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University of Maine at Fort Kent

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Enrollment & Advancement Center • University of Maine at Fort Kent • 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743

UMFK Professor Gauvin presented on online marketing for rural small businesses in Kentucky

August 13, 2015

Note: this is an archived news release. As such, the information provided may no longer apply.

photo of Anthony Gauvin

University of Maine at Fort Kent Associate Professor of Electronic Commerce, Anthony Gauvin, recently attended and presented at the 2015 Community Development Society (CDS) International Annual Conference and Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky.

This year's conference theme was “Creativity and Culture: Community Development Approaches for Strengthening Health, Environment, Economic Vibrancy, Social Justice and Democracy.”

Gauvin's presentation was entitled “An Objectives Driven Model for Online Marketing for Rural Small Businesses.

According to Gauvin, “Small Business Owners in small towns across rural America have many choices when deciding how and where to market their businesses. In recent years, as broadband penetration in rural America improved, online access offered a new set of online marketing tools for rural businesspersons. Many owners have taken a tool concentric approach to online marketing; building web pages, social media pages and purchasing online advertising without a clear understanding of potential impacts and benefits.”

Results suggest, “A better approach would be to use marketing objectives concentric process where the correct online tool is used based on the desired marketing objectives. This research develops an objective driven model for online marketing that helps the rural business owner select the right online marketing tool to meet their marketing objectives.”

Gauvin adds, “Whether they are trying to increase revenue by increasing wallet share from local resident or market share from customers “from away”; the model will help make decisions on the most efficient online marketing tool to use and how to measure the tool's effectiveness in meeting the marketing objective.”

While at the conference, Gauvin attended workshops on “Creating a Culture of Effective Public Engagement in Local Communities” and “The Status Quo and Future of Community Development in Colleges and Universities.” He also moderated a panel session on “Innovative Tools for Community Development.”

Currently Gauvin serves on the Board for Directors for the Community Development Society, co-chair of the finance committee, and is a member of the editorial board for the Community Development Society Journal.

The mission of The Community Development Society is to further community work through teaching, practice, and research. CDS members represent a variety of fields, including education, health care, social services, government, utilities, economic development practitioners, and citizen groups.

You may view its website at: http://www.comm-dev.org/about-us/

More information available on the conference at: http://www.comm-dev.org/2015-conference (Link no longer active)