For several years, with the aid of grants from IU’s Regional Economic Development (RED) Fund, IU Northwest marketing professor Subir Bandyopadhyay has taught several Gary-area entrepreneurs low-cost strategies to market their businesses through social media.

Now he’s ready to take the next step. With support from Indiana Campus Compact, a partnership of public, private and community college institutions throughout Indiana, Bandyopadhyay will soon develop a similar, step-by-step program provided free of charge throughout all of Indiana to qualifying small businesses, nonprofit organizations and community agencies.

A long-standing member of IU’s Council of Regional Engagement and Economic Development (CREED), Bandyopadhyay is developing the program in collaboration with such organizations as the Small Business Development Center and Indian American Cultural Center.

Students at IU Northwest also will be involved in the project’s development, which will be based on research of printed and online publications, focus groups, surveys and one-on-one interviews.

“Cutting operating costs is an option but is limited in scope because excessive cuts may jeopardize the quality and extent of products and services,” he said. “An effective alternative is to develop a strong digital and social media marketing strategy to effectively communicate the message.”

Read more about the program here.