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Jun 28

Use Video to Impact Your Business Directory Listing

Most SMB’s have struggled to utilize the power of online business directories. Are you just not getting the levels of traction you would like? What is it that makes other businesses so successful on these directory listings yet holds you back? The answer is Online Video.

Video Puts Your Business Above the Rest

Online Business Directories

Videos engage customers and allow you tell your busines story much clearer than with text ads. Videos also allow potential customers to meet you virtually and get a truer understading of your brand and the people behind the company. They humanize the brand and transfer large amounts of information in short periods of time. If a business incorporates video into their marketing mix, it will allow them to highlight their location, products, personality and much more. Can companies supply this information with text ads? Yes, of course they can. However, will people read 3 pages of text to obtain this information? No, they most definitely won’t! Instead, why not promote 3 pages of information on a 30 second video ad. Even the most basic videos can help boost customer engagement, brand awareness and overall sales.

Online Business Directories are Traditional Phonebooks on Steroids

Although these directories will always incorporate traditional phonebook features, they now offer additional features such as photos, social connectivity and videos. Fewer and fewer people have the time nor the will power to troll through phonebooks in search of local business listings. Instead, they are turning to the web to begin their search via Google, Bing, Yelp, Yahoo! and other search engines. By listing your business on these local business directories with complete information and interesting videos, you have a much better chance of connecting with your target demographic, who will be searching specifically for you or for your type of business in their area.

Video Means More Engagement

A video added to the listing helps you stand out above and beyond the other businesses that show up in the same search results. This means that your business listing will be much more compelling and offer much more information to potential customers. Videos play a vital role in today’s marketplace as they are a key factor in consumer purchasing decisions. Recent studies show that 40% of internet users who have viewed online video ads have visited a website mentioned in the video ad, and 15% have requested product information. Additionally, if the video is entertaining as well as informative, it can lead to users sharing it socially, so that more people will see it and become potential customers for your business.

Know Where to Begin

Not all directories will allow videos to be uploaded, while others charge extra for video optimization. Additionally, search engines such as Bing use third-party directories, with Yelp using SmartShoot. Every business directory expands your exposure and brand awareness, but the ones that allow for video will do far more for your business. According to comScore, 66.7% of searches are carried out on Google sites (including YouTube), with 17.4% on Microsoft sites (including Bing) and 11.9% on Yahoo! sites. These numbers show that you can list your business, with video, on Google, Yelp and Yahoo! and possibly reach 96% of all people searching online.

If you want to grow business exposure and increase SEO, you should get your business listed on Google, Yelp, and Yahoo! at the very least. Video can freely be added to Google’s local business listing but you will have to pay for the other site listings. However, the return on this small investment can be extremely high. If you’re not sure where to start in the video creation process, try Viddyad completely free and you could have a professional video ready to put on your business listing in just a matter of minutes.

http://viddyad.com/

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