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Do you own a business directory? Are you having a tough time beating your competition? This article will help you towards leaving your competition far behind.
The idea here isn't about getting as many business directory listings as possible. The idea we need to create is about more community within your directory.
I always like using a "saying" I learned from network marketing: "I would rather utilize 1% of a hundred people's effort, then utilize 100% of my own to market my business." If you keep this in mind, there is nothing you can't be successful at.
With that in mind let me be quick to point out that, I am not talking about creating an affiliate program. Those come a dime a dozen and can be bought. What we need to do is create something larger than ourselves. I am talking about taking our directory and improving everything involving people.
GENERAL DIRECTORIES ONLINE:
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Several valuable resources for Commercial Real can be found on this site...
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For these types of directories, it gets a little harder to create a community people can relate to. This is only true simply because the more broad your audience/visitors are, the harder it is to target your resources.
Here are some ideas you can use for a general directory:
- Create a blog and use it to feature some new listings within your directory. Maybe even offer a review of some kind.
- Offer the ability to add a logo or image attached with the listing in order to personalize it more.
- Give people the ability to submit more information than most of your competing directories out there.
- Make sure to include a detailed search function.
- Create an online questionnaire on tips to improve the directory. Use these tips right away.
- Email everyone within your directory maybe once a month outlining all of the new listings posted online for that month.
- Make sure to have a "news" page so that visitors can see what's new.
I think you get the idea now. The whole point is, there is no limit as to how you can expand "around" your directory listings in order to increase the value of your directory online. The more you give back to people, the more they might tell their friends about your directory.
TARGETED TOPIC RELATED DIRECTORIES:
Whether your directory is targeting the local business community or you are targeting the international health community, having a directory that is more content specific will make it a lot easier to create a community based website.
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Additional commentary and news regarding
Commercial Real
can be found
below... |
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Here are some ways to better your targeted directory:
- Create a forum detailing all of the topics within your directory so that people can discuss issues or tips within those categories. For ex. If you own a local business directory, create a forum to allow local business owners to discuss business related issues, hot commercial real estate properties, special deals on office equipment, etc.
- Create a news section that outlines some local news & events within your community. This will especially help to bring more local visitors to your directory and expose your listings further.
- Offer weather & traffic reports within local community directories.
- Add a feature page where you actually interview one directory member (maybe once a month). This will help people to get more familiar with the members of your directory and it will also help promote your directory. People who are submitting to your directory may only submit just for the chance to get interviewed about their service/product/expertise.
- Add a blog with your experiences related to the topics of your directory. This will help in two ways:
- People will be able to relate to you and feel more connected with you.
- People will begin to respect what you are doing and may tell more people about your directory since they are starting to feel that your directory is more people oriented instead of just simply getting the most listings in the world.
- Add related tips to the industry. The internet is full of reprint articles for your website. I am 99.9% sure you can find articles related to your industry. Maybe start a newsletter for members of your directory and send them tips on their industry. Who doesn't want to learn more about their industry!?
In Conclusion:
As you can see from above, by simply taking some ideas here, and implementing them within your directory, you will be well on your way towards creating a more community-based directory. This is very important these days as more and more directories like yours are popping up everywhere.
Let's not forget about search engines. They too are increasingly rewarding communities more than they are rewarding simple directories online. The more resources and content you add around your directory listings, the more valuable they become in the end and the more traffic you will get.
The more valuable your listings are, the more visitors will be willing to come back from time to time and possibly tell their friends about it. You never know what will make it or break it but, all we can do is try our best to increase the value of our increasingly popular online community.
| Ray Corbett |
Editor -
Commercial Real
Facts,
Information
Resources And Benefits
| More Links And Related Information For Commercial Real |
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The Single Most
Effective Method
You Can Use To
Do A FAST
Cost Or Benefits Comparison
That Will Save
You Both Time
And Money... |
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Just
as a
search
on
Google
connects
you
to
the
information
you're
looking
for,
'Ads
by
Google'
provides
links
to
products
and
services
that
are
relevant
to
your
Commercial Real
search
results.
Recent
studies
have
shown
that
the
click
through
rates
of
organic
search
engine
results
and
the
click
through
rates
of
ads
are
virtually
identical!
Since
click
through
rates
are
to
some
degree
an
indication
of
customer
satisfaction,
this
is a
remarkable
statistic.
As a
result
of
these
studies,
our
pages
have
been
optimized
to
bring
you
only
the
most
relevant
and
informative
links
from
Google
for
websites
pertaining
to
your
Commercial Real
search.
Some
of
these
resources
are
listed
below... |
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The Four Most
Important Things You
Need To Know About
Commercial Real That
Could Save You
Time And Money!...It's
All About Integrity
And Service. |
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1.)
Is the website reliable? A high search engine ranking usually indicates a website of substance and quality. Search Engines don't rank sites for integrity. However, they do rank them for the overall accuracy and relevancy of the sites' content, and this it what is important to you.
Also, it
never
hurts to
check
with the
Chamber
of
Commerce
to see
if there
are any
complaints
from
former
customers. |
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2.)
What is the website's Privacy Policy? All trustworthy websites have a Privacy Policy statement that states their legal position with regard to the use of your name and personal information. The privacy statement is usually located on the home page at the bottom navigation bar. You do not want to provide your email address, only to be constantly spammed by a company's email advertising campaign in the future. What's worse, some disreputable companies sell the email addresses they have collected to other online companies, including porn sites. Read the Privacy Policy carefully before you provide any detailed personal information.
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3.)
Does the company have a Terms Of Service agreement on their website?
After you have selected a
Commercial Real
Website, read their Terms Of Service Agreement, usually located in the bottom navigation bar of the home page. This agreement will cover the responsibilities of the
Commercial Real provider if you choose to
use
their
products
or
services. If you don't see a terms of use or service agreement on the home page, ask for a copy to be emailed to you. |
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4.)
Does the firm advertise with Google, Yahoo or MSN? Simply advertising with one of these search engine giants isn't a guaranteed a seal of approval. However, no
Commercial Real
website can advertise with the above companies without first being accepted as a client. The main criteria for all search engines is relevancy. Their advertisers must provide quality information related directly to the consumers' search
objective.
All
major
search
engines
have
rules
for
their
advertisers
to
attempt
to
prevent
fraud. |
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While
following
the
above
suggestions
will not
guarantee
that you
are
dealing
with a
reputable
company,
it will
increase
the
odds.
Anything
you can
do to
prevent
being
ripped
off by a
potentially
unscrupulous
company
is
definitely
worth
the
effort,
since
you
could
easily
save
yourself
and your
family
hundreds
or even
thousands
of
dollars
by
dealing
only
with a
reputable
company.
Consider
some of
the
resources
on this
site and
check
them
against
the
rules
above.
Step #4
has
already
been
done for
you, as
all of
our
listings
are
clients
of
Google.
Most of
the
information
you need
to check
- other
than
rule # 1
above -
can
usually
be found
on the
first
page of
the
site...simple
and
fast.
It's
worth
the
little
extra
effort.
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Finally,
and most
important,
the most
accurate information
for
Commercial Real
is based on many
variables and can
vary
considerably.
Check
with several online
resources to insure
that you are getting
the best information
possible for your
situation.
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