The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority (YDDA) Marketing Committee created a 4-course informational series that will help businesses within the DDA district market their unique storefronts and attract visitors and repeat customers. This series will be free to DDA business owners and recordings will be available for download in the business orientation packets that new businesses receive. Experts in the field will cover key topics and business owners will have the opportunity to connect. We engaged the YDDA business community with a survey asking them what topics interest them the most and created the series around the results of that survey. Lunch will be provided and workshop attendants will be entered to win a $500 business marketing stipend. This project is made possible by Destination Ann Arbors Community Tourism Action Plan Grant.
Sign up for one or all info series here
Arrival, check-in & lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Program begins: Noon
Q&A: Following the presentation
Event concludes: 1:30 p.m.
Getting Found Online: Search Visibility for Ypsi Businesses
November 19, 2026
Customers are searching differently than they did just a few years ago. Learn what drives online visibility today and how your business can show up where potential customers are looking. Marketing expert Nicol Pasuit will share strategies to improve your business’s digital footprint, strengthen local search presence, and increase the likelihood of being recommended across modern search and discovery platforms. Whether you’re a retailer, restaurant, service provider, nonprofit, or professional business, you’ll learn how to assess your online presence, identify opportunities for improvement, and leave with a set of practical strategies.
DDA Collaborations and Partnerships
December 4, 2026
Patricia is the Owner/Chief Fundraising Coach at Patricia Berry Consulting, a place to find your inner fundraising superhero and community building badass. In addition to her 25+ years in philanthropy working on $Billion+ campaigns at some of the top fundraising institutions in the country, Patricia is also a community builder, social justice student & practitioner, coach, consultant and vision manifestation midwife. You can find her at patricia-berry.com and https://linktr.ee/patriciaberry.
At the intersection of Love, Money, and Philanthropy are Relationships, cultivate ones that thrive!
Social Media 2.0
January 15, 2026
Are you looking to step up your social media content? Video is a great way to mix things up, but figuring out where to start can take a lot of trial and error. Join us on January 15 for Social Media 2.0, a hands-on course led by DDA Coordinator Danya Youssef-Agha. We’ll cover the basics of creating and editing videos for social media, helping you feel more confident bringing your ideas to life and creating content for your business. Come prepared with your phone in hand and fully charged! If you’d like to watch the first social media course before attending, you can find it under Business Resources at YpsilantiDDA.org.
Data Driven Campaigns on a Budget
February 5, 2027
Are you running online campaigns based on assumptions or facts? In this session, we’ll uncover valuable data sources hiding in plain view and walk through how to use them to enhance your future digital marketing campaigns. With tips for every level of expertise, from beginners to advanced data nerds, you will leave this session with a deeper understanding of the potential of running super smart campaigns that could grow your bottom line
Speaker bios
Nicol Pasuit
November 19, 2026 – Getting Found Online: Search Visibility for Ypsi Businesses
Nicol Pasuit is the founder of TechStak Marketing, a go-to-market agency built exclusively for technology and e-commerce companies. TechStak Marketing helps tech founders and revenue leaders build outbound systems, LinkedIn authority, and AI search visibility, including getting companies cited and recommended by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI. Her team built AI visibility strategy into client work since early 2025, well ahead of the current shift in how B2B buyers research vendors.
Patricia Berry
December 4, 2026 – DDA Collaborations and Partnerships
Patricia is the Owner/Chief Fundraising Coach at Patricia Berry Consulting, a place to find your inner fundraising superhero and community building badass. In addition to her 25+ years in philanthropy working on $Billion+ campaigns at some of the top fundraising institutions in the country, Patricia is also a community builder, social justice student & practitioner, coach, consultant and vision manifestation midwife. You can find her at patricia-berry.com and https://linktr.ee/patriciaberry.
At the intersection of Love, Money, and Philanthropy are Relationships, cultivate ones that thrive!
Brian V. Matson
February 5, 2027 – Data Driven Campaigns on a Budget
Brian V. Matson has been a part of the travel and tourism industry since 2003 and was the longtime Marketing Director at the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he pioneered several digital and social media promotional programs that included various forms of content development and distribution. Brian received the Explore Minnesota Travel Marketing Excellence Award and the North Dakota Governor’s Award for Tourism Marketing for his efforts. He’s a well-recognized speaker at state, regional, and national conferences and is known for his entertaining presentation style that makes his talking points stick with attendees. He’s a great asset to the development of any business or organization’s marketing initiatives due to his vast experience working directly with destinations, meetings & convention teams, sports organizations, resorts, attractions, and small businesses
