Local business directory - to collect emails or not?

S

super

New member
Sep 27, 2007
633
2
0
I am creating local business directory, I have most of the businesses of that field interested in listings.

Site visitors will be able to contact said businesses via contact form.
I would like to capture those emails in non shady way, so I was thinking that in order to contact said businesses people would need to register on my site. Sounds cool, but in that case businesses listed at my site will get much less emails through my site.

So its either - no registering needed for the visitor and businesses are happy because of many emails, but I am not happy because I do not collect those emails or registering needed, but businesses are not too happy because of lower number of emails they get.

Shady way - collect those emails without them knowing that when they send an email to one of listed businesses through contact form I capture their email.

What would you do?
 


super said:
Yes, my concern and topic is not this though.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what the visitors are looking for. Are they just looking for generic info on the businesses, or do these visitors represent something more valuable? If collecting their emails before sending them through to the business results in the business owners being less satisfied then there needs to be some sort of higher value in these emails to make it worthwhile right?
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
Add a "subscribe / keep me updated" checkbox to the contact form.
Click to expand...

Funny, I was just going to post this. Sounds pretty good, but people will be unchecking that checkbox a lot and many emails won't be collected... Not bad for a compromise though.
 
Unarmed Gunman said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what the visitors are looking for. Are they just looking for generic info on the businesses, or do these visitors represent something more valuable? If collecting their emails before sending them through to the business results in the business owners being less satisfied then there needs to be some sort of higher value in these emails to make it worthwhile right?
Click to expand...

Simple, lets say its dental directory and people could contact dentists through my site. Dentists get clients from my directory. Thats the value for them.
I somehow collect those emails - thats my value.

If I made it that way that people could contact dentists only after registering on my directory I would collect 100% of emails in a legal way, but dentists would get less customers (and I will get less emails because not everybody that would send an email through "open" form would register for "closed" form). So I would prefer leaving contact forms "open" for everybody. I just want to capture those emails because they are good value.
 
super said:
Simple, lets say its dental directory and people could contact dentists through my site. Dentists get clients from my directory. Thats the value for them.
I somehow collect those emails - thats my value.

If I made it that way that people could contact dentists only after registering on my directory I would collect 100% of emails in a legal way, but dentists would get less customers (and I will get less emails because not everybody that would send an email through "open" form would register for "closed" form). So I would prefer leaving contact forms "open" for everybody. I just want to capture those emails because they are good value.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured and that's why my original suggestion stands. The dentists are your customer, not the visitors. Make the dentists happy by delivering them the most visitors, then monetize that. People looking for a dentist are never going to represent as much value to you as the dentists themselves.
 
Unarmed Gunman said:
That's what I figured and that's why my original suggestion stands. The dentists are your customer, not the visitors. Make the dentists happy by delivering them the most visitors, then monetize that. People looking for a dentist are never going to represent as much value to you as the dentists themselves.
Click to expand...

Dentists' directory was an example. In my case my main interest is emails (meaning I would earn more sending them ofers than I would earn from the listings), money paid for listings by businesses is my secondary interest. Even if emails would be secondary interest, leaving them on the table (not collecting them) would not be smart... It would be stupid.

So lets stick to the plan of how to capture as many emails as possible.
I think I will go that route "Add a "subscribe / keep me updated" checkbox to the contact form." suggested by Kiopa_Matt. In order to capture highest percentage of emails I would have to precheck and somehow hide (do not make it super visible) that checkbox, gray area :eek:
 
super said:
Dentists' directory was an example. In my case my main interest is emails (meaning I would earn more sending them ofers than I would earn from the listings), money paid for listings by businesses is my secondary interest. Even if emails would be secondary interest, leaving them on the table (not collecting them) would not be smart... It would be stupid.

So lets stick to the plan of how to capture as many emails as possible.
I think I will go that route "Add a "subscribe / keep me updated" checkbox to the contact form." suggested by Kiopa_Matt. In order to capture highest percentage of emails I would have to precheck and somehow hide (do not make it super visible) that checkbox, gray area :eek:
Click to expand...

Gotcha. I think I misunderstood your intent from your original post. Good luck.
 
Let your premium (paid) advertisers offer coupons to your members only. This approach could be a win-win for user AND advertiser, as you could offer a follow-up type system to get the member come back and review the advertiser.

Then, of course your USP to the advertiser is something like "By purchasing a premium listing, you can offer coupons to members, and we'll help get your service reviewed" or something similar. USP to the user "our members save x% more than the average customer".

THEN

You give the advertiser embed code for his site that displays the coupon, but to get the coupon code, visitor has to register.

Now you have links, subscribers, AND paying customers.



(Note: I just made this shit up. I don't know if you'll do anything but waste your time or money or both.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back