The Tribune

A 27-year-old BahamasLocal staff member has become the first Bahamian to earn Internet Marketing Association certification.

Patrick Deveaux said the course leading to certification helped prepare him for the marketing method that is increasingly driving how business is done.

Mr Deaveaux, who has served as information officer and website manager for the local search engine, BahamasLocal.com, for three years, said Internet marketing is no longer the way of the future – it is already at Bahamian shores.

“There is no question that Internet marketing is the engine driving business,” said Mr Deveaux. “If we just look at how fast BahamasLocal has grown, it gives you some idea of the power of Internet marketing.”

Launched in 2009, BahamasLocal has more than a million views. Often called the Google of the Bahamas, it contains information on 15,000-plus businesses, a directory of telephone numbers, calendar of events, classified ads from jobs to goods for sale, weather reports and news updates every two hours.

Mr Deveaux’s training is expected to be especially useful for the increasing mobile app market segment.

“We have seen research showing people are so connected to their mobile devices now that 75 per cent admit to taking their smart phone into the bathroom with them,” he said. “We live in a world where the thirst for information is great, but people want it instantly.”

BahamasLocal.com’s chief executive and president, Jason McDowall, said what keeps the site relevant is not just its repository of information but its dynamic nature and constant updating.

“It’s the constantly flexing ‘morning newspaper’ that changes headlines as news breaks,” said Mr McDowall. “So for us, keeping up with trends and technology is as critical as keeping up with what’s important in the community.”

One year after it launched its computer site, BahamasLocal launched its mobile site and, last year, Mr McDowall was invited to join a delegation of board members and marketing professionals from top companies around the world for a series of meetings and networking opportunities in Dublin, Ireland – the home to international and European headquarters for innovators such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo!, Apple, PayPal, Cisco Systems and Dropbox.