A Business Directory Just Isn't Enough Anymore!

An online business directory can be helpful for companies. It can help you find a business that's nearby, or see how they compare to other businesses in your area. It also provides the owner with extra information, like their phone number and website, time taken to serve a customer, and more. One thing is for sure - an online directory won't allow you to do everything that a brick-and-mortar store would give you.

One of the most important parts of becoming a successful business woman is building your own personal brand - this includes finding great people who can help expand your business and building relationships with new customers (to attract new clients). An important part of the Internet is building an online business directory profile. This can help you get in touch with people who are serious about your business.

In other words, it's not just enough to get a spot on an online business directory - you have to build relationships with customers in order to expand your online business directory profile and network of local contacts!

A lot of business directories have been focusing on building new and innovative features that will help your company and customers alike. They've added payment systems, social media integration, virtual assistant tools, and more. Some even offer personnel management tools - allowing you to think less about the technicalities of running a business (booking appointments, scheduling events, accounting...).

I can see how sites like Yelp and Google+ can be helpful, but they are not the complete answer in your business plan. A brand new online business directory will allow you to display a banner ad or video, make connections with local businesses... all important. However, an online business directory isn't enough to build a successful local business.

One of the biggest mistakes you'll make if you want to build your own local brand is not having a thorough strategy in place before starting your search for an online business directory. You'll be surprised how many websites offer listings in their business directory, but they don't offer a way to for you to build your brand and network in local and online communities.

If you are looking for a brand new online business directory, make sure that one of the first things you should focus on is networking with other businesses. There are many tools on the web that will allow you to build relationships with other companies. Sites like LinkedIn have been great at connecting people - but there are also sites like Facebook that can be a quick way to add some additional information about your business (and your employees).

Doing some research about your target audience is a great way to start building an online business directory profile... and make sure that you analyze the competing businesses in your area. You'll be surprised to learn how much time will be needed to build your own online business profile, so make sure that your goals are realistic.

Another important thing to keep in mind is the feature set of most online business directories... and how they compare to other types of free websites. One thing is for sure - an online directory won't allow you to do everything that a brick-and-mortar store would give you (including membership discounts).

An online business directory can help you figure out what else you might need, but keep in mind that it's a good starting point for advertising and building a website. You'll be surprised how much more work will need to be done to get your business recognized as one of the best in your area.

Sure, a business directory can help you find the right service for your needs, but you'll still need to build relationships with customers and network through social media... which is not a job that a website can do.

Make sure that you have detailed goals for your local and online brand before spending money on an online business directory - and make sure those goals are realistic! Online businesses directories are bound to expand... but they won't do everything for you.

Online business directories are a great place to start. However, you'll find that you'll need to do more work if you want to build a true local and online brand.

I've written on this subject before in more detail.  Here is the link: http://www.thecoachingperspective.com/promote-your-business-with-internet-marketing/online-business-directory/

Title: What Else Will You Find On An Online Business Directory? [ARTICLE START]

One of the most common questions I get from local businesses is about how they can promote their brand in their area and online. It's understandable - locally owned businesses are always looking to grow their business.

Local business directories are a great place to start for many reasons. This article will be about how online business directories can help your local business. One thing is for sure - an online directory isn't enough to build a successful local brand.

As mentioned in the previous article, an online directory will only provide you with some of the information that you'll need to get your brand noticed in your area. This might include information like a company's size and type, services it offers, hours of operation, products or services it offers... and more.

This is a good starting point, but you'll find that most online business directories don't provide any way to build your brand at all. They also don't allow you to connect with local businesses, add a personal blog page, or even sell products from your own website (unless their terms of service allows it).

You need to make sure that you have goals for your online brand before going after an online business directory. This is a lot of work, but it's important that you have a clearly defined goal for your company, online and off.

If you want to build your brand online, you'll need to spend some time researching how to use social media in the promotion of your brand (I'd recommend reading this article: http://www.thecoachingperspective.com/promote-your-business-with-internet-marketing/social-media/ ). This will be an important part of building your own local and online brand.

If you want to get started with an online business directory, keep in mind that they aren't everything - they only provide some of the tools that will help create a strong local brand. However, there are many websites that will offer listings in their online business directory... but they don't offer a way for you to build your brand and network in online communities.

If you are looking for an online business directory, make sure that one of the first things you should focus on is networking with other businesses. There are many tools on the web that will allow you to establish relationships with other companies - and sites like LinkedIn have been great at connecting people. You can also connect with your audience through social media (again, I'd recommend reading this article: http://www.thecoachingperspective.com/promote-your-business-with-internet-marketing/social-media ).

Conclusion

Often times, people will ask me how they can promote their business with Internet marketing. Well, the answer to this question is very simple. It's all about building your online brand - and everything will be geared towards that goal. If you want to be successful, you'll have to become your own Internet marketer (and local marketer).

Keeping this principle in mind is important as you go into the world of Web marketing... especially if you want to make sure that you are happy with your business and are supported by the people who matter most - your customers. There are many tools out there that will help you to promote and advertise yourself and your business successfully... but you'll have to figure it out on your own.