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MetroHorse.com is an online business directory and business meeting place. Part yellow pages, part auction site, MetroHorse allows anyone looking for a service provider to find a business that meets their needs. The MetroHorse directory allows service providers to go beyond local advertising by allowing them to reach potential customers across the country. Unlike typical yellow pages, MetroHorse lets businesses advertise with audio, video, and full-page ads and coupons. Even though this business directory includes companies and service providers from across the US, MetroHorse still works like a local directory – users enter their city and zip code to find businesses that are closest to them. MetroHorse is also a business meeting place and reverse auction web site since it allows service providers to bid on projects.

MetroHorse includes service providers in categories as diverse as accounting and finance, advertising and marketing, air conditioning and heating, architecture and design, automotive, beauty and personal care, business and consulting, catering, cleaning, communications, computers, construction, education, entertainment, florist, graphic design, health, home, insurance, jewelry and watch repair, legal, medical, mortgage and lending, moving and storage, networking, photography and video, real estate, rentals, software and technology, travel, writing and translation, and many others. MetroHorse success as a business directory and procurement auction stems from the fact that it allows businesses to enjoy detailed business profiles, profile pages, and the ability to bid on projects. The company is also a big hit with service buyers who like the fact that they can use a nationwide business directory as a local directory and even have service providers competing for their business.

Geographic scope

MetroHorse currently allows users and companies from across the United States to join the community and participate in all features. Since the company is concerned about keeping jobs in the US, the business directory and procurement auction are currently not available to non-US residents.

Features

MetroHorse boasts more features than the average business directory. Features included are:

*A business profile for each service provider. Unlike many business directory services, MetroHorse allows a full profile page for each service provider. Each service provider on MetroHorse gets a full page to advertise, promote, and list their services or products. This page can feature feedback and reviews from customers, a detailed company bio, logos, licenses, graphics, certifications, video commercials, description of services, and coupons.

*Powerful procurement auction features. With MetroHorse, customers can set up projects and initiate a reverse auction. Customers detail what they want from service providers. Service providers can then look at available auctions and choose to bid. Customers can also ask specific service providers to bid in a procurement auction. Once the bids are in, the customer can choose the business they wish to work with or can keep looking.

*No fees for buyers. Service buyers do not have to pay to use MetroHorse.

*Get It Now Gallery. Each service provider’s business profile page has a “get it now gallery” which allows companies to list their price lists, coupons, best prices, and special offers. Customers only have to click to get details about these offers.

*Ratings. Customers can rate providers in the business directory. Ratings also help potential customers decide which companies to do business with.

According to a 2005 study by TNS Media Intelligence, Internet advertising grew by 21.4% in 2004 alone; accounting for the largest increase in advertising and marketing, and the trend is only expected to continue. A 2004 Jupiter/ClickZ market research study estimates that online marketing will grow $10 billion in the next six years, and many other online marketing experts are predicting that growth will be much larger than that.

The average business is affected by these statistics as much as retail and advertising giants. Smaller and medium-sized companies know that they need to cultivate an online presence in order to compete in the marketplace successfully and many entrepreneurs are planning to increase their online presence or online marketing.

The problem is in the practical launch of online advertising. Industry giants pay millions for online affiliate programs and ads. Even a simple web page can set a company back several thousand dollars, and the rapid pace of online change means that companies are pushed to update almost daily to maintain good search engine rankings. The result is that many businesses with modest budgets risk getting lost in the online advertising shuffle.

It’s not all a catch-22, though. Smart companies are finding that they do not have to hand over all their profits to advertisers. A new trend towards quality online specialized directories is making all the difference for companies. Specialized business marketplaces such as www.MetroHorse.com are doing what traditional advertising simply seems unable to do today: they are bringing customers and real paying jobs to businesses.

www.MetroHorse.com allows businesses to create a real online presence. With MetroHorse, companies can use very detailed listings, online coupons, online video clips, songs, and even photography to capture customer attention. Even entrepreneurs with puny advertising budgets can use these proven high-end promotion techniques to drum up business – all without paying extra. This means that companies with MetroHorse can effectively get higher-end online advertising without the huge ad price.

