Thursday, November 03, 2005

What makes us different?

I guess by now you are asking: "What makes Top Local Pros different from any other free advertising site on the web?" Well, I'm glad you asked that question...AND, I hope you brought a lunch!

Before creating TLP, we put a lot of time and research into evaluating the advertising sites that were currently in existence and realized that we could build a "better mouse trap." We examined their overall appearance, ease of use, services offered and advertising options and decided that we would build our site based on the fundamentals of two of the most popular San Diego Classifieds and then build from there. TLP was born!

Here are just a few things that makes TLP different from the others:

APPEARANCE: What stands out right away is our sites appearance. We wanted a very clean, sharp and defined look throughout the entire site and not just on the home page. I think we have accomplished that.

NAVIGATION: Not only did our site have to look good, but it had to be simple enough for anyone to land on the site and instinctively know how to place an ad without having to read a book on it. By adding a blog, we are able to provide additional news and information to our advertisers without cluttering our site.

STANDARDS: At TLP, our posting guidelines are very strict. We allow absolutely NO adult content whatsoever, nor do we allow any excessive use of characters like ********* or >>>>>>>>> in ad titles because we equivilate this to "online graffiti" and we simply won't allow that on our site. We are a professional business directory; not a come one, come all, free for all. We deny inappropriate ads on a daily basis because our motto is: "We may not be the biggest...but our standards are higher."

MONITORING: At TLP, each ad is personally reviewed by a member of our staff for appropriateness and professionalism. Although this creates extra work for our staff, we believe that it's a small price to pay to maintain our sites appeal to visitors in search of true business professionals. We don't believe in the auto-pilot system; because over time, this will only lessen a websites value. Our hands-on approach ensures that our sites value is NEVER compromised...and neither is your business.

NETWORKING: Unlike other advertising sites, we offer a free, built-in business networking feature called the TLP Group. As a member of the group, you are a part of a community and not just an ad in the classifieds. Other benefits of the group include the ability to advertise your services to all group members simultaneously with a single email. TLP Group members are encouraged to do business with other members whenever possible, but this is not mandatory.

ACCOUNTABILITY: The TLP Group holds its members accountable; much like the way in which the Better Business Bureau does, but without the huge annual membership fee! Whenever you provide a service, other members may critique your services and post positive experiences to the group for all members to see. This benefit alone makes our classified advertising like no other. All posts are reviewed by staff before they are posted live, and negative comments WILL NEVER be posted to the group. Members may contact TLP Staff via email to inquire if any negative feedback has been received on the member that they are considering doing business with. When issues arise, TLP Staff may contact both parties to verify the conflict and its resolution if there was any.

ADVERTISING: At TLP, not only do we offer conventional free advertising, but we also offer paid sponsored and site-wide link options as well. As a sponsor, your ad will be included in the sponsored ad rotation on our home page. This means that each time someone visits the TLP website, your sponsored ads will randomly appear on our home page, PLUS the "Link to Us" page, PLUS the "Post Your Ad" page, PLUS the "Advertiser Login" page, PLUS the category that you originally posted in! Our unique rotating ad system allows our sponsors to be seen on no less than five different pages, rather than just one, like other sites offer!

Now that you know the difference, what's stopping you from placing an ad?

Sincerely,

Kevin L. Craig
TLP President
Top Local Pros