Thank you for visiting the home of CBMIC. We strive to be a helpful recourse to our members of all levels by offering what ever assistance we can that may be useful in moving forward with musical initiatives and development. By becoming a CBMIC member we have useful and helpful resources for all levels of artistic development from the beginning artist to export ready artists.

If you are interested in becoming a CBMIC member, please visit our membership page to find a membership that is suitable for you.

Applications NOW OPEN for CBMIC and The Province of Nova Scotia Workplace Education Free Courses for September

The following are the two courses currently open for registration:

Social Media Marketing and Management September 17 9:00AM-1:00PM (4 hrs X 10 weeks ending November 26)

Proposal Writing September 19 9:00AM-1:00PM (4 hrs X 10 weeks ending November 28)

The Cape Breton Music Industry Cooperative and the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration are offering entertainment tailored courses for our CBMIC membership and the Nova Scotia industry through Workplace Education and Training. The programs offered will provide the skills needed to manage their own companies, venues, festivals, events and professional careers. In addition, students in the 40-hour ten-week courses will receive a certificate from the Province of Nova Scotia that can be useful on resumes and future employment opportunities and invaluable tools for their music careers. These courses are open to all Nova Scotian Musicians and Entertainment professionals.

Register Below

Course Descriptions

Proposal Writing is the ideal Workplace Education program if you write
proposals and/or respond to RFPs as a part of your role. By learning
about the standard components of proposals, how to format a proposal,
how to create graphs and budgets, and evaluate the effectiveness of
your writing, you’ll be positioned to craft proposals that get results. You’ll
also learn about ethical persuasion, reader-centred writing, the role of
effective evidence, and how to overcome any barriers you may have with
your writing.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify the different kinds of proposals
• Listing sources of Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
• Explain the structure of an effective proposal
• Assemble persuasive evidence
• Identify strategies for overcoming barriers to writing
• Write using the persuasive power of plain language
• List the universal principles of ethical persuasion
• Demonstrate ethical persuasion in writing
• Create graphs for proposals
• Edit writing for clarity, conciseness and correctness
• Creating a budget for a proposal
• Compare and contrast the RFP evaluation criteria
• Format a proposal
  Standard Topics:
• Types of proposals
• Sources of RFPs
• Standard components of proposals
• Common sector-specific components of proposals
• Formatting a proposal
• Six aspects of effective evidence and their role in proposal writing
• Plain language (including literacy issues)
• Knowing your audience
• Principles of persuasion in writing
• Reader-centred vs. writer-centred writing
• Overcoming barriers to writing
• Self-editing
• Creating and presenting through the proposal budget
• RFP evaluation criteria
• Graphics for proposals

Social Media Management

Prerequisites: Marketing Essentials
Required skills: basic computer, word processing and internet skills
Description – the program provides a strategic approach to social media management. It is
designed to leverage social media as a tool in achieving your marketing and business goals. The
emphasis will be on principles and best practices. While social media channels will be discussed,
this course is not about making you a platform expert.
The emphasis is on building transferable skills and knowledge that can be applied to the social
media environment such as:

• conducting social media audit
• creating engaging content
• building an online community
• reputational management
  Who should take this program?
  You should take this program if you:
• completed the Marketing Essentials program
• are a small business owner or nonprofit manager
• are an aspiring entrepreneur
• have marketing and/or social media responsibilities
• lack a social media strategy and are not seeing results

Section 1: Planning for Social Media
Topics Covered: Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
What is social media? What are the Trends: Discuss what is social media management and its
role in a digital marketing strategy
Social media audit: Conduct a social media audit for a brand using
free tools
Social media channels: Research and identify social media channels for a
variety of audiences; discuss features and best
practices unique to each channel
Social media strategy: Develop a social media strategy for
primary/secondary audiences; apply the PESO
model; create objectives, personas (avatars),
identify metrics, KPIs; create and distribute
content; monitor/measure results; make
recommendations for improvement
Social media calendar: Develop a social media calendar to meet
objectives; iden;tify best practices for posting
days/times; reflect stages of marketing funnel

Section 2: Social Media Content
Topics Covered: Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
Types of content: Identify types of content and content pillars;
UGC; content design platforms
Copywriting basics: Discuss the importance of storytelling, effective
captions; bias-free content; free resources for
improving copywriting skills
Creating and repurposing content: Create relevant, engaging content; apply
copyright free resources; research hashtags
Curating content: Discuss the advantages of curated content; best
practices and things to avoid
Branding across social channels: Implement consistent branding across all social
media channels
Leveraging AI: Review AI tools; advantages/disadvantages to
using AI for social media content
Pay per click: Discuss the role paid advertising plays in
attracting new customers and building loyalty; retargeting; A/B testing; budgets and bidding
strategies
Social SEO: Identify components of SEO for social platforms

Section 3: Engagement and Community
Topics Covered: Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
Social customer care: Discuss the role social media plays in the
relationship continuum/marketing funnel (know,
like, trust, etc.)
Influencers: Discuss how to leverage paid and unpaid
influencers
Ratings and Reviews: Identify strategies for building trust and authority
through online ratings and reviews
Online groups: Review the benefits and challenges in setting up
online communities and forums

Section 4: Measuring, Monitoring and Brand Management
Topics Covered: Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
Analytics basics: Discuss the importance of reporting and the
relationship between social media/website
conversion and the marketing funnel
Measuring and monitoring: Identify key metrics and KPIs, setting up platform
tools (Insights, GA4 etc.)
Social listening/Privacy: Review tools and the importance of social
monitoring for brand management and potential
opportunities
Managing a crisis: Discuss the best practices in preventing and
managing an online crisis