Oct. 17, 2018
It should come as no surprise that not a month after the first commercial telephone exchange was up and running in New Haven, Conn., in early 1878, the first telephone directory was issued in the same town. It listed 50 businesses and individuals on a single sheet of cardboard.
Today, the need for a business to be found by its customers and prospects hasn’t changed one bit. While B2B buyers have an unprecedented number of ways by which to find your company and learn about its products and services, one old-school method still proves to be effective.
Directory listings and advertising may have found a second home on the internet, but an industry’s first home often is a directory, published by someone in the community who sees a need to gather relevant suppliers into an easy-to-use reference volume — a buyers’ guide.
Gathered together in that way, the suppliers give shape to the growing industry and become part of a trusted resource. Advertisers in those directories similarly become trusted vendors. A recent survey reported that around 20 percent growth was recorded for businesses that maintained directories, and around 35 percent of people purchased a new item after seeing its ad in the directory. Directories increase visibility for businesses and help create more engagement with their buyers.
Today, publishers who want your business — who have the same interest in the success of the industry — are deploying the latest technologies on your behalf, to help you get your products and services in front of buyers. Ads in industry directories are highly targeted and distributed to people who self-identify as buyers of products like yours.
What’s more, listings are much more than name, address, and a list of products and services. GCP Design & Marketing writes, “When you put your business in a directory, you aren’t simply providing your address and phone number anymore, you are increasing your overall visibility and letting people instantly engage with your business as well.”
So, take advantage of all the modern marketing tools available to build your visibility in print and online, starting from a well-planned program in a respected industry buyers’ guide.