Newspaper Web site launches Marketplace BY LORI ANN GOODWIN
“Where to have dinner?” “Where to golf?” “Where to find coupons?” These are all questions we’ve asked ourselves at one time or another in the never-ending search for goods and services. But, thanks to heraldstandard.com’s new product called Marketplace, searching for those things has become simplified and extremely useful for both customers and the businesses that serve them.
What is Marketplace?
Marketplace is a search directory Web site that lists thousands of businesses in and around the area. Search for a business by name, by product or business category or by geographic area.
“Because there are approximately 16,000 unique users per day visiting heraldstandard.com, this tool will be extremely useful to our visitors. Now, at the touch of a button, they will be able to utilize our local search directory without having to navigate away from the page,” said Janelle Dahlgren, interactive media sales adviser for the Herald-Standard.
Marketplace also is fully interactive and allows users to interact with businesses and other users by writing their own ratings and reviews of listed businesses. It also allows users to integrate their Marketplace experience into other forms of social networking they may use such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Bryan Kisiel, president of the Connellsville Chamber of Commerce, said as more people are looking to the Internet when making purchases, sites such as Marketplace are valuable to consumers and businesses.
“Anything that local business can do to make themselves available is a good thing,” he said.
Why should advertisers choose Marketplace?
Marketplace offers easy navigation, a great user experience and terrific local advertising opportunities.
“It’s a product that I am very proud of,” said Joanne Hunt, interactive media sales director for the Herald-Standard. “It gives our advertisers market reach at an affordable cost and it’s a visible tool on our Web site’s home page to promote use and generate traffic to our participating advertisers.”
Marketplace is a representation of businesses in the community with features that include: feature-rich landing pages to help visitors easily navigate Marketplace to find what they are looking for; additional advertising opportunities, including text ads, hotlinks and video clips; relevant coupons and special offers visitors can readily act upon and user reviews and ratings to facilitate decision-making and social media interactions.
“For business owners, Marketplace is an incredibly affordable way to create, maintain or enhance a Web presence,” Hunt said. “We’ll do the promoting for you as we work in making heraldstandard.com Marketplace the go-to place for search. Now, with over 63,000 unique users, per month…. the proof is in the bags. Show customers where they should be shopping and update your business listing today.”
Business owners interested in learning more about Marketplace opportunities are invited to a meet and greet held in conjunction with the Herald-Standard and the Connellsville Chamber of Commerce. The meet and greet will be held at noon Tuesday, June 30, at Bud Murphy’s in Connellsville. Those interested in attending must RSVP to Hunt at jhunt@heraldstandard.com
or 724-425-7232.
“As a local chamber, we subscribe to the ‘live here, stay here, buy here’ philosophy,” Kisiel said.