There are a lot of industrial directories out there and some work dramatically better than others.
Three of the best online industrial directories
There are so many directories out there that it would be difficult to register with all of them. However, there are a few that consistently provide good traffic and sales leads. After working with dozens of manufacturers and tracking what brings in good leads using Google Analytics, here is some insider information… these three industrial directories provide free listings that have worked extremely well for my manufacturing clients:
- MacRaesBlueBook.com (highest number of visitors, most sales leads)
- ProcessRegister.com (fewer visitors, but a similar number of sales leads and sales)
- GlobalSpec.com (a good number of visitors and sales leads)
Should I pay for my industrial directory listing?
Initially, no. Later – maybe. If you can do a small budget and use Google Analytics to track traffic from the industrial directory, you might give it a try. Don’t rely on the industrial directory for your performance measures – that loses a lot of manufacturers' money (average of $3000 per year for many). For my clients, I start them on website optimization and the free listings on the industrial directories listed above. If one industrial directory performs really well, that would be the best candidate for some ad spending.
Tell me how industrial directories have helped your company OR how they have ripped you off in the comments below. If you find this valuable, please share it with friends.