Promoting location-based listing website

start small grow big or vice-versa?

[moltar]

I am building a new website that will offer widget listings for different cities. Initially, the database will be populated by me, with anticipation that eventually users will contribute. Thus at first the website will be empty, I don't have an existing database of widgets to start with.

Now, how should I go about building it up (marketing-wise). Should I:

1. start small, local (city) website first, then expand into provincial/state level, then into country-wide and then international level;
   
2. or, start with internatinal level right away?
   

I see proof that both concepts work (Craigslist vs. Kijiji comes to mind), but I fail to see the pitfalls.

[etechsupport]

Campaigns can be geotargeted as well.

[henry0]

I drafted something similar (Start point=State level)
However the success depend on figuring out how encouraging the widgets dealer to list with you and coming with an incentive to facilitate their listing inclusion.
Also how do you plan finding and contacting those dealers?

[moltar]

Campaigns can be geotargeted as well.

I am not sure how this relates to my question? Do you mean geotarget in AdWords?

Also how do you plan finding and contacting those dealers?

I am more interested in visitors submitting the listings rather than the owners. When I referred to widgets, I guess I was too generic. The "widgets" in this case are not even tangible items. They are services, which many people know about and everyone knows a favourite one and might want to submit it.

[G_Smitty]

Over six years ago I was in a similar situation. I started locally and then state wide. I went with that for about 6 months. When I saw how successful it was, I went nation wide. After about a year I encompassed the whole world.

Because of the lack of experience initially, I don't think I could have done it any other way. All I can say is that it worked out great for me.

[surfin2u]

If you are relying on visitors to "prime the pump" so to speak, then you face a huge problem. Where will those visitors come from - how will they find your site? Why will they bother to post anything on your rather empty site, as opposed to just leaving when they don't find anything?

[G_Smitty]

If you are relying on visitors to "prime the pump" so to speak, then you face a huge problem. Where will those visitors come from - how will they find your site? Why will they bother to post anything on your rather empty site, as opposed to just leaving when they don't find anything?

They can initially come from his current site. If you initially provide this as a free service; then the saying, "If you build it they will come" might be true.

Because of adsense I am able to provide most of my services at no cost, allowing me to compete with the big boys. When adsense came along and I went with free listings my site traffic really exploded.

[moltar]

In my original post I stated:

Initially, the database will be populated by me, with anticipation that eventually users will contribute.

There will be content for my city at least. Maybe some nearby (if I go big -> small).

[surfin2u]

Initially, the database will be populated by me, with anticipation that eventually users will contribute.

Sorry, I misread your initial post.

I am facing the same problem as you are with an idea that I have for a new site.

If there is already a strong national/global player that you're going up against, then going more local at first might be the way to go. If there is no such big player, then going for the whole market might work. Even if there is a big player, you might have a great idea for how you can beat them.

If you do plan to start local and grow later then you'll want to be sure that your approach will scale well when you expand. A very labor-intensive solution will create problems for growing it later.