The Mount Airy News recently launched a new free online service aimed at helping local businesses and organizations expand their online presence, and now the program has a full-time representative available to walk local merchants through the steps to use the program.

Mary Katherine Mabry has been appointed The Mount Airy News Internet sales representative, but her new positions involve considerably more than simply selling.

“We’re offering a new form of advertising for local merchants to expand their market to online viewers through community directory ad space on our Web site,” she said. “The Community Directory is a free service offered to local businesses.”

The directory, accessible through a red “Find a Business” button in the upper right region of The News’ Web site (http://mtairynews.com/) is a way for area shoppers and residents to look up area businesses and organizations. There’s also a way for those businesses and groups to claim a free Web listing, and Mabry can show potential clients how to do that.

“Most local businesses are already listed, but there’s not much information there,” she said. Area business representatives can go to that listing and add information, such a opening and closing times, a short profile of their business, maybe even add a picture.

“We’ve already begun increasing the Web presence of some local businesses and they don’t even know it,” Mabry said of the free listings. “I Googled some local businesses recently and we found that the only Web presence they had was the listing on our Web site.”

Anyone wishing to fill in all the details of their business on the free listing, but not sure how to do so, can contact Mabry for assistance.

Businesses can also upgrade that free listing through a low-cost paid service that enhances their online presence and raises their profile on popular Web-based search engines such as Google.

“You could get a basic Web site for your business for $70 a month, and have somebody to help you maintain it,” said Peter Cook, marketing director for The Mount Airy News. “A lot of people would have to pay $75 or $80 an hour to have someone to show them how to build a Web site, and we’ll do it for free.”

“Some people spend thousands of dollars on a Web site, and then it’s just there, with no way to draw traffic,” Mabry said. With The Mount Airy News Internet Directory, she said people can get a free Web listing, or can upgrade to a Web site and additional features, and find their business listed on all the major search engines. That Web site, combined with The Mount Airy News’ daily traffic that measures in the thousands, can significantly increase a business’ online exposure to potential customers, she said.

Mabry said one important factor area business and organization managers need to understand is that they don’t really need to understand anything about how to build or maintain a Web presence to benefit from this program.

“A lot of people are intimidated by the Internet,” she said. “People are aware of the positives of the Web, and aware of the need, but are intimidated by not knowing how to use it, how to take advantage of it. I just want people to know I’m more than willing to come out, take time, help them get familiar with it, claim their free listing, edit their information, just take the time to help them understand what they would be getting at no cost.”

Scenic Gift Shop, owned by Sherry Haymore, is an example of one of the businesses already utilizing the service. Mabry said the shop has a listing on The Mount Airy News Internet Directory, and clicking on that listing takes a Web viewer to the shop’s Web site, also part of the directory. Their potential customers can review a company profile, see pictures of the shop and products offered, see contact information and operation hours, and even find a map that shows how to find the store.

“We’re the number one Web site in Surry County, and it’s constantly growing,” Mabry said. “We’re looking for new ways ... to give local businesses the chance to take advantage of our success.”

For local businesses wishing to learn more, contact Mabry by telephone at 719-1940 or via e-mail at kmabry@mtairynews.com.