That’s not all. MetroHorse does its own marketing to bring customers to the site. This eliminates the tired old problem of spending thousands on websites only to have to advertise in order to get viewers. MetroHorse has a stable of professionals who work to bring customers to the businesses listed on the MetroHorse web site. And it is working: thanks to MetroHorse’s innovative business marketplace tool, customers are arriving at MetroHorse in droves. Customers love the fact that businesses on MetroHorse can bid on projects and can offer them discounts and coupons. Customers get the best deals on MetroHorse and that encourages them to keep coming back. It also encourages business for MetroHorse’s roster of companies, creating a true win-win scenario.

According to Koretsky, there are a few things that service providers can do to advertise even more effectively with MetroHorse. One of the secrets is to make use of all the features that MetroHorse makes available. Making use of online coupons and discounts on the Get it Now Gallery makes service providers far more attractive to customers, since buyers love to get a deal. Koretsky has also found that businesses who make use of detailed well-written descriptions as well as appropriate extras (such as photography and video) may be more likely to get paying customers.

Of course, making bids on existing projects may be the simplest way to drum up instant orders for a company. MetroHorse allows customers to state their needs exactly and then gives companies a chance to respond through bids. Customers who design projects are usually ready to start hiring and working with a business, so bids can lead to almost instant work.

According to internet experts, more than 2,000 new domains are started online weekly and anywhere between 600,000 and 2.8 million businesses are started each year. This incredible rate of change means that customers have more options than ever before – but the rate of change creates definite challenges. With so many new options available all the time, finding the latest information can be difficult. After all, most printed phone directories are updated only once per year – not nearly often enough to keep up with the rapid pace of change.

Quite simply, consumers who rely on traditional phone books and directories do not have the information they need to make the right shopping decisions. Plus, looking through phone books and printed directories is no longer convenient – the phone book is not only outdated, but it is also not always handy when a customer needs to look up a business number fast.

According to PeopleSupport.com & Parenting.com, US online shoppers are expected to double in the next five years. Studies have found that 19% of US Internet users make purchases online at least once per week – a figure that is expected to grow. Most computer experts acknowledge that the internet is about a lot more than just shopping, though. Studies prove again and again that cyberspace is where customers turn for information about products and services they need. Even a study conducted for Yellow Pages Association by Knowledge Networks/Statistical Research Inc proves that customers are simply snubbing printed directories.

Not all online directories offer customers great information, though. The dirty little secret about online directories is simply that they are not all the same. Type in a search string in Google and the results include tens of thousands of entries – many of them irrelevant or little more than ads for companies in remote places.

There is a better way. Hand-picked online directories such as www.MetroHorse.com do not rely on spiders or other high-tech systems to come up with relevant search results. Instead, a team of experts checks to make sure that a web page is an actual service – and not just so much internet gobbledygook -- before the web page is available via link. Looking through a quality online directory means:

*Looking at local listings. You can find local businesses and hire American business people who work hard to keep jobs in your community.
*Supporting a business that gives businesses a real voice. MetroHorse allows businesses to create detailed listings, providing real exposure and advertisements to the small businesses that grow your economy.
*Easy access. You can use MetroHorse at any time at any computer. You do not have to subscribe to a utility to have a directory delivered and you do not have to sign up to start browsing listings. With MetroHorse, there is no need to hunt up that old phone book to find a number.
*Simpler comparisons. With MetroHorse, you can have businesses compete for your business. Simply run an online comparison and each business will give you their best offer. It’s like having a broker working on your behalf, finding you the best option each time.
*Detailed, reliable information. Since MetroHorse is online, listings are always being updated which means fresh information. Plus, MetroHorse allows businesses to list plenty of detail so that you get the information you need.

With all these advantages, don’t you owe it to yourself to give those yellow pages and other directories a rest? When looking for services and products, MetroHorse is the little online secret that gives you powerhouse results.

Welcome to MetroBlog. We are always trying to come up with new and interesting features to add to our marketplace to bring more value to our community.

Our goal with this blog is to discuss topics that we think about on a daily basis that are relevant to the needs of service providers and service buyers as well as the services industry as a whole. Here you talk about various topics related to your service needs. You can post your thoughts and opinions about different service buyers and service providers, as well as any stories about previous experiences that you had when looking for services whether good or bad. Also, we would hear your feedback on the site and any additional features that you would like to see or any features that you don’t like.

As moderators of the MetroBlog we will also put in our two cents from time to time as well.

We encourage everyone to have fun and enjoy each other’s comments and opinions!