Market Hardware’s ‘Slow & Steady’ Approach

With Innovectra apparently removing its CEO and Backfence potentially shutting down, we’re in the midst of a mini-shakeout in local. Against that backdrop Market Hardware CEO Brian Kraff contacted me to update me on his company’s progress.

Market Hardware is a Web hosting and local search marketing company that has taken a vertical approach to product development and sales, forging relationships with trade associations that then pitch its services to their members. The company offers more vertically customized sites with features and content specific to the targeted industry. The trade association relationships offer trusted partners that help accelerate SMB advertiser acquisition, according to Kraff. This “slow and steady” approach appears to be a paying off for the company.

Kraff told me last week that Market Hardware now has more than 30 trade association partnerships and was on pace to hit 50 by Q4. He also said that the company had done some recent deals with the WashingtonPost Newsweek Interactive’s Stanley Kaplan division as well as GE Capital.

The company has also recently introduced a “low end” distributed profile product (“Get Listed”) like LocalLaunch’s RegisterLocal, Innuity’s LeadConnect or Local.com’s Local Promote Profile offerings (among others). Market Hardware’s profile product, priced at $199 for an annual subscription, is available regardless of whether or not SMBs are using the company for Web hosting.

Kraff said most of his hosting customers are SMBs that already have an online site or other presence and want to upgrade or are seeking something more “professional.”

Market Hardware also offers more customized, budget-based local search/online marketing programs through a partnership with ReachLocal. Reach, which is building out a network of local sales offices is reciprocally using Market Hardware to create sites for its customers. ReachLocal is a change from Market Hardware’s former marketing fulfillment partner.

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