Just wanted to know which webhosting directory (I compiled a list from all the other post) do you see the best return on your investment for a sponsored ad, or premium listing (paid). We are going to launch a broad marketing campaign and would like to know which ones to invest in that will give the highest or best ROI...

Or, should we just continue to target our local community? And use online marketing as a way of branding or generating "awareness"?

I think no one can answer your question because different people may have different experience. There is no the best dir.

I would suggest you spend 60% on local marketing and the rest on Dir adds. Target small business in your area, it is surprising how many still do not have a web presence.

yeah local community is working a great deal for us. We don't have as many clients but we do charge them more for the peace of mind that we generate. [Update for clarity] Not that we dupe them because they are local, but talking with a local company whose employees are readily available offers most local businesses something they can not get with a hosting company whose office is some ways off.

I guess that we will see, already talking to a couple of hosting directories. I didn't want to know anyones *secrets* per se, but get input and make sure that our company was not going to start advertising on *scam* directories.

That's a good question Sam

What you have to do is to verify the traffic for those directories - get all the prices, and then make a chart for yourself and check what seems better in the long run.

Check how long the directories have been around - who is advertising with them at the moment, etc.

It really depends on your budget, sometimes I see people who are looking for 10,000 customers for $100 per month, and sometimes I see people who spend $10,000 and get only 100 customers - which isn't right.

So it's all about testing, buy a small campaign at first and keep changing the words, and play with the images a bit - see what has the better result. and then buy a long term campaign - this way you'll get a discount - and the traffic usually increases so you'll get more for less.

Good luck

Originally posted by Lonny
That's a good question Sam

What you have to do is to verify the traffic for those directories - get all the prices, and then make a chart for yourself and check what seems better in the long run.

Check how long the directories have been around - who is advertising with them at the moment, etc.

It really depends on your budget, sometimes I see people who are looking for 10,000 customers for $100 per month, and sometimes I see people who spend $10,000 and get only 100 customers - which isn't right.

So it's all about testing, buy a small campaign at first and keep changing the words, and play with the images a bit - see what has the better result. and then buy a long term campaign - this way you'll get a discount - and the traffic usually increases so you'll get more for less.

Good luck

Thank you Lonny. Can you please define a "small" campaign? Is it determined by the advertising budget or is it determined by the amount of runs you do (as in banner advertising). If it is the number of "impressions" what would be a small number or, better yet, and adequate number to test with?

Thanks

Small campaign I'd say 1-2 showcases + 10000 impressions...

You have to maintain your own directory. There is no common directory which is liked by everyone.

I agree it's all about trial and error - you customize your campaign - keep improving it and you'll see good results, but if you'll just place the same banner and text on all sites don't expect the results to be something spectacular..