Directories have come a long way since the days of phone book-sized print tomes. Or have they? While much of the directory business has migrated to the Web, many publishers still have not embraced the full potential of data-driven content as a means to drive traffic, ad sales or subscription revenue. Read on to learn more about the challenges and opportunities found in building an online directory business that delivers for both readers and advertisers.
Building a case for data-driven content
Amid the debate over paid content models and the concern over advertising declines, some publishers are ignoring a potential answer to both issues: data-driven content. Data products – directories, buyers guides, classifieds, rankings and the like – often are an underutilized (or completely ignored) revenue resource for publishers in both business and consumer sectors. Some, such as Edmunds.com and Golf Digest, have embraced the directory strategy to build robust online product offerings.
Five keys to uncovering a profitable data business
Many B2B publishers are sitting on a gold mine of rich data disguised as dusty old directories. Even when those directories are turned into an online application, they rarely deliver on their potential to be significant revenue drivers. Here are five basic rules about turning a sleepy directory business into a serious data products business.
How to make your online directory matter to advertisers
Directories have been fading as a print business for years, and the online versions generally have not come close to replacing the lost print revenue. But if you think of your online directory business as a vertical search engine, you can offer advertisers a compelling alternative to Google.
Should you outsource your directory business?
Many publishers struggle to translate their print directories to the Web. As a result, dozens of third-party vendors have created businesses out of taking on the workload, offering services from data collection to technology development to sales and payments management.
Where is the innovation?
If you aren’t satisfied with your current options or your current margins on your directory, maybe it is time to look outside the publishing world for some innovative ways to display your directory data. Here are three of our favorites.
How Street & Smith's SportsBusiness ‘Fact Book’ made its digital transition
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal Resource Guide & Fact Book caters to businesspeople in the U.S. sports industry. It produced its first digital edition of the directory last year. In an interview, the current and previous editors of the Fact Book offer some insights on transitioning a 1,500-page directory to the Web.
How to make money from online classifieds
Publishers are beginning to move beyond simply trying to replicate their print classifieds model online. Here are five steps you can take to recapture lost business in the classifieds marketplace.
Classifieds could stand to be more fun
Want to give a boost to your classifieds operation? Give your advertisers the tools to make their classifieds more fun.
Reinventing classifieds: MinnPost launches "real-time advertising"
MinnPost, the non-profit news startup in Minneapolis, last year rolled out a new form of advertising that looks a little bit like print classifieds, a lot like Twitter, and nothing like traditional marketing on the Internet. The Real-Time Ads service aggregates tweets, blog posts, and other feeds from local business with timely messages to convey.
Five killer tips for successful paid content businesses
Check out tip # 4 on "Identity Hijacking", which talks about the power of wrapping content around data about individuals and companies and creating useful industry directories – much as LinkedIn became a window into people’s personal reputation.
