In this Blog we delve deeper into the value proposition created by The Go-To Guy, to both end users of the platform, as well as business and professionals, engaging with The Go-To Guy as one of the listings on our platform.
Our focus area currently is on Potchefstroom and surrounding areas, aiming to list businesses from Potchefstroom that engages with customers in Potchefstroom, we do list secondary to first focus businesses that may add value to Potchefstroom customers, a great example of this would be Wedding Venues where we have venues in Potchefstroom as well as surrounding areas such as Parys.
We also have a community outlook, which means that our aim is to add value to our community overall, it is for this reason that you will find our different Job Boards on the site, which is visited by thousands of viewers each month.
The Different Value Offerings
Now lets look at the business value proposition and our operating model to create value for businesses listed on The Go-To Guy, a value proposition that continues to be developed on a continued basis, currently we have made more than 1,100 adjustments on our version 1 of the platform, continuing to explore how greater value could be added, and the results are showing, we grew from 20,000 page views to more than 30,000 in February 2023
The Basic Option
- Free Option
On this option we list your details on The Go-To Guy site absolutely free.
Below is an example of such a listing and showing each of the elements. Each listing is under a category listing on The Go-To Guy website, the graphical example below would be under Business Services - Marketing Agencies.
On The Basic Option, only a single category is normally allocated, hence if we take an example, and you do Garden Services as well as Artificial Lawn, you may wish to list in two different categories, then you should take the "Standard" option and request to list in multiple categories.
Tip: We have seen here at The Go-To Guy that if a single listing claims to have multiple areas of focus and list these such as being a handyman a plumber, electrician and doing pest control then the click through rate (people clicking on that supplier) is significantly less, customers perception is that "Jack of All Trades" means "Master of None", multiple categories is thus strongly suggested for service providers that caters across different categories. (We explain categories a bit later in this document)
Screenshot of Listing Add with Notes
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
The Standard Option
- Monthly Fee of R129
The Standard Option is very similar at first look to the above, as you get the sae listing structure, however there are a few immediate differences, the most basic ones are as follows:
In the example above in Graphic 1 there is a section named "The Go-To Guy Verified", a basic listing cannot have a verified status, which is a status reserved for Standard and executive options that we were able to verify through either physical or social media verification process, this is to ensure that the verified businesses indeed do exist and are operating in Potchefstroom.
The customisable links section as well on a Basic option cannot be defined and on a Standard option we link these links to either your links provided and if not available then we use these links to link to relevant to your industry or relevant to Potchefstroom information, obviously we prefer that we have additional links here from your business.
All profiles receive a Business Card section, allowing for all businesses listed to have a shareable business card that can be shared across Facebook channels, yet on the Standard Option this business card can also be shared across WhatsApp, and more links are planned to be added in the future, such as to text messages, LinkedIn Profiles and others, the Business Card section is seen below and is accessible by clicking on the "Share this Profile" button on the main listing.
Screenshot of Business Card Online with Notes
In the example above all "customisable" options are available to Standard Listings, free listings are populated with general information, thus allowing The Go-To Guy Clients on Standard Option to customise and link this Business card to a variety of information sources in the background, such as your corporate web sections and other digital online information that may be of value to you.
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
The Advertisement and Business Development Supporting the Service and Value Proposition
The Go-To Guy service is not based on only listing different businesses in Potchefstroom, it is based on a well structured and continued marketing cycle using a variety of tools, this includes the following:
Direct to Customer Contextual References - Facebook: This refers to The Go-To Guy team answering and referring directly on Facebook requests for services, and which you may have seen where based on a customers request for a specific service, our team would respond with the appropriate link and message, as an example if someone requests for a plumber in Potchefstroom you may see our team respond with a link to the Plumbing section on the Website. We target only "conversation" groups and pages as many pages are purely only "ad dumping and spam" pages, we also do not Spam pages at all with ads, our brand credibility is incredibly important.
Direct to Customers Contextual References - WhatsApp: Similar to the above the Direct to Customer WhatsApp messages are responses directing a customer to the appropriate section on the website and this refers to direct queries received via our advertised WhatsApp line.
Broad Posts on Facebook: The Go-To Guy at any given time has about 50 pre-planned posts on the Meta/Facebook calendar, these are ads we create directly and share with our Facebook followers, Instagram, Tik Tok and local Facebook Groups on daily basis, and is aimed at creating Awareness of the service offered in Potchefstroom, as well as the ability to find service providers in Potchefstroom. Content creation is incredibly important, therefore the minimum aim is two posts a day going to these groups in the area.
Targeted and Boosted Posts on Facebook: The above posts are not paid for and is a free channel, yet for effective advertising and awareness creation its important that targeted ads are pushed out to the community in Potchefstroom. Targeted here refers to targeting specific segments in the community through the Facebook Professional Meta platform with paid for advertisements, allowing ads to be targeted at specific groups, an example of this would be targeting house-owners within a specific age group, or that recently moved into a new house, an ad on Garden Services may be appropriate for this target segment. The Go-To Guy runs regular campaigns aimed at different segments and is aimed at the segments that would have an interest in a specific category on The Go-To Guy website, as per above example.
Instagram and TikTok: Linked to our Facebook is our Instagram account where all posts on Facebook is replicated on The Instagram platform, all video ads are also posted to our TikTok account, including the hashtags associated with Potchefstroom, which we also link to our website.
Google my Business: The Go-To Guy continuously updates its Google Profiles, this through posts showing customers the website as well as the services offered, including visual and video ads made using the media tools of The Go-To Guy, this adds value to the credibility score of The Go-To Guy and ultimately to businesses using The Go-To Guy Platform.
