[StBernard] If there's one thing you do today ...

[Westley Annis]

if there's one thing you do today ...
	

Dear Friend,

 
<http://ct.symplicity.com/t/lan/d2d8b99c964b2d1795926a8c25b31f79/411546583/r
ealurl=http://youtu.be/9rzYua2TiD4> In the past, the success of a Louisiana
business could often be determined by its proximity to major roads or
interstates, such as I-10 or I-20. Today, businesses also need to be located
along the digital superhighway, since 97 percent of people go online to find
a local product or service. 

It is no longer a luxury to have an online presence-it's a necessity.
Unfortunately, approximately 64 percent of small businesses in Louisiana do
not have their own website. That's why I partnered with Google on Monday to
bring the Get Your Business Online workshop back to Louisiana with an event
in Baton Rouge that drew 250 local businesses.

Watch WAFB's story on Monday's event in Baton Rouge.
<http://ct.symplicity.com/t/lan/d2d8b99c964b2d1795926a8c25b31f79/411546583/r
ealurl=http://youtu.be/6SohN9LSOT8> 

 
<http://ct.symplicity.com/t/lan/d2d8b99c964b2d1795926a8c25b31f79/411546583/r
ealurl=http://youtu.be/6SohN9LSOT8> Last August, 150 local businesses came
to our first event in Acadiana. Google's GYBO initiative gives small
businesses free online tools to create their own website. One of these
business owners was Lauri Wallace, who developed an online presence for her
Shreveport-based jewelry design company, Just Ask Creations, after attending
the GYBO event. 

Watch Lauri share how her business grew with an online presense.
<http://ct.symplicity.com/t/lan/d2d8b99c964b2d1795926a8c25b31f79/411546583/r
ealurl=http://youtu.be/cH3kPujsjTw> 

During the next three years, businesses that make use of the Internet are
expected to grow 40 percent faster than those that don't. Small businesses
are the backbone of our economy and will drive success in our communities-we
cannot afford to let Louisiana get left behind.  I look forward to
continuing my mission to jumpstart the more than 380,000 small businesses in
our state by getting them online.

Listen to my interview on WJBO Baton Rouge to talk about my partnership with
Google.
<http://ct.symplicity.com/t/lan/d2d8b99c964b2d1795926a8c25b31f79/411546583/r
ealurl=http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/?p=podcast&id=3685> 

Happy Easter, 

Mary Landrieu