A Live Interview with the Twin Cities Own Michael Sasso

On Friday, September 17th Michael Sasso will be live, promoting MapWide via exclusive interview with Peter MeClellan. The is a can't be missed event.

Michael added, "This is a great opportunity for our company to reach out and let people know who we are. The show is on 1570 AM Radio here in the Twin Cities". The station is excited to showcase our expertise and experiences when it comes to the family of sites and our marketing model for businesses.

Anyone can listen via AM 1570 from 4-5pm CST or stream the show live from the website: business1570.com. The show will also air the following Monday at 9:00 am CST and be podcast as well!

Being on the radio show is an excellent opportunity to let the listening audience get to know us and what we do.  The show is an hour, and there is 39 minutes of content. In the second segment of the show (about 5 minutes), Peter will do a Scottish bit featuring his character, Angus where they promote their financial planning business. 

Thanks in advance for your support and prayers for this great opportunity to promote our company!

A New Level of Local Search

MapWide, owner of the MapAd.com group of local web search portals, recently released several new search portals that link consumers to businesses and suppliers at the local level. Users can search by zip code, distance and category, allowing them to pinpoint desired services in any neighborhood. It’s been said by the so called “experts” that what’s known as “vertical search engines” can’t compete with the likes of Google. If said experts were to actually do real time searches of a given zip code in both engines, the contrast and ultimate simplicity of the MapWide group of websites, is obvious.

Unlike major search engines and other directories which place sponsored listings first, Map sites provide filtered and targeted results. Businesses subscribing to the Map directories are insured visibility and can opt from two premium levels of placement (Platinum and Gold) at very reasonable rates. More than just a name, address, and phone number, Map directory listings are sophisticated marketing tools, providing a place for in-depth company info, local maps, custom images, online coupons, specials, appointment function, and real-time online account management. Over 80% of consumers look online for local products and services, and Mapwide.com provides a place where consumers can find anything from restaurants to healthcare providers nearby. If you look at the cost of placing a yellow pages ad or sending out weekly coupons, the value added, sustained content of the Map sites cannot be matched. The savings can reduce some businesses advertising costs by 200%!

What struck this author overall was ease of use. The sites are everywhere and they’re linked so if I were to go looking for a tune up on Mapauto.com but wanted to stop by the florist on the way home, I would merely click on the link Mapflower.com to find one between the auto shop and home. Simple, fast, and local, it’s about time. This is truly the new generation of search engine technology built around us, the consumer. As I peruse through the seemingly endless sites under the Map moniker, I find myself asking, “Why didn’t Google think of this”. Alas, sometimes it takes new blood to shake up an industry and show the big boys there’s more than one way to find it online.

MapDentist Inc., parent company of the Map branded web directories, was developed by Dr S. Said, a Dentist in Tustin, California, in an effort to help people easily find and interact with dental providers on the local level. Currently, MapDentist Inc. owns in excess of ten thousand web domains that vertically integrate consumers, professionals, and vendors in a multitude of industries, including the health care, legal, automotive, veterinary, and retail professions. This company is poised to become the consumers new local search portal.  


Author: Chris Borowski

How Effective is Your Advertising Dollar?

As the Internet evolves and web users become more sophisticated, people are turning more and more to the Internet to find local services and products. This is true for businesses that sell directly online, and for those that use the Internet to promote their brick-and-mortar business.

The problem for a locally based business is the huge size of the Internet. A locally based website often gets buried deep in search engines, if they are even there at all. Larger national and international sites dominate the best broad search terms. Localized search marketing requires a different approach.

If your business isn’t a sprawling national franchise, the possibility of being found by someone searching for you that could be in the next office, is slim. Google will not help. Nor will Yahoo or Bing be of any assistance. To be found by the guy down the street a Local Search Engine is the only way to approach local visibility. As a local business, local traffic is the only thing that advertising dollars should be focused on. The business website you have up can be doing wonders for your company image on the net but is it bringing in local traffic? The numbers aren’t pretty here.

Yes, you can find your site on page one of Google. Just type in the site name and there it is; like magic. Now how do you pass along that URL (link) to all those potential customers in a ten mile radius around your business? That’s a tough one. It’s just not going to happen. No matter how specific a search consumers try, your business will be buried in the detritus. With one well placed ad in a value added vertical search engine, a local business can actually generate real traffic that pay with real money. Scratching your head, you ask what the heck is a “value added vertical search engine”?

Glad you asked! A value added vertical search engine usually involves a company whose sole intention is to provide industry specific searches on a local level. That means if your business is Plumbing then searches will only look for local Plumbers. This is usually broken down by zip code or mileage. The value added part usually involves bonuses like mapping within the ad leading to your business. Possibly a customized ad with flattering graphics and detailed summary. We’ve found the best companies out there will give a business the ability to edit their own ad dynamically. They might even provide you with coupon producing capabilities. These coupons can be found and printed right from the ad! This industry is in its infancy and good local search companies are still far and in between. To be sure you’re connecting with the right company, look for those value added features mentioned above. A company which can provide these things has done their homework and has a technological edge over their competitors.

