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How do you suggest i market this, so people are aware of the site and add their listing to it asap.
I'll be offering free and paid listings, maybe an offer like the first so many free for whatever type of listing.
The main problem is getting people to the site, do you think adwords would help my problem or just be a waste of money. Or should i advertise in the local papers, send out flyers/emails etc...
The directory will offer business listings, jobs, houses, classified ads, forums etc..
im sure this will work as there are other directories for this county (im on some of them for other businesses) that will not be as good as the one ive developed, and i know most of them charge £50.00 per year to advertise on.
So i just need the companies to view the site
any ideas?
I missed some days of calling due to another job cropping up, but I'm back on the phone now. It is, as you predicted, difficult to deal with all of the call-me-backs. However, I'm finding that when I do get through to the owner, the percentage of them who like the idea is between 25% and 45%, depending upon the state.
The thought of spending the next two years on the phone, though, gets pretty overwhelming at times.
Dick
It's fun.
We will try and give something worthwhile back to the internet.
Would that be welcomed?
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I was considering using banners, but I'm uncertain about their true value, anyone know of the true state of these in ad clickthrough terms? I mean how effective are they still, or does it depend on type of banner design, copy etc?
Sorry, but I'm just not sure about them anymore, as they didn't really produce the results for me, and I don't want to make the mistake of offering this service to clients, and it not working for them.
Suggestions would be most welcome.
Regards
Chris
We will try and give something worthwhile back to the internet.Would that be welcomed?
Erm, not sure whether anyone here is important enough to speak for the internet as a whole, unless someone knows Sir Tim Berners-Lee's e-mail... ;)
I wondered about including some kind of ad box sponsored listing for the search results. Every time a surfer uses a category, a highly targeted advert/s is displayed.
I know Google changed the look of their box ads, but do people miss that form of advert?
I must admit, I quite liked them.
Feedback would be appreciated.
Are you facing any difficulty in getting the site in the search engines?
Initially my greatest fear was that store owners would not want to subscribe, but that seems not to be the case. The problem now is that, with Google sandboxing the site, it may not be getting the traffic I'll need in order to convince the store owners to pay. And that means extending the trial period until the traffic is respectable--which, of course, means going even longer without income.
Sigh.
Yes, the dreaded SE's (as I always call them) are a pain in the behind, but I recently used a submission service, so I'm hoping that will solve/speed things up.
If not, I'll have to pay. sob sob.
The directory isn't finished, I er, got a bit impatient with wanting to get it online, and I forgot a few important design bits.
It will have yet another enhanced listing section, which will make the site interesting and VERY different to all the others. Even Yahoo etc doesn't offer this.
A colour change will be done, and a bit of a jig about with the sections - to make them more attractive.
Some stats will be seeable from the Homepage, which might be good. As I see it, potential clients want to know the ROI, so if I post some stats on a regular basis - this could be liked.
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You've got to forget Google's free listing - as with all free listings - they won't do much good (apart from making an entry spiderable)
They are all going this way. Paid Paid Paid.
Paid listings are the way to go. Nobody can avoid them, until a site stands on its own 2 pixels. lol
After that, will probably have a redesign, and then the press releases will then go out so the portal is officially launched as a 'company'.
Advertising will then be sought. I wouldn't mind doing something special for this forum, but I'll think about what and how.
Perhaps a free entry for all members, or something.
I really want to take on the big boys with this. I know what it was like to find quality links when I first started on the web, and was disgusted that it wasn't possible lol.
Time for a change me thinks.
Development of my new major enhanced product promoter thingy is being designed for me directory - should be ready in about 6 days.
It has over 2000 companies listed so far. And my tag title thing will be sorted too. I understand that I can expect about 2000 visitors a day, once optimisation is complete - so I hope everything will be okay on the SE front for it lol
Holy smoke! I managed to get into Business.com......
It took quite a while to get in for some reason - but in is in I guess.
I'm still doing the telemarketing thing, and have over 200 stores on the site right now. I'm only about a month or two behind schedule, which is making me a bit nervous.
The good news is that, when I'm actually able to speak with the owner/manager of the store about my site, roughly 40% of them like it and want to be featured on the site. That's a much higher percentage than I had anticipated.
