Local Business Directory Monetization Strategies

18 replies
Ye all local business directory holders,
Share monetization strategies and concepts. I am creating new local directory and curious how others are launching theirs to generate revenue quickly to offset the costs.
I am looking at a wp contest plugin, contest burner, along with other ideas.
Art
#business #directory #local #monetization #strategies
  • Profile picture of the author perpetualmike
    Hi Art,

    Tom Guard has a product called "Contest Burner"

    You can check it out here, no affiliate link

    Wordpress Plugin Viral Marketing Contest Burner | The Daily Bragger

    Hope this helps.

    Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Theriot
    Just be sure that if you're charging businesses to participate in a directory website that you are actually going to provide some kind of return from them. Not speaking about you specifically, but just in my local area, I've seen tons of basically rip-off artists taking money from hard-working people and giving nothing back, simply because they don't know better. Robbing people less than the yellow pages doesn't justify it. Again, I'm not directing this at the OP, but rather to the people who may read this thread for ideas they might use to take advantage of others.

    To answer the OP though, I;d flip the value factor around - offer businesses a free service of correcting and maintaining their Google Local listings, in addition they get a free listing in your directory for that month - nominal fee afterwards (includes keeping their listing current and updated with whatever they want once a month). You use the directory to fish out new customers, but you could start just with the people currently listed with incorrect info in Local.

    You could easily have this setup up to a few thousand a month very quickly, and outsource almost everything. In fact, I think you could actually outsource 100% of it.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMac
      I think you should do a WSO on this.

      John
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  • Profile picture of the author Quentin
    We charge for our listings and have no advertising as I think this defeats the purpose of a good business listing.

    What we offer is:

    * A good listing service
    * Each Listing listed in 15 top social book marking sites
    * RSS Feed and submission of each listing
    * Submission to SE of each Listing
    and more

    We opened it on 1st Jan 2011 and already getting a good response.

    Just for Australian based businesses.

    Australian Business Listings

    Quentin
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    • Profile picture of the author artmacc
      How is your organic traffic? most of your categories are generic? any issues since I see many of your categories are empty?
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      iMarketingTactics.com

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    • Profile picture of the author Superbad
      Originally Posted by Quentin View Post

      We charge for our listings and have no advertising as I think this defeats the purpose of a good business listing.

      What we offer is:

      * A good listing service
      * Each Listing listed in 15 top social book marking sites
      * RSS Feed and submission of each listing
      * Submission to SE of each Listing
      and more

      We opened it on 1st Jan 2011 and already getting a good response.

      Just for Australian based businesses.

      Quentin
      Hi Quentin,

      Your site looks nice!

      Do you use the same account to post on social bookmarking sites? Does it look silly if one account is full of links from a single top domain. I could do the same, it's not a problem, just looks silly.

      Why do you submit each listing to SE? Do they not index your site regularly?
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    • Profile picture of the author mraffiliate
      Very nice site. How did you get the first customers to pay when they would see that you had no listings?

      Would you mind PMing with the software / template you are using? thanks



      Originally Posted by Quentin View Post

      We charge for our listings and have no advertising as I think this defeats the purpose of a good business listing.

      What we offer is:

      * A good listing service
      * Each Listing listed in 15 top social book marking sites
      * RSS Feed and submission of each listing
      * Submission to SE of each Listing
      and more

      We opened it on 1st Jan 2011 and already getting a good response.

      Just for Australian based businesses.

      Australian Business Listings

      Quentin
      Signature

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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by mraffiliate View Post

      Would you mind PMing with the software / template you are using? thanks
      The Wordpress theme he is using is Classipress: http://www.appthemes.com/themes/classipress/


      Originally Posted by Quentin View Post

      We charge for our listings and have no advertising as I think this defeats the purpose of a good business listing.
      Quentin,

      I'm a little confused on your website, as I am sure other businesses who reach your homepage would be.

      It says "Become a free member..." and then just below that it says "$25 for 180 days, $40 for 360 days". I don't get it? How can they become a free member if they have to pay?

      A nice looking site otherwise.
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      • Profile picture of the author amk2010
        hi do u know some cheaper wordpress themes coz apptheme's developer edition costs $159 which is costly for me. Thanks
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        • Profile picture of the author pmarketing
          Originally Posted by amk2010 View Post

          hi do u know some cheaper wordpress themes coz apptheme's developer edition costs $159 which is costly for me. Thanks
          So $159 is costly for you, yet you want to charge businesses for advertising on your directory?
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  • Profile picture of the author Wayne-JJ
    Nice site there Quentin.

    May I ask, how do you get businesses to list on your site? Do you email them individually?

    Thanks in advance
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    • Profile picture of the author Superbad
      Originally Posted by Wayne-JJ View Post

      Nice site there Quentin.

      May I ask, how do you get businesses to list on your site? Do you email them individually?

      Thanks in advance
      And yes - this is the question!

      I run a free business directory - just released and I applied a few methods so far:
      - Social activity:
      - posting to some business forums that may bring some interested clients
      - commenting on related blogs
      - preparing some articles on promoting business online
      - Email:
      - contacting companies directly through email and inviting

      I still have poor SERP visits though.

      What do you do or plan to do?
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  • Profile picture of the author artmacc
    My site is in the design phase and will provide google analytics for each client. They can view their visits, etc for each listing. Everthing will be transparent to the client.. google places is a service we can offer as well. Getting clients to sign up is a main focus...Finding a vendor to provide a product or service for a contest is my plan. I will promote their service, contest and my directory.
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    iMarketingTactics.com

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  • Profile picture of the author artmacc
    have you tried launching a contest using contest burner? I will be using that to launch my site in late jan or feb...reaching out to local companies and asking for prizes.
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    Pay Per Click Specialist
    iMarketingTactics.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Ouroboros
    Build the site first and get it ranked (pick businesses from the second and third pages of local search). Add some content specific to local business.

    Contact local business owners and "give" them the free listing if they sign up for your list.

    Email them with services that can help them get better rankings (i.e first page, places listing, reputation management).

    Follow up emails ONCE (total of two emails) and if they don't respond drop their listing and substitute new businesses. Rinse and Repeat.

    Monetize with pay-per-call leads program.
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    • Profile picture of the author artmacc
      Ouroboros,
      Like your recommendations
      I am also going to write press releases and include specific business names to promote my local directory and their services. Not sure how I am going to price it, since its only a short blurp on their company. Any ideas?
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      Pay Per Click Specialist
      iMarketingTactics.com

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  • Profile picture of the author fletchmonster
    I'd be interested to mastermind with other local business directory folks. In my employee life, I worked for Nolo.com and Caring.com, helping build vertical directories to over 1M uniques monthly.

    Now I am building a senior care and local city site. Would love to share ideas!
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  • Profile picture of the author xtremeux
    root level of category and geographically with huge data can be beneficial
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