So there you have it. If you’re a small to medium size business and have questions on how to spend your precious advertising dollar, local search is a no brainer. If you compare some of your choices it becomes very clear that the world is changing and to be a success, you’ve got to change with it. If you were paying $500 or more a month for any media advertising including paper based ads like Yellow Pages, you’re throwing away your money. Upwards of 80% of the population now uses the web for local searches. Many paper based companies are fading into the sunset and taking their subscribers with them! The future is now so get online and be seen!

A few companies out there stood above the rest. The one that seemed to provide the most bang for your buck is a young company based in Tustin, California called MapWide.com. In looking at what they have to offer, the valued added items mentioned above have all been covered and more. They provide industry specific listings for every zip code in the United States. That means their search engine will probe your neighborhood and respond with only the vendors local to whomever is doing the search. The pricing plans are considerably lower than some of their more popular competitors.

Lastly, think about what’s going on in today’s business environment and don’t be afraid to jump in the fray. To be static in any aspect of your business is to give your industry rivals an opportunity to pull your customers out from under you. Be dynamic and make technology work for you.

Author: Christopher Borowski

Mapping it with MapWide

The internet has become the most popular tool for accessing information. Want to know more about topics relating to movies, politics, history, medicine or current events? Google it. Want to find information about professionals and businesses in your area? Map it!

What is MapWide?

MapWide is probably the easiest search engine there is that allows people to find professionals and businesses in their own neighborhood. The process is quick and painless. First, go to www.mapwide.com and click on one of the industry-specific search portals on the left-hand side.. Let's say your dentist just retired, and you are looking for a new one in your area. Click on MapDentist.com. Now you are in the directory that features dentists. Type in your zip code, click search and Boom! A bunch of listings should come up in your area.

Still not satisfied? Maybe you need braces and are trying to find a local Orthodontist. Select that category on the left hand side and see what listings come up. You can even broaden your search by adding a mile radius. This will list professionals who work in neighboring cities or towns.

Okay, so now you did your dentist search, but you also need to find a restaurant in your area because you are going out Friday night with a few of your friends. No need to click "back" to return to MapWide to start a new search. The other search portals are already listed there. No matter which directory you are in, you can always move from one search portal to the next. Click on MapDine.com and follow the same steps to find your destination.

How Can MapWide Benefit Consumers?

When was the last time you searched through the yellow pages? I think the last time I looked through the yellow pages was back in 2005. Why have I stopped searching through the yellow pages? Because whenever I need to find something, I just look it up online. But before there was MapWide.com, searching online was a challenge because of the lack of targeted search results. The best is when I would be trying to find a place in my town and somehow my search would lead me to New Jersey. That is not even the state I live in! I am New York. With MapWide, the results are all related to your search criteria. It is nice to look through a web directory without getting a headache.

How Can MapWide Benefit Professionals?

The answer to this question is quite simple. If a professional or business is registered with any of the search portals, they will always be found when a consumer enters relevant geographical information. Being on a site like this will make it easier to be found by consumers. This in turn will drive more traffic and revenue uptake to the professionals and businesses. Everybody wins!

MapWide is more than a professional directory, it is also a network where consumers and professionals can connect and interact using various social media such as blogs, discussion forums and chat. These helpful features allow professionals to stay in sync with their clients. They can post blog posts for their costumers to read and post on the discussion forums. Consumers can also post reviews and request appointments via email.

MapWide and the Technically Challenged

What makes MapWide so wonderful is that it doesn't take a computer savvy person to understand how to use it. A first time user can master it in a matter of minutes. This makes it more accessible. A lot of people use the computer but some know how to get around the internet better than others. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you can use MapWide. Everything is organized quite nicely and there is no need to worry about getting lost in your search. In fact, it is impossible to get lost because all the information you are looking for is found in a matter of seconds

When it comes to evaluating technology I often ask the following:

1) Does the technology have a useful purpose?
2) Is the technology easy to use?

For MapWide, the answers to these questions are Yes and Yes. So if you haven't already heard about the latest in internet search engines, visit MapWide.com and have a look around for yourself.

This blog post was authored by Jennifer Castellano

About Jennifer:
I play classical piano, compose music and love birds. I reside with two parrots: Sunny, a female Sun Conure and Nikki, a female Quaker Parrot. I have been both hearing and visually impaired since birth and feel very fortunate to be living in the 21st Century because there is so much new technology available that helps me succeed on a daily basis.

MapWide.com

MapWide is a global media company that represents the next generation search engine for both local business (the Small to Mid Size Companies) and the consumer. We offer the following 6 benefits through a host of features and FILTERED SEARCH that our competitors do not. They are:

 MapWide is a local business GROWTH ENGINE whose sole purpose is to help businesses grow and consumers locate

 MapWide offers the local business LOW COST efficiency and web presence which they control

 MapWide offers 24/7 manageability for marketing efforts via a password login. The subscriber has complete control

 MapWide offers the business membership in a vertical community that is easily searched by zip code and radius search and offers content relevant to the category

 MapWide sites are based on content and consumer feedback. More original content will be added as we add new features

 MapWide verticals create a membership in a vast network of MapWide professional and consumer verticals, all connected via our unique search model. We make it easy for consumers to stay.