each participant must sign a verification that the funds will be spent on a paid advertising campaign.

Note: Please be advised that you will receive a Form 1099-NEC for the grant amount you receive from the City.

Follow Up

SBDC consultants will continue to work with Program participants after Program completion, if requested. The SBDC will track and measure each business’s success as they deploy their marketing campaigns. Approximately four months after finishing the Program, the City requests participants complete a provided survey to assess the impact of the Program.

Application

For additional information regarding the Level Up! Digital Marketing Program, please contact:

City of Cypress, Community Development Department

Christopher Wong, Business Development Manager
5275 Orange Avenue
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 229-6753
cwong@cypressca.org

For questions about the guidelines and application or assistance in completing the application and to set up a one-on-one consultation (at no cost), please contact:

Orange County Inland Empire SBDC

Manal Richa, Director
15375 Barranca Parkway, Suite A111
Irvine, CA 92618
(657) 256-3874 (office)
Manal.Richa@ociesbdc.org

ORANGE COUNTY INLAND EMPIRE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER NETWORK

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Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Funded in part through a grant with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. 

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City of Cypress — Level Up! Digital Marketing Program

Mike Daniel is the network director of the Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners throughout Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Mike was formerly the director of the SBDC office at Long Beach City College. As business owner and entrepreneur himself, he started his career as the owner of a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory location in Manhattan Beach and went on to open a second location in Long Beach in 2001. In 2007, Mike sold the Manhattan Beach store for an above-market offer then invested in several additional locations as a minority shareholder. Mike further expanded his candy empire with venture located in Shoreline Village in Long Beach called Sugar Daddies Sweet Shoppe, based on fill-it yourself candy options.

Mike has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.