The Power Of Online Directories - Pt.1
Harnessing The Power of Online Directories.
Welcome to Part 1 of my new series on how to promote your business using online directories. Today we will briefly recap on why online business directories are still powerful, and how easy it is to get started. Let's jump right in!
Online business directories have been around since the early dawn of the Internet and for good reasons. They can improve your website traffic (if you have one), and boost your bottom line, which can help grow your business rapidly. However, with that being said, many small business owners do not know how to use them to the fullest advantage. In fact, a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs do not know how to use them at all. Obviously, they end up feeling disappointed when they don't get the results they are expecting in a directory.
The good news is that, getting started with Online directories is pretty straightforward and simple. There are literally thousands of business directories on the internet, some which are free and some of which require payment before your 
business can be listed. Either way, the key is to find directories that can give your business greater exposure among your preferred demographic.
Future series will expand on how this works and give you new and exciting ideas on how you can use these directories to expose your business, get more leads and generate more sales. Until then, check out my personal business directory, Expose Your Business Online.com, and learn how we can help connect your business with high-valued clients and customers and expand your clientele. But for now:
What Are Online Directories?
A simple question right? But the answer may surprise you. While the short answer is that an online business directory is similar to the traditional yellow pages of a phone book, we all know that there are some fundamental differences. Anin-depth explanation of the differences is needed to convey just how powerful these directories can be for your business growth.
The first major advantage online business directories have over the old-fashioned style is that, they can present the opportunity for you to share a much more detailed and in-depth information about your business. That includes your contact info for business inquires, a detailed description of your business, customers reviews, ratings 
and so on. Ratings are especially helpful because it gives you an insight about what the public think about your business acumen and gives you the opportunity to make necessary adjustments. Also, if you plan not to have a website, depending on your plan, an Online directory can be a substitute for much less. You can post contents about products, write your blogs, run a Sale or Special deals, etc, just as you would do with your website. So the possibilities are endless. As you can imagine, this is VERY powerful and it is not just for B2B (Business to Business) businesses only. B2C (Business to Consumer) businesses can take advantage of it as well.
Something else you can do with a business directory is to link it to your website or landing or sales page (if you have one), if you want to be a little more aggressive with your marketing and advertising tactics. Either way, you can easily lead potential customers further down your sales funnel straight from the directory itself if your funnel is set up correctly. (In fact, it's estimated that up to 80% of online sales start with a business directory listing!)
By not having your business listed in an online directory, you may be missing out on a lot of sales and leaving a ton of money on the table, especially since there are free directories or plans that cost you nothing. The free opportunity alone makes it an extremely cost effective marketing strategy. Speaking of which, my personal business directory, Expose Your Business Online.com, has a free membership option. Click on the link to find out we can expose your business to thousands of people and help you generate hot new leads for your business.
