When a group of local authors realized they knew “very little” about marketing, they turned to a Fresno State professor who might know a thing or two.

The Sassy Scribes group reached out to Public Relations Professor Betsy Hays and students from TALK, a student-run public relations firm advised by Hays, for tips on digital marketing. Then, a workshop was put together.

“I went up to her [Hays] and said, ‘I have a bunch of old ladies who don’t know anything about social media and we would love to have you help us,’” said local author Lynda Bulla.

The authors, known as Sassy Scribes, is a group of 10 women who meet and critique each other’s work.

“Any author now that is published is given the task of getting out there and doing their own marketing,” said local author Susan Lowe.

During the workshop, students from TALK divided into groups and taught every author how to use social media as a marketing platform.

“We paired up in groups, each took a social media platform, researched it and created worksheets,” said Laura Ramos, a member of TALK and public relations major.

Members of Sassy Scribes learned how to create a social media account and how to navigate apps such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

The Sassy Scribes accomplished a few things, like posting their first tweet and learning how to link their Amazon page.

Hays said workshops like these are what TALK students are taught to do — to connect with real clients and gain experience in public relations.

Hays said the workshop was a great opportunity for her students to not only help the local authors, but to also add a “real life” element to their learning experience.

The TALK program is considering expanding similar workshops for other clients.

“My perception is that this was a very successful model,” Hays said. “So I can definitely see something like this for other clients in the future.”