Food and drink marketing expert, UK Professor David Hughes, highlighted how community networking aspects of the internet had already improved product marketing for many people when he visited Albany last week.

“It has a great potential for small business,” Prof Hughes said.

“It is inexpensive and a new, powerful marketing tool.”

Prof Hughes passed on his ideas to local producers and business people at a forum organised by the Food and Industry Association at Mt Romance.

Prof Hughes is the Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College, London, and he travels the world finding out about global food industry developments.

He said apart from producing what consumers wanted, there was a growth in the social networking aspect of the internet.

Prof Hughes said small business had already learnt how YouTube, Facebook and Twitter could help market their product.

“It’s built for little businesses,” he said.

While helping to exchange ideas, Prof Hughes said it was still up to producers to decide what they could work with to benefit themselves.

He said Australia, in particular, had a problem marketing its own food products, despite being well known.

“No one knows what you produce,” he said. “There is nothing iconic, nothing specific.”

Meanwhile, the Great Southern will be well represented at this year’s Good Food and Wine Show in Perth.

Five businesses from the Albany area will showcase their finest offerings from July 31 to August 2 at the Perth Convention Centre.

Castle Rock Estate, 3drops, The Lakehouse Denmark, West Cape Howe and Xabregas will have stands at the event.