AN ONLINE marketing expert and Petersfield businesswoman is on a mission to help local businesses engage more with their customers and boost their bottom line.

Last year an industry survey revealed 88 per cent of people now research online before buying anything.

The internet has opened up a global market for all businesses.

However, a majority of local businesses around Petersfield are not making full use of their websites, or taking advantage of various online shopping functions.

Online marketing expert Emma Louise Smith, who runs Moxie Business Marketing in Petersfield, said: “This is a wasted opportunity for local entrepreneurs.

“Just because they aren’t a Silicon Valley giant doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the same benefits from the internet.

“The worst thing is there are customers out there who would love to interact more with them and build a loyal relationship, but they’re frustrated by the lack of businesses around Petersfield with any sort of presence online.”

Emma is collaborating with Basingstoke-based agency Fruitful Marketing? to offer a series of training sessions to the Hampshire business community.

Together they want to help smaller small and medium-sized enterprises realise success from their own marketing strategies by using social media and online advertising mediums and optimising their websites.

Emma said: “We’ve pitched each lesson to be bite-sized, standalone and focused on getting results.

“We want smaller businesses to be able to compete in digital marketing through their websites and social media, levelling the playing field a little.”

Workshops will be held at the Causeway Business Centre in Petersfield from 9.15am to 1.15pm.

The dates and themes are: January 16 – LinkedIn for Business; February 13 – Instagram for Business; March 12 – Google my Business; April 23 – Online advertising; May 14 – Maximising website ROI; June 16 – Google Analytics foundation course.

For more information and booking details visit www.fruitful-moxie.eventbrite.com