Best way to connect with potential customers

Hi,

I am creating a directory of small local businesses for a specialize niche which I believe is like a toned down version of yell for my niche. I believe with advertising the website a bit I could get a fair amount of traffic.

But I am interested to know your thoughts: I need to get businesses to sign up an add their details first before advertising the site to visitors interested in the business services.

I am trying to think of the best method to add business information.

I have a couple of ideas:

1. search the web find related business and add their details

2. contact the businesses by email with a nicely designed email, stating if they sign up to our new website (for free) they get so so but I am thinking this could be treated as Spam not but sure??

3. contact the business owner by phone and explain about the new site and we would like them to sign up.

4. add the business contacts details and then phone the business owner up and ask if we can verify the details are correct and maybe ask if they want to upgrade to a paid version. (This method has happened to me, from Yell, and Yahoo, I almost went through with it for a paid plan).

Any ideas on the best method would be very helpful, thanks.

 

You got a great idea but first of all you need to promote your directory so that users come fill details and hence it automatically build list of users...

 

Off the top of my head, and as a cynical, phone-hating, paid-version-loathing person (so not really your average businessperson), I would say this: do as much as you can, so they don't have to.

The best way to sell someone something is to make it really easy for them, so that the advantages outweigh the cost by so much it would be stupid not to do whatever it is.

If their details are already filled in, an email or call to say that "you're offering them free exposure/advertising and just want to check the information is correct" will go down a LOT better than a sales call or asking them to do the work of filling in their info (effectively in return for nothing). Maybe encourage them to register so they can "claim" their listing and edit it?

This approach relies a lot more on them visiting the site, where you can slap a big "upgrade now!" popup in their face, than on selling something they know nothing about until you contact them. Get them to visit, so they see their listing, show them that there are advantages and hit them with the sales pitch on the way out (or when they've been on-site for a short while). Or get them to register and do nothing for a week, then email them the upgrade pitch - even better than a popup, you have a mailing list.

Put yourself in their shoes: would you do the work without guaranteed returns? I wouldn't. But I'd probably be willing to visit and confirm accuracy, since it takes 30 seconds.

 

I agree with TIEro. Make people need what you have to offer. Otherwise, if they don't understand the benefits, they really wouldn't care much about it.

 

TIEro has it exactly right. I was involved a couple of years ago with the largest online industrial directory of manufacturers in the U.S. They (and their competitors) had a team of data entry people that would scour the Internet (and their competitor's directories, of course) for businesses to add to their directory with a free listing. Once the free listing was up, they would do the following:

1. Make sure that the business could "claim" the listing online and update it, enhance it, etc.

2. Have a sales rep call them to see if they wanted to upgrade their free listing to a premium position, etc.

3. If a visitor to the Directory requested more information about a company that had a free listing, the company would get an email with the lead and be told that they could get more if they upgraded, etc.

The "free listers" were the absolute best source of sales leads for the salespeople because they were already listed and probably getting some traffic/leads already, so selling them on taking steps to enhance their marketing was much easier. It is clearly the way to go if you can afford to do so.

 

Through content on a blog. A blog is the best way to connect with customers.

 

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