We don't often talk about mobile directories. People sometimes confuse this function with an extension of your standard old-time directory services, such as taking your old paper yellow pages to an online form or making them an app on your phone. While mobile directories is a unique module of our own platform (see SignalMind Mobile Directories), it doesn't seem to be the most glamorous one in the group.

Unless you have what we call a "business community" audience. This means you are working for a media outlet, publication, or a professional or cause-based organization that publishes material for a base of business members that either share a geographic definition, or a common interest.

Then, mobile directories become quite sexy. Why? Because they enable the coordinator of a directory to quickly build up a stable of friendlies to promote through their own network of members, in the form of a searchable digest of business or individual listings, and possibly, coupons or offers related to those listings.

Think about these 3 very different scenarios we've seen in our market so far:

1. A regional special interest newspaper/news site: This cause-based media outlet has both a news site and a weekly newspaper that is freely available at several regional businesses. Most of these businesses advertise with the paper as well as distributing it. By creating a mobile directory, readers of the print publication can quickly access the paper's directory on their phone via a short URL, and see a directory of cause-friendly advertisers where customers can pick up the paper. The paper can also sell "enhanced listings" to feature the most loyal advertisers, and set up coupons on the enhanced mobile listings to attract more customers to those businesses.

2. A professional trade organization: Here's another interesting model we are seeing applied in a Chamber-of-Commerce fashion. A local union chapter of electricians uses a mobile directory to inexpensively create a "find a professional near me" function that they include in their limited marketing budget. All certified local members have a mobile listing that end customers can access, and if they want to, they can customize their individual listings further as mobile pages with click-to-call functionality. The mobile site builder can generate a QR code and short URL they can apply to their business cards and stickers on installed equipment, should the end customer want to call that professional back for additional service.

3. A retail chain with several locations and affiliated partner businesses: This fitness chain has a dozen locations in a metropolitan area that are listed in the directory, which is an obvious entry point for their customers to find a gym near them. What is not obvious was the addition of independent personal trainers, nutrition shops and some sporting goods to their mobile directory. By helping to drive business to these affiliates, the fitness company gets reciprocal member referrals from them, for little or no additional cost over setting up their basic directory of gym locations.

Obviously, there are many more use cases we could describe, including independent consultant sales, charities, churches, political groups and more, but directories just seem to make a great first option for starting on a mobile strategy that serves any larger audience of businesses or sponsors that might appreciate individual, searchable, customizable listings under the umbrella of your organization. Unlike larger directory pages or "yellow/white page" types of sites, you control exactly who goes into the directory, and you or your members can self-monitor traffic and user activity.

A mobile directory can be promoted just like any page in your system. You can link to it from your site, advertise it through search marketing, or include a short URL or QR code for customers to find it from a print item or TV ad. You can have loyal members "Save as an App" to have the link readily available on their phones. Also, though it is technically a mobile-ready directory, the same listings and search functions can still be displayed in desktop web browser formats if desired.

Directories can help in selling advertising or higher sponsorship levels, if the media model calls for it. By creating listings for all "friendlies" and further developing or featuring the pages of active sponsors, you can simply walk that list to prospect and sell upgrades in advertising priority, deals and appearance to all members of the directory, along with a better mobile presence overall.