My new enhanced listing should be live on Friday 10th Sept.
I now have 2215 companies listed, so it's going as planned - but it's still slow lol. I figure I need to have about 3-4000 business listed before I start promoting it.
Phew, this directory lark is hard work. sweat sweat.
I must get some stats thing worked out for it.
One thing to consider is whether to make the stats public or not. Some clients may not like having their numbers revealed to their competitors. Everyone wants to know how many hits their listing gets. Do you want the ones that don't get much traffic to easily find out that's the case?
The categories stats are perfect, and obviously some do better than others - Business Machines is always the top one lol. I had one company that's been in there since the beginning of time, and that's been top forever, as people click on that a lot, yet I added one about 2 months ago, and it's already in second spot! so I can't be responsible for what people are searching for.
I'm going to need a custom one done. Perhaps every client can have their own little client area - if it's not too expensive lol.
One thing puzzles me. Surely poor performing companies wouldn't be my fault - I can't make people search for an exact company. Advertising is about risk, surely the cutomer knows that.
On the other hand, if I'm good at selling space in my slower categories, then my site can develop a reputation as a place to go for that category of listings. The slow category picks up new traffic and is no longer slow.
My experience with selling ads is that nobody wants to be the first one to try a category. There's something of a herd mentality. Once a few people sign up, then many more want to.
It's possible that even though many businesses sign up to be listed in a category, the category may still get little visitor traffic. In that scenario, would you like them to easily see how little traffic there is?
That's interesting, I've found the opposite happening,where some are even asking to be the only one in a category! Yellow Pages do a lot of hard sales using the 'there aren't many listed in that category' pitch lol.
I guess it's just a personal thing.
My basic point is that giving out stats can be a double-edged sword. It can hurt or help you. I give out individual listing and category stats discreetly, quietly, and only when asked. I give out stats for the site as whole all over the place.
Your idea on only showing stats for your busy categories could backfire because if someone understands what you're doing and doesn't see stats, then they have to realize that they're looking at a category that gets very little traffic.
For instance anything to do with technology is highly popular. eg. Computers. Travel is also very sought after, and there are loads of travel sites out there to choose from. So it's a battle for visitors alright...
Oh, I think I'll just give each client their own stats section! It's easier that way (more expensive but easier in the long run)
I don't want to do that just yet, since traffic to the site isn't where I want it to be, and many trial subscribers wouldn't understand that it takes awhile to attract 100,000+ visitors a month.
I've been watching the progress of your directory, and you have a goodly number of companies listed. If you don't mind my asking, are all of those paying subscribers, or only the ones with detailed information about their businesses?
Yep, the sections like Hotspot and Company of Month etc are the 'paid' better listings. All clients you see have paid.
I'll be charging for the basic entries too, I just haven't decided how much though, or how often they will pay.
ie, per url, one off payment, faster listing etc. I've got to get that right though.
How are you coming along with those sales calls? A lot is to do with a prospect's disposable cash and past experience of 'other' directories.
You'll find that those with bad experiences with say Yellow Pages, Kellys etc will be reluctant to try you, unless you offer something different!
There are soooooooooo many directories now, that it's just rediculous, and the owners just don't realise the damage they are doing to the search industry, if you catch my drift.
>>"How are you coming along with those sales calls? A lot is to do with a prospect's disposable cash and past experience of 'other' directories. "<<
The calls are taking longer now because we're getting into the season where these stores' products are more in demand (I think you know what I mean). I'm having to call the owner back two, three or even six times before he finally has the fifteen minutes it takes for me to ask the questions necessary to prepare a page for his store.
However, when I am finally able to get through to the owners, anywhere from 25% to 45%--depending upon the state--like the idea.
One thing I have going for me that other directories do not is that there hasn't been a directory like this before. Just about every store in my niche is listed on the various manufacturers' sites, but those listings just give name, address, and phone number.
So, I get a strange combination of subscribers: those who have their own extensive websites and know that $10 a month to drive more traffic to their sites is cheap; and those who don't have a website but understand they need a web presence, and see the $10 as cheap.
And, then, there's the owners (usually in their 60's) who want nothing to do with the internet.
