Guano Challenges Yellow Pages Model

Guano challenges Yellow Pages model

Six out of ten purchases start with the buyer turning to the internet to do some research.

And the founders of a new online directory, guano, wanted to give small to medium businesses the chance to shine despite the fact they often lack a huge marketing budget.

Founder Mark Unwin says other online directories give businesses greater prominence based on how much money they are willing to spend.  Instead, www.guano.co.nz gives prominence based on customer feedback - the better the feedback the greater the prominence.

"The research is compelling - 60% of purchases start with people doing some research on the internet which has a huge impact on the final purchasing decisions.  But one of the big problems with the traditional online model is that it favors the bigger business rather than the best business.

"This is essentially about smaller businesses being able to compete based on their service, not their marketing budget. The rankings are based on what the community is saying about the business, rather than what the business pays."

The directory was launched this week, and already has almost 200,000 listings of companies from throughout the country.

Along with business partner Marty Pomeroy, Mr Unwin is a director of Wellington-based eftpos dealer Viaduct.  The company was launched just three years ago and the pair knew there was no way they could compete with the marketing budgets of the bigger companies.

"The idea really came out of our own experience.  When you are a start-up business it is a challenge - you have to market as you need to build the brand, but you are competing against the budget of established players.

"Guano is very consumer-focused as it gives customers a credible source of information - they know that the rating of a business is dictated by how the market already views its performance." 

The directory also gives companies a vehicle to communicate effectively with its clients online, he says.  If a business is changing its opening hours, or wants to promote a sale, the information can be easily updated on guano.  

He says any feedback will be moderated and business owners have the right to respond to any comments.

And the name?  Guano is quite literally the droppings of seabirds, bats and seals, and is highly prized as an effective fertiliser.

"The name says it all really - we want to help small businesses grow. We believe that guano helps fertilise business so that the better businesses grow," he says.

ENDS

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