Online vendor directories are commonly used in today’s Event Production environment and are essential to an event vendor’s marketing plan.
Online vendor directories are commonly used in today’s Event Production environment. From the global directories we all know and love/hate right down to local collectives – I’m talking to you, Steve Smith, Tony Brown and Stephen Lewis, lol – over to the new upstart directories popping up in non-wedding sectors, these specialty directories are essential to an event vendor’s marketing plan in today’s environment.
Unfortunately, not all online vendor directories are created equal. There are potential pitfalls with any online directory, including but not limited to the following:
- Some online directories are not transparent about how many viewers are coming to their site, and operate fraudulently by using false visitor traffic reporting.
- Some online directories have old and outdated code stacks, resulting in Google not indexing listings properly.
- Some online directories overload their Region/Section pages (i.e., Boston DJs) with far too many listings, when it is common knowledge that listings outside the first two or three rows are “buried in the desert” and will never be seen by users.
- In certain cases, some online directories actually report fake leads, which ends up being a massive time-waster.
Now, if a directory is free or low-cost, these pitfalls are not the end of the world. However, when a directory charges a high fee and locks you onto a contract (not to mention provides fake leads), that can be absolutely dangerous for a small-event vendor business, as every wasted dollar is a dollar that could have been used more productively somewhere else, and every wasted minute is extremely burdensome.
Currently, the state of affairs for online event-vendor directories is in a state of flux. The largest directory in the wedding space (no names, lol) is under fire for all of the alleged pitfalls listed above (and then some). More and more local resources are popping up every month, and a few crews (ahem) are actually putting together plans to compete against the big global online directories themselves. This state of flux represents an opportunity for DJs to turn their websites into an actual revenue-generating driver over and above booking gigs.
As DJs, we’re one of the primary drivers for any event. Due to our unique position in the event world, our thoughts and opinions in how to plan an event are always taken seriously. That position of trust has been well-earned by all of you with at least five years of experience in this industry, and presents an opportunity to turn your website into a revenue-generator. Here are some possibilities, followed by a few recommendations on how to get started:
- Add a directory to your existing site. This isn’t the easiest job in the world, so you will need a good web developer to execute on this (sorry, AI can’t do a good job yet on this kind of website). This option works best when the number of vendors you want to feature is on the low end. Note that if you choose this path, your existing website needs to be of a certain quality.
- Create a brand new online directory for your region, and choose a URL well-named for the region and industry you wish to conquer (i.e., Philadelphia Wedding Vendors). Remember, the more niche your choice is, the better the likelihood of getting seen and indexed by Google.
- Create a comprehensive website that targets a national or global audience. This, of course, is the unicorn option, and represents a life-changing opportunity. However, it’s not for the faint of heart, and will require the following:
- An amazing, well-chosen domain name.
- Development costs in the low six-figures.
- Server and IT costs of at least $10-20,000 USD before you even earn your first dollar of revenue (grants are available for this in certain cases for reputable companies with a solid business plan).
- A skilled and experienced team, including a CEO, CTO and CMO, (as well as a great salesperson or salespeople).
Getting started… some things to keep in mind should you wish to add a directory to your business:
- There’s an initial benefit to being listed in an online directory, in that whatever link is in the listing that navigates a user back to the vendor’s website (called a backlink) represents an SEO benefit right out of the gate to a vendor before the first user visits your listing.
- The value of a listing grows with the website traffic received by the directory itself – and, of course, by the traffic that your specific listing obtains. Note that transparency is so important here, and if there’s a way you can prove to your paying vendors what exactly their actual traffic is, so much the better.
- You will need to have some company data already in your directory before launch, or any sales efforts will be non-starters. From experience, I can tell you that no vendor ever wants to be first… and they certainly won’t pay for it. You can accomplish this listing data population task by either inserting a few temporary free listings – perhaps as a favor to vendors you know – or open up the entire directory during what’s called a “sunrise” period, where all listings are free for a certain amount of time. This second approach has worked very well in the past for me, personally, just FYI.
- Don’t get greedy! Make sure your monthly fee is reasonable, especially at launch. Vendors need to see a few results before investing heavily in your new directory. Keep your fees modest. Your potential is not based on any one vendor, but rather on having many, many paying vendors.
- Have a great marketing plan, especially for options No. 2 and No. 3 above. The more vendors trust you and believe in how your online directory is going to be marketed, the more they will subscribe to your offering.
As DJs prominent in your local event community, you all occupy a unique position with respect to trust. Take advantage of it by offering some sort of online directory of preferred vendors, and add a new revenue stream to your business. Depending on the scale of your goals in this area, you can alter your life and career significantly. It’s just a matter of time before someone in your area does one of their own such directories. Don’t wait too long and let another operator pass you by!
Jordan St Jacques is the CEO of Ottawa’s Digitera and New York City’s National Proms.