There are good weeks and bad weeks. The past two weeks have been bad.
I send them a email with some helpful advice about Direct Mail, and was accused of spamming them? lol
I only sent them 1 eh? lol.
I felt it was uncalled for:
a) it was just a client type helpful email
b) I gave them free advertising for 1 year 7 months
How can they complain about that? lol. So they have been dealt with.
We only sent out about 10 emails all last year - so how does that make us spammers? Are people on drugs.
Anyone been accused of any spamming lately?
Not smamming, but accused of pestering the shop owners who keep telling me to call them back. If they don't want me to call, why do they tell me to call back?
Humans. Ugh.
So I reminded him that the UK law only applies to 'personal addresses' and not business ones - but I respected his wishes and so removed him.
Either himself or another submited their site to my directory in the first place - then tried to make out that they never made first contact lol.
There's not much you can do accept remove them anyway, which is a good thing as they sounded like they were probably after a freebie, and didn't want to be sold anything.
But I'm not at the stage of selling stuff to clients yet so..........
That's okay, if they want to go to court, let em waste their time, as I know what the UK legal system is like - so if they want to wait outside a court room for 8 hours until they are heard - that's fine by me lol.
Sad in it.
Often, after sending out an alert, I'll get a hot-headed email from someone demanding that I remove the person's email address from the database.
I'm tempted to say, "Look. Either you, a member of your family, or someone who knows your name and email address submitted it. Don't bite my head off over the issue."
In the end, though, anger requires more energy than pacivity, so I just remove the address and go on with life.
You may be running into problems because of the content of your emails. If people are really interested in reading what you have to say, then the chances of them regarding your email as spam goes way down. Why not post one here so that we can give you some feedback?
"Just thought you may all appreciate an update on site progression. We've just hired the services of a web submission company, and should be seeing our company in Search Engines all over the Web and we'll purchase some larger ad space - probably on MSN, so watch this space."
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But more recently I've been sending them tips and other marketing advice such as:
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Marketing Tips
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Of all the ways to waste money on Marketing, advertising seems to be everyone's favourite - so today we're looking at how to get better results from your advertising.
Find Ways To Maximise Your Marketing Impact
You need to keep looking for new ways to market your product and services. Many clients of mine stick with 2 or 3 types of method, and think that's all they need to do - they just sit back, relax and hope that these techniques alone will pay off.
Alas, it's not enough to hope that a couple of ads here and there will propel your product and make you rich - it's not going to happen.
To be successful, you need to keep plugging away using ads, publications and inventing new ways to satisfy your customers. It's like life-long learning - it never stops, so just accept it. It's less stressful to do that.
There are an infinite number of ways to market a business. Here, for example, are some additional ways to maximise your marketing program:
Thank customers for their business. A Thank You card or compliments slip with every purchase, is a nice touch, and people tend to reuse services where they are appreciated. This also provides an opportunity to advertise on the Thank You card itself.....
Get more referrals. Spend time talking to anyone, help them out (even if you make no profit from the deal) as they will remember. They may know someone that could use your services.
Ensure your marketing is attractive. Often marketing can pull better if you simply improve the look of an ad, upgrading a website, or changing fonts of marketing communications etc. Did you know that the best dressed consultants get paid two to five times as much as the average ones.
Isn't it then worth changing or upgrading your company image?
Entertain clients. Corporate Hospitality is big business and can be used to your advantage in clinching that deal. A lot of business is done in a relaxed setting, a public house, restaurant, bars etc.
We recently took some clients Go Karting, and we ended up with the contract. They didn't buy because we took them karting - they purchased because they were relaxed, and could think more clearly in a less stressful setting!
Know what you want to be the best at and invest in that. People use you because you are the best at what you do. Success comes from listening to what people want - then providing that differently and with more value than anybody else can or is willing to.
Remember that marketing is a constant thing - not a one time thing.
Seven Brilliant Sales & Marketing Tips
Whatever you're selling, these easy practical steps will help you market more effectively:
ü Always present yourself well. Everything from the way you dress to your website campaign must be viewed as professionalism. Use business cards regularly - hand them out to everyone you meet
ü Use low cost advertising. Use a good, effective and attractive logo design, Brochures, letterhead, business cards, Postcards, Other Web Sites and Directories.
