Article contributed by Fiona Harrop.
For those countries that are using the BNIWeb website – the following workshop offers an explanation as to how this part of the website works and demonstrates how members can use the website to maximise their companys’ exposure.
How does the Trade Category work?
When a member joins BNI they are given a Trade Category which best describes what they do. Inevitably some people would like to include every aspect of what they do within their category, however not only is this not possible, it is also counter productive.
To best understand how the website works, think about where you would start if you wanted to find yourself in something like the yellow pages – this is what your ‘Profession or Trade Category’ should be. Less is generally more in that someone looking for a photographer for instance is not going to look up, say, specialist wedding & portrait photographer but is more likely to look up photographer.
The BNI Trade Directory search on the website works a little like Google – it looks for key words under three headings – List of Services, Company Name, and Profession or Trade Category. Whilst your company name and/or profession may well be enough to find you – the best way of ensuring that you are found is to ensure that you update your ‘List of Services’.
How do you update your List of Services?
When you are logged in on the BNI website you will see the first heading on the left hand side is “Update Details”. If you select this heading you will activate a drop down menu – the second heading of which is “Services/Location”.
• This is where you can write a detailed description of what you do and where you do it.
• Remember to use key words?
If you were to say – We specialise in Wedding, Portrait and Event Photography, your listing would appear if someone typed in any of those key words i.e. Wedding – Portraits – Events or Photography. This is why it is so important to fully utilise this aspect of the site.
For chapters that have activated their chapter websites this becomes even more important as the website displays all the members of the chapter – their listing, their service description AND their photo and logo. If you have not updated your details on the BNI website you are missing out on a marketing opportunity!
