How many places do you need to have your products and services listed?  While there isn’t one solid answer that works across the board, the one thing that is clearly defined across the board is that you need to list your products and services on several sites. Here are a few reasons why:

Increase Your Reach

Let’s face it, you likely do not get enough traction to your website on your own. That’s not a judgement, it’s a fact that most small business owners face.  One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make in marketing is thinking that the fact that they have a website is enough to drive traffic and customers to them.  Your website is NOT enough.  You need a fully powered marketing machine to drive traffic to one single website.

Built in Marketing

One of the biggest expenses/investments a business owner can make in their business is on marketing. But let’s face it, the type of marketing that every business NEEDS to do, can be quite expensive.  When you list your products on other sites, the site owners are only as successful as you are.  That means, they have a marketing budget that you get to benefit from. Learn to utilize the stregnth and budget of others to maximize your digital footprint.

Searchability

You want to be found where people are searching for similar products. If you sell products, you want to be on a site where the site hosts multiple products like your or at least in the same category.  This may sound like competition but if your products stand out in quality and appearance, you’re likely to gain customers, not lose them to the other people/businesses/products listed on those sites.

Let’s talk Etsy… Esty focuses on hand-made products.  You want to be found where people are searching hand made.  Your website alone likely does not have high enough rankings in search engines.  Most ‘stores’ in Etsy list the fact that they are handmade… that’s thousands of pages using a major keyword that you want to be found on.  Your website will never have thousands of pages needed to rank that high with search engines.

Capitalize on Local

If you’re fortunate enough to have a local resource that promotes locally owned and operated businesses, jump on the opportunity to be listed on their site!

There is a huge push for people to buy local.  Lots of folks specifically look for opportunities to support local, small businesses.

Again, when coupled with another site/host, they are not successful unless you are.  The local hosts are marketing heavily to people in your immediate area.  This is a great option and most ideal option if you own a brick and mortar store, facility or restaurant.  You need someone else, advocating to locals to visit your business.

Here’s a great example of a local Marketplace.  The folks at Live Like Locals Savannah are all about supporting and promoting LOCAL.  Savannah is fortunate to have their own local marketplace that is hosted by a marketing company.  Hello… Win/Win!

Need More?

Need a little more guidance planning for the success of your business? I'll let you in on a secret - I need guidance all the time!  Really!  The absolute best thing I have ever done for my business was to decide not to do it all alone.

That's why I built the DoverDrive Experience.  I know what it's like to carry the weight of a growing business on your shoulders and feel the pressure of having to know everything at all times.  It's exhausting and impossible.

Inside the DoverDrive Experience, you're getting learning/doing content shared with you EVERY week.  That means you create a cycle of business development.

You see, the biggest mistake that business owners make is that they only work ON their business when something isn't going right or when they don't have enough business to meet financial goals.  The truth is, if you work on yourbusiness continuously, you'd have less problems and less periods of feast or famine.

Join us inside the DoverDrive Experience and let's get started GROWING your business.