When we build directory websites for customers on BeProSoftware.com, we ask them about their monetization plans early in the process. As obvious a question as this may seem, the answers are often not very well planned out. Considering the fact that it cost money to put your own wordpress website online, having a way to fund that website makes sense.
For some, the website is funded by an underlying business e.g. ecommerce. For others, the costs come out of pocket, reducing the likelihood that they will continue. In these cases, having a monetization plan could mean the difference between 1 year and multiple years of use.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
BePro Listings provides the tools to make money for FREE. Once you download and activate the FREE BePro Cart plugin, you will be able to configure payment options via the BePro Listings->Options admin page. They work together to facilitate payment
BePro Cart like any shopping cart software, provides several payment gateways to choose from. PayPal is provides stock. In addition, we also provide multiple addons to choose from like Stripe, 2Checkout and others. Pick the payment gateways you need for your customer type. Not all customers can or will use PayPal
PACKAGES OR BY CATEGORY
BePro listings allows you to setup listing packages. Users can select which package makes the most sense for their goals on your website. So for example, you are able to charge various fees for different listing duration on your website. This process sounds familiar and your users will think so too
If you prefer to charge users depending on where they list in your website, consider charging by category. BePro Listings then allows you to set a price for each and every category. For example, you can allow users to post in your featured category for a year
STRATEGIES
We also recommend that users have a long term strategy for finding new users for their directory. For many, this is generated my their existing business or traffic generators. For others starting out, you will need to employ tactics beyond a good design and content to attract users in today’s internet.
One tactic we recommend is to create listings for customers. Let them see the traffic that a listing on your website will generate for their business. Then you can use an addon like our Claims plugin, to allow users to request ownership of that plugin. If you have setup the cart options above, you can also prompt the users to pay for the listings.
Of course, we couldn’t write this article without premium listings. Allow users to pay for premium spots that give them more publicity on your website. With the built in “Featured” listing capability, built into BePro Listings, you can easily isolate premium categories and give them preference on listing pages.
CONCLUSION
BePro Listings provides the tools needed to create a successful directory experience. We also provide many FREE tools to help you generate income so you can sustain your directory. When ready to really increase your revenue stream, we provide many addons to choose from. Addons enrich the user experience and usefulness of content.
