Using a Business Directory to Attract New Customers

By Rhonda Campbell

Adding your company to the right business directory could help you attract new customers. Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, the process of getting in a business directory is relatively easy. Prior to the Internet, to introduce your company to new customers, you had a myriad of tasks to complete. There were newspaper ads that had to be written and flyers to design, print and plaster all over the city your small business was located in. To grow your local customer base, you also might have conducted a few local radio interviews throughout the year and sponsored local charity and community events. Today, in addition to taking the above steps as you seek innovative ways to find and attract new customers, consider using business directory pages.

Using Business Directory Pages to Help Paying Customers Find You

Similar to the yellow pages, local and national business directory pages list companies by product and service categories, making it easier for paying customers to find local companies like yours. To get real traction out of business listings online, add your company’s contact information, especially your website URL and street address, toll free telephone numbers and days and hours of operation to several major directories. Other data points to add to local and national business directory pages include the specific types of services or products your small business sells (i.e. sports apparel, computers), how long you have been in business and positive ratings (i.e. Better Business Bureau, Moody’s) your company has earned.

Each of the business directory pages is designed with different data points you can include with your listing. For example, in addition to (or in place of) some of the above mentioned data points, when adding your company to some business listings online, you may be able to add your company’s mission statement (keep is short), maps to your small business and photos of the inside of your business. It’s worth it! Pinterest, Instagram and other image based companies have proven how impactful pictures can be; use them when promoting and marketing to prospective customers, people who may be looking for the very products and services your company offers.

According to Hub Spot, an online marketing firm, some of the top business directories are:

It’s free to list your small business at most of these business directory pages. Check out the directories, reviewing data points they highlight on their pages, before you add your small business to these business listings online. If the directories allow you to add photos, consider doing so. People are visual; adding pictures could boost your appeal to paying customers. Also, remember to add your small business website URL to directories and update address, hours of operation, etc. changes for your small business to the directories as they occur.

Click the “Subscribe” button at the side or bottom of this post so you can always be the very first person to receive our updates!

Get Your Copy of Spiral at https://www.ebookit.com/books/0000000841/Spiral.html

Sources:

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/10322/The-Ultimate-List-50-Local-Business-Directories.aspx (Hub Spot: The Ultimate List, 50 Local Business Directories)