ü Spend at least 1 hour a day marketing. Ignore the other advice about 'accomplish this in 10 minutes' this won't work as it takes you at least half an hour to get going with it. So many don't treat marketing as a normal every day task - they then complain when they don't get many enquiries.
ü Know what makes you special in customer's eyes. Remind them of the benefits of your fantastic product, they may have forgotten all about the one time sales letter you sent them.
ü Sort out the people who don't want your product. Eliminate them from your sales campaigns - they aren't good prospects anyway, and you'll waste valuable time selling to them.
ü Know what you want to market. It's easy to lose focus when marketing something personal to you, so don't invest in useless activities, it won't work. Have a clear exact objective as a target at all times.
ü Trial & Error. Successful businesses all start from somewhere, and you can't avoid experimenting with lot's of marketing techniques. You have to, because nobody will tell you how to do marketing - unless you pay them.
Regards
Christopher Given
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Things like that really. And out of about 400 sent, we've only had 3 nasty replies asking us to remove the email address, so it's not been too bad.
At the end of the day, everybody has to do sales at some point, and without email campaigns - most companies are just dead in the water, telesales is just too expensive and takes too long, letters cost money, postage fees etc etc.
As far as I'm concerned, we are giving away free basic entries so far, and we don't have to do that - but we're trying to establish a future business relationship, so what the hell do these people want?
Would you expect a computer retailer to give away a free printer for nothing in return? They don't have to. So getting a free entry with us isn't too bad - and a free link, I might add!
These parasites then complain when they receive a couple of mailings from us. God, don't it make you sick. lol.
The advice you give is good, but nothing really jumps out at me as something that I never thought of. I am on a list for some marketing outfit that was pushing the idea of getting testimonials from clients. They suggested that you let new clients know up front that you are looking for testimonials and get them to agree to give you one, if they're happy with your service. That suggestion was something that I hadn't thought of and interested me.
My mailouts are news headlines from my site's news page. I gather news stories from my industry and link to them from my news page. I do this every day, throughout the day. This has been a real winner, because there isn't anything else like it, and my visitors value the information. They value it enough that my news is one of the things that get people to keep coming back to my site, even when they're not looking for a business in my directory.
I also use my news page as a place for my paying clients to make business announcements / press releases. I added that angle as an incentive for them to sign up as paying clients.
The only sites that will get away with that are places like ZDNet, who also run a really good magazine called ZDNet week. It's actually one of the best mags I've ever seen, and they aren't a newspaper either!
What I'm saying is to do something along press release lines, you need to be an article, news and niche portal site, just a directory type site, hasn't really got what it takes. You need major traffic numbers for any 'news' type site to work.
When people place press releases, they know it's going to reach millions (30 mill plus), and the major press can deliver that every day, as they can guarantee the readership.
We can't. We aren't that kind of thing, even though we are 'publishers' - our areas are different compared to the press. I actually thought of doing press stuff, but decided against it as I wouldn't be able to compete against local never mind the national press.
Magazines are good - provided they specialise in a niche area - that would work online too. But press stuff is impossible unless you have those millions coming in everyday. As I said I was tempted, and I've got 400+ articles on my site, but dunno - it's very risky, plus you don't want to be too many things.
Just stick to the directory thing, it's a resource and resources are in! Most directories (portals) don't get regular visitors unless they are kept updated, it doesn't matter that they are directories, they need to have the right look, and be specialised to stand out.
There are too many directories out there (I have over 70 listed myself) and I found another 20 or so this year. So having a directory doesn't mean anything to the punters anymore. You need to make people go "WOW, this is cool and noone else can do what they can" kind of thing - and just having press releases won't do that. Unless you start a magazine...
It's annoying, but it's life mate.
A directory alone can be a kind of boring thing, like a phone book. It's very handy when you need it, but not much reason to go there when you don't. I've found that my added news content gives people a reason to keep coming back to the site. My weekly emails keep putting the name of my site in the faces of my audience, reminding them that I'm out there. The information I send them is stuff that they're very interested in and appreciate receiving. That's a big plus.
