October 31, 2000
How To

Top 5 Tips for Making Your Company's VerticalNet and Thomas Register Listings More Successful

SUMMARY: No summary available.
Chuck McLeester, VP Marketing of Roska Direct, whose clients have included both Thomas Register and VerticalNet, shared his top five tips of how B-to-B marketers can get the most from their listings at these two sites.

Tip #1: Provide multiple contact information. Don't just include a hotlink to your site and/or a phone number. Add fax, email and even regular "snail" mail information so a
potential customer can contact you according to their preferences!

Tip #2: Track your leads from the site by setting up a special URL for the hotlink and a special phone number. Make sure the URL is easy to type (not a long line of gobbledygook) so visitors can get there easily even if they are typing from a printed copy of your listing. However, don't assume your results stop there. You'll also get untrackable "white mail" leads from business buyers who may have heard of you first at the site, but contacted you another way.

Tip #3: Answer all leads within 24 hours -- or sooner! People go on the Web expecting instant gratification. If you set up a special email box you have to have someone monitoring it all the time (plus back-ups for when they go on vacation.)

Tip #4: Include a lot of key words in your company description that might trigger an enquiry -- instead of heavily detailed product descriptions. You're trying to get somebody to respond to you, to raise his or her hand for more information. It's best to give a little information about a lot of things (such as your product types, key benefits, target market and famous clients) than a whole lot of information about a few things.

Tip #5: If your listing includes an ecommerce center or online order capabilities, this is the point where you should include a wealth of detailed product information. Include everything that a customer might need to know before making a buying decision. But organize this information so it's easy to navigate. Potential customers should be able to find the information they need within 2-3 clicks!

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