Monetize Your Directory – “Manage Offers” Business Toolkit Demo

Manage Offers – Promote Trusted Business Tools to Your Members (00:00:00)

• The BD platform has a new feature called “Manage Offers” that allows promotion of select business tools or other offers to members, which they can view in their dashboard (00:00:07).
• This feature essentially enables the promotion of trusted business tools to members, providing them with access to useful resources (00:00:00).
• The “Manage Offers” feature is integrated into the members’ dashboard, making it easily accessible for them to explore the promoted offers (00:00:14).

What is the Manage Offers Tool? (00:00:15)

• The Manage Offers tool is a new feature that can be found within the finance section of a website’s admin area, where a couple dozen default tools, software, and services are listed, and can be enabled or disabled (00:00:15).
• All the tools listed in the Manage Offers section will be displayed to members when they are logged into their account, in a new business toolkit section within their dashboard, where they can view services, logos, names, brief descriptions, and links to claim offers or sign up (00:00:37).
• Members will be able to see the services logo, name, brief description, a link to claim that offer or sign up, and learn more information about each offer in the business toolkit section (00:00:50).
• The default tools, software, and services in the Manage Offers section can be enabled or disabled, and there are plans for future updates to this feature (00:01:06).

Earn Affiliate Commissions (00:01:16)

• The main benefit of this feature is that it allows website owners to earn affiliate commissions, which can be particularly useful for business directories or directories of professionals on the site (00:01:16).
• Website owners can enable offers and link members directly to the services’ homepage, or register for affiliate programs for various services, software, and tools to earn commissions (00:01:28).
• The affiliate programs for these services can be registered for through a provided link, and unique referral links can be input into the admin area to track commissions earned from member sign-ups or clicks (00:01:44).
• Whenever members click on a link to learn more or sign up for a service, the website owner can earn a commission based on the service’s affiliate program offerings (00:01:59).
• It is not necessary to have an affiliate link for these services, as members can be directed to the services’ homepage without a referral link, but having one can generate additional revenue through affiliate programs (00:02:14).

Control What Members See (00:02:27)

• Members can be shown specific content in the business toolkit section within their account dashboard, with the ability to turn offers on or off using a toggle, allowing for control over what is displayed to members (00:02:27).
• The default offers can be turned off if they are not wanted, and this setting is found in the finance section, with membership plans determining which members can see the business toolkit section (00:02:41).
• Membership plans can be used to enable or disable the business toolkit section for different membership levels, such as premium or free members, allowing for upselling opportunities by only displaying exclusive offers to certain members (00:02:47).
• Within each membership plan, individual offers can be enabled or disabled, providing further control over what content is displayed to members in the business toolkit section (00:03:05).
• The business toolkit section can be customized to display specific offers to certain membership levels, such as only showing exclusive offers to premium members, while hiding them from free members (00:03:00).

Why Use the Manage Offers Tool? (00:03:16)

• Utilizing the Manage Offers tool allows directory owners to provide value-added tools to their members, helping them grow their businesses, and in return, increasing member retention and potential upgrades, especially if offers are only displayed to premium members (00:03:16).
• The tool benefits members by giving them access to trusted tools, offers, and discounts to run and grow their businesses, saving them time and research, and providing them with exclusive or special offers through affiliate programs (00:04:05).
• The Manage Offers tool also saves members time by compiling various business resources, such as website creation tools and marketing platforms, into a single directory, making it easy for them to find the resources they need to succeed (00:04:41).
• By providing this tool, directory owners demonstrate their support for their members’ businesses, making them feel supported and potentially saving them money on services, which can lead to increased trust and credibility (00:05:03).
• The tool can also enhance the directory’s credibility by associating its brand with larger, well-known companies, making it appear more established and trustworthy to new members (00:05:29).
• Additionally, some affiliate programs offer exclusive discounts, such as 5-30% off, which can be passed on to members, making them feel like they are receiving preferential treatment and adding to the overall value of being a member of the directory (00:06:09).

Coming Soon: Add Your Own Offers (00:06:27)

• A new feature is coming soon, allowing users to add their own offers to the business toolkit, which is currently not available but will be released in phase two (00:06:27).
• By default, the business toolkit includes a dozen to two dozen default offers or services that can be enabled or disabled to show to members, but the upcoming feature will provide more flexibility (00:06:39).
• The ability to add custom offers will enable users to extend third-party tools, software, or services to their members, as well as link to additional services on their site, such as marketing services or digital products (00:06:53).
• Users will be able to create their own offers and add them to the business toolkit, allowing them to display these custom offers to their members and providing a lot of flexibility once the feature is rolled out (00:07:12).

Let’s See This In Action! (00:07:24)

• The “Manage Offers” feature is turned off by default for all existing sites and their membership plans, and it needs to be enabled manually to allow members to see business tools in their member dashboard (00:07:24).
• The “Manage Offers” page is where the default offers can be turned on or off, and everything is disabled for each membership plan, requiring administrators to enable the offers they want their members to see (00:07:55).
• Administrators can customize the offers by turning off specific services, such as GoDaddy and Docusign, and can also use their own affiliate links by registering for the affiliate program and pasting their custom link (00:08:10).
• To enable the “Manage Offers” feature for specific membership plans, administrators need to edit the membership plan settings, scroll down to the “Members Dashboard” tab, and set the “Show business toolkit offers” setting to “yes” (00:09:32).
• Once the feature is enabled, a side menu link for the business toolkit will display in the members’ dashboard, and administrators can customize the text label for this link to fit their community’s needs (00:10:34).
• The business toolkit link will only show the offers that have been enabled by the administrator, and members will be able to see descriptions and benefits of the available services (00:11:03).
• The “Manage Offers” page is fully dynamic and based on what has been enabled in the admin area, allowing for customization and control over the offers displayed (00:11:17).
• When a member clicks on an offer, they are redirected to the corresponding website, such as Wix.com, and if a custom affiliate link is added, it will be included in the URL, potentially earning the website owner a commission (00:11:30).
• The affiliate program can provide an additional revenue channel for website owners, and the “Business Toolkit” page offers various tools for members to use for their businesses (00:12:08).
• The “Business Toolkit” page is a widget that can be managed and customized, with options to add supportive text and promote custom offers (00:12:21).
• Website owners can turn on or off default offers, such as the GoDaddy offer, and add their own custom affiliate links to earn rewards for referrals (00:13:01).
• The “Manage Offers” feature can be a valuable addition to business directories, especially local or small to medium-sized business directories, enabling website owners to earn affiliate revenue and provide useful tools to their members (00:13:28).
• In the future, website owners will be able to add custom offers and promote them as an upsell opportunity to their members, potentially creating a win-win situation for all parties involved (00:14:13).
• David mentions that promoting custom offers can be a good way to earn additional revenue and provide value to members, and that it can be a useful tool for members to benefit from (00:14:41).