The Internet has changed purchasing behaviors to the extent that customers often search for providers of goods or services online long before attempting to make a purchase. In fact, increasingly, the actual purchase transaction now happens entirely within the online environment, which means that if you can get the customer to your online space, you have the opportunity to make a sale right there.
With this in mind, business directories can be compared to full-time sales staff; Respond to customer inquiries about where to find a particular product, service, or business segment (including non-commercial and public service) and direct them accordingly via a convenient web link.
Local business once meant a street presence
Occupying the frontage of a main street in a local community used to be the standard model for local business operators. Butcher shops, retailers, food outlets and other businesses serving the local community can be found in prime positions on the town’s main streets. Aside from the fact that your ‘local’ butcher may now not occupy any local real estate at all; Preferring to operate entirely online, customers are now less willing to stay on the high streets as they seek greater efficiency and convenience from providers.
In short, local customers have adapted to the conditions of an online world. There’s little need to sit down with a travel consultant when you can research the price and inclusions of the entire transaction and finalize it online. Even a trip to the local supermarket can be avoided by organized shoppers doing their shopping online in the comfort of home; No supermarket queues or runaway shopping carts.
Online street presence
To compete in the world of local businesses, the real presence on the street has been supplanted by the virtual presence or an online profile. Part of the equation is setting up shop in a nice, easy-to-use online space; although it is not even enough in itself.
A physical presence on the street comes at a much higher cost than its online equivalent, with prime positions attracting high rents due to regular foot traffic, commercial exposure, and the likelihood of unsolicited off-street customers. This can also happen in the online world, but it requires significant efforts to position the site correctly and strategies to direct Internet traffic in the right direction.
There are several ways to increase online traffic; backlinks, promotions and giveaways, community presence at local events, cross-promotion with other community websites and local businesses, and a myriad of other marketing strategies that harness the power of the online world to reach homes and local businesses.
Local business directories are like an online phone book
While we already have access to an online version of the standard phone book, enhanced with added advantages that utilize the unique strengths of the Internet, the local business directory is a different proposition in that it caters to the needs of a particular community group. .
Often the scope is broad: for example, industry-based or a state or regional focus. Consumers can then filter based on their specific requirements. By listing in a number of differently focused directories, local businesses increase their reach in the community in a number of ways. This provides additional touch points with the consumer and helps build customer familiarity and loyalty.
A complement to search engines
The dominance of search engines as an everyday research tool has trained modern consumers in basic research methodologies; Customers usually have a good idea of what they are looking for and what keywords they should enter to increase their percentage of useful results.
Internet business directories help customers by filtering a level for them without spending more effort; simply by going to the directory as a starting point instead of the standard Internet search engine. Now they know that all the hits will be relevant to their locality: no strange pizzeria from the other side of the world will turn up unexpectedly.
Experience with search engines has trained Internet users to expect great results and become impatient with meaningless results and keyword-filled content that causes them to waste unnecessary clicks on useless information. A directory can remove much of this clutter, creating a more positive mood as the customer browses the options.
Closing the deal without saying a word
A really great site that is easy to use and offers a clear and simple means of processing payment is better suited to operate as an online store. Internet directories generally allow you to provide a variety of contact details, but ideally the transaction can be completed without the need for manual intervention.