Google Ads: The Go-To Guy on a continued basis runs paid for advertisement on Google Ads platforms, and have a campaign active for each category on the website, this is targeting customers with intent and at the point they are looking for a specific service and uses the Google platform to look for service providers, we then direct these to the appropriate section on The Go-To Guy website, currently we have more than 20 campaigns running across 1,600+ keywords.
Sponsorships and Community Programs: In the "Offline" world The Go-To Guy sponsors events and initiatives in our community, such as Local Golf Tournaments and Society Impacting Initiatives, this is aimed at Brand Awareness and giving back to our communities.
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
Here are some of the online Indicators of Advertising Campaigns
In the above example it can be seen that The Go-to Guy is reaching significant Awareness as well as converting this awareness into "Click Throughs" to our Website and specifically to the different categories, the result being that businesses placing their listings on The Go-To Guy receives the collective benefit, as The Go-To Guy becomes the reference site for services in Potchefstroom, and indeed currently (February 2023) we have more than 30,000 page views per month on our Website and continued month-on-month growth.
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
Using the Business Card by Professional Services Segment
Use the Business card as a tool for business exposure and sharing across different platforms, its a powerful tool for Professional Services, such as Financial Advisors, Brokers, Accountants and Sales Professionals.
This Business Card in a mobile friendly format that allows you and your customers to instantly share your profile information, including links to rich text information, web information, portfolios, without having to even touch a legacy pen, a overloaded email system and the added benefit of being right in the palm of you and your customers hand, on their mobile phone.
Below we look at an Estate Agent example.
Note the Following:
The Agent here linked the additional links directly to pages that showcases the properties for sale and to rent, and indeed if you go and look at this profile the landing page is already filtered with properties for rent or for sale in Potchefstroom.
The agent also linked one of the Buttons to his lead generation tool on the "Register for Alerts" Button, so any person clicking on that link would be directed directly to a form to be completed.
For social proof and credibility the Agent linked one of the buttons to a mentions section on his Facebook page, allowing visitors to get a sense of comfort that they are dealing with a professional business that has a high credibility factor.
Now once the agent engages with a customer he can easily share this profile with his prospective leads by simply clicking on "Share on WhatsApp" which will share the agents profile in a "Friendly URL" manner, see image further below, again creating a sense of credibility and trust with prospective clients, and being professional as well.
Screenshot of Property Agent Business Card with Notes
The Friendly URL Structure
Here is the structure of the URL as used by the system, showing that it is a business Card, The Company name and in this case also the Agents name.
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
Forum Spaces
If you are a business, or a professional that does not have a fresh and up to date Facebook page or website, and you find that you do not have the ability to create and manage these, then we can add a space for you on our Forum pages where you could add a profile that can be controlled by you and where only invited members can join, whilst the general public could still see the posts.
This space allows you to add text, video, photos, links, rich text and a variety of other formatting options, thus you could create a simple yet effective space where you could add valuable information for potential and current customers.
Lead Generation Tools
Should you not have your own space where customers could complete forms or contact details that you require, then we can create a specific form and space for your business, where customers can complete and send form information to you, we can link this directly to your Business Card.
Also look out for The Go-To Guy One Call service expected to launch in June of 2023 :)
Our Business Club
To further assist our Standard Customers we also created a Business Club, the aim being to provide you with tools and insights that you can use to further promote your business, and where we place articles, references and real life tools and tips you can use to assist you marketing and general business development efforts, this is a free service to our Standard customers, if you want to join then please click here and complete the quick "I am Interested" section and we will be in touch.
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
The Categories
The structure of the website is a mix of functional (I need a Plumber) and lifestyle (I want to have a birthday party), aimed at finding a balance between providing a visiting customer with an easy to navigate and find information structure, whilst also allowing for different services to be grouped together for a logical flow.
As an example there is a category called "House, Home, Garden and Pool" , clearly indicating that services in this category would relate to service providers around House, Home, Garden and Pool, whilst another category may be Wedding Services, under which a variety of service providers offering Wedding related services may be found.
Businesses and providers could elect to list under more than one category if appropriate, an example would be that a Photographer could list directly under Photography section as well as Wedding Services if such photographer offers services at Weddings.
The Go-To Guy Current Categories are as follows:
Accommodation and Places to Stay
Beauty, Health and Wellness
Business and Legal Services
Car Care and Maintain
Child Care and Education
Clothing, Fashion, Tailors and Wool
House, Home, Garden and Pool
Internet and Telecom Services
Learn, Improve, Develop
Love, Gifts and Flowers
Meals, Fruit, Veggies and Meat,
Party Services and Suppliers
Pet Services
Photo and Videography
Security Services
Taxis and Shuttles
Things to Do
Wedding Services
The Go-To Guy Job board consists of the following:
Job Board General
Job Board Au Pairs and Caregivers
Job Board Domestic Workers
Job Board Gardeners
Job Board Students and Temp Workers
Recruitment Agencies
Self Employment
Register of Online CV Services
The Go-To Guy Property services section consists of the following:
Property Agents
Commercial Property for Sale and to Rent
General Property for Sale and To Rent
The Go-To Guy Community services section consists of the following:
Arts and Crafts
Blog and News
Buy and Sell Group
Community Contacts
Events Calendar
Local Musicians and Band Support
Lift Clubs
Postal Codes reference for Potchefstroom
Local and Regional Online Radio Stations
Singles Club (Under Construction)
Business Club
Mom and Dad Support and Engagement Groups from Oupa Jan (Beta)
You can Register your business at this link here: Register Your Business
Here are some of the Video Campaigns Done
When We Finished Version 1 of the Site
Watookal Influencer Campaign (Afrikaans)
Plumber General Ad (English)
Here are Some Examples of the Visuals we used for Ads, aimed at visual Impact
