Comments on: Bing Rolls Out Integrated Marketing Approach to Their Local Business Portal

By: Leese

Leese — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:54:49 +0000

It seems as though, since the changes, the “publish” button has disappeared… am I the only one? I keep getting hung up at the “create” tab/step. On my dashboard, it shows some listings as being ‘unpublished’ (and yes, verification is complete) – yet there is no way to publish. I think Bing has the best of intentions, but let’s not forget about the importance of functionality.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:56:36 +0000

@Jeffrey

Certainly changes are on the way and certainly Google delivers customers.

But what is amazing to me about the Bing Portal is that it tries to create a win-win between Bing and the business, attempts to create value in coming back to the portal beyond just checking to make sure that someone (ie Google) hasn’t hosed their record.

It is a model for what Business Portals will be looking like in a few years… where it isn’t just “give us your data and come back because we want you to” or “give us your data and come back for some lame analytics” but “give us your data and come back because there is value to you”. That is something totally new in the business portal world.

By: jeffrey magner

jeffrey magner — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:48:12 +0000

I’m sorry, what is “Bing”? I’m not sure I’m familiar with that.

It feels like a little bit quiet before the storm over at Google. Can’t you just feel the update they are brewing?

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:19:02 +0000

@Jim

The ability to print business cards, posters or ceiling danglers can either be free or paid. The business has the choice as to how to generate.

By: Jim Ryan

Jim Ryan — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:16:40 +0000

@mike – I agree but they are also benefits an SMB must pay for (or am I missing something?) thx

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:31:44 +0000

@Jim

The quid pro quo for Google has always been “give me your data and we might show your business”… this model says “give me your data and come back for ongoing benefits”…. It is an approach to working with SMBs that Google has never really understood.

So while Google’s ability to send business is tops, they need to treat smbs as more than a data point if G wants them to come back to the Places (G+) dashboard more than once.

This product models an environment that could not just gather business data but engender loyalty from the SMB and ultimately lead to greater sales for Bing. I don’t know whether Bing will make the breakthrough to driving more traffic online or not, but this product is what ALL data portals will look like in two years.

By: Jim Ryan

Jim Ryan — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:22:47 +0000

I have to think this is where Google is also headed shortly, some believe as soon as Oct 1. Both Google + and revenue share deals will be integrated into places although the timing may not be concurrent. If this is the case, then Google will have an enormous advantage because search traffic volume is the key critical mass for driving any “loyalty” program.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:01:27 +0000

@James

Yes this portal says to the local business- “your data is important, we want it but we also are truly interested in helping you make use of across a number of platforms and technologies”. It really demonstrates what a business portal can and should look like.

By: James Svoboda

James Svoboda — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:38:23 +0000

It’s nice to see Bing putting a little more effort into Local and small businesses. They can really improve their reach by addressing, and standardizing, cost and delivery. Small businesses want to be recognized and provided a solutions they can count on. If Bing/adCenter can start doing that, then they can capitalize in a way that Google has yet to do consistently.