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All business owners know just how expensive marketing can be. Typically, this is the one area of the budget businesses spend the most on. When making this investment, it’s important to know that the marketing messages will reach the right target market so advertising dollars aren’t wasted. In the past, it has sometimes been difficult for business owners to target the right market. Online directories have changed that though, making even more of your marketing dollar.
Determining which Online Directories are Right for You
Online directories are becoming increasingly popular today. So popular in fact, that there are literally hundreds that business owners can choose from. When it comes time to start creating your brand’s online presence, boosting its reputation, and connecting to your customers, you’ll need to decide which ones you want to appear in. You want to ensure you’re listed in enough directories to get seen, but not so many that your business appears spammy to the search engines.
Know where Your Customers are Searching
Start by learning what online directories your customers use most. If they do most of their searching in Google, you should have a listing in Google My Business. If they use Yahoo! more often, you should have a listing there. Still yet, if your customers are on Facebook more often than any other website, you should create a Facebook page for business. Going where your customers go will ensure that you are seen mostly by your target market.
Online directories are such effective marketing tools because the business listings within them are only shown to people that are already searching for those businesses. Consumers go online, knowing exactly what they’re looking for, and they perform a quick search for that product or service. When they find the business, they don’t have to be sold to, because they already wanted to make a purchase.
This doesn’t mean though, that customers will automatically choose your business. Unless you have no competition in the immediate area, your competitor’s listings will also likely appear right alongside yours. It’s important to remember this when creating profiles and accounts.
Choose Directories with the Biggest Reach
There are some online directories that simply put, all businesses should appear in. These include Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, and Yahoo. If your business isn’t listed in these major directories, you’re likely losing out on profits that your competitors are gaining instead.
Customers are more likely to want to learn more about a business when their listing is completely filled out, there are reviews within the listing, and the listing includes fun features, such as pictures and videos, too. That will make your listing stand out better than your competitor’s, and that will make leads more likely to purchase from your business.
Conduct an Audit
This one may take some time, but you’ll need to conduct an audit on the number of citations, or mentions, you have. You can do this by manually searching the directories you’re more interested in listing your business with, or you can work with a team that can assist you with the process and make recommendations.
Either way, look for missing listings and incorrect information on your listings. If you see that your business is already listed but that it’s also incorrect, you need to fix the listing and remain in this directory, even if you didn’t create it in the first place.
Online directories can greatly help business owners target the right market. However, targeting the right market is only half of the equation and simply having a listing is not enough. Those listings have to be dynamic and professional, particularly when compared with your competition. When they are, it will convert those leads in the target market into actual customers.
Follow these steps and you can rest assured that your business is listed within all the directories it should be!
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