Get your Business Listed

You’ve set up your shop, and you’re ready to win at this small-business game. But how do you go about finding customers? While there are a lot of ways, such as social media, a website, ads in local publications, and, of course, good old-fashioned word of mouth, there’s one thing a reputable business can’t forget: The old-school method of having your business phone number—and putting it everywhere.

Here’s how to get that business phone number you need to grow, and why it’s still incredibly important in today’s digital age.

Why Business Numbers Matter

It’s impossible to serve customers unless they know how to find you. Position your business to its best advantage by making your phone number available to would-be clients in multiple venues. Fortunately, this is fairly simple and usually free –at least in the most basic forms.

Google It!

Online business listings work better for customers, too, because they’re a lot more specific. Someone who wants to get away from it all can search for “day spas near me” plus their zip code. With a paper phone book, they’d have to wade through pages of listings in order to recognize the address of day spas in their immediate area. Being listed online is essential – and luckily, it’s absolutely free.

Start by going to Google My Business (formerly known as “Google Places”) and create a listing for your company. Your company phone number, address, and other information will be included in the Google My Business listing. Since so many people use the Google search engine, it’s vital to get your small business listed this way.

Google may be the biggest, but it’s not the only place to get your small business listed. A few other places to get free basic info made available online:

• Yelp For Business account

• Bing Places

• Facebook

The Virtual Yellow Pages

Online versions of yellow and/or white pages exist, too. You can get a free listing for your small business at YP.com (aka “the real Yellow Pages”) and SuperPages.com. A site called 411.com doesn’t have a way for business owners to add information. It gets all its listings from other sources, including third-party data suppliers. Fortunately, one of those data suppliers is Express Update, which lets business owners add their information for free. Be sure to do this, because a site named “411.com” is certain to be heavily visited.

What About Cell and VoIP Numbers?

Those who use smartphones as their business phones, or who use Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), often find that their service providers don’t make the numbers available to directory assistance.

One way around this is to use Express Update or List Yourself, another site that lets you add your business information for free. List Yourself says it works with 90% of directory assistance providers and publishers in the country, so go ahead and list yourself, already.

A savvy small business owner will use every available advantage to make their products and services known to the public.

Get a professional, separate business line as soon as possible and then work hard to have that company phone number listed through the options noted above. Soon, you’ll be ready to welcome new customers to build your business.