CityVoter: Not Just Another City Guide

I just got off the phone with Josh Walker, CEO of CityVoter. Josh used to be an analyst with Forrester and is a smart person who got off the sidelines and started building a business (after watching things for some time). I didn’t really have a clear sense of what CityVoter was doing until speaking with them.

There are lots of local search sites, directories and city guides. One could thus bring considerable skepticism to their efforts accordingly. However, they’ve partnered with local TV affiliates, and may be moving into other media categories (e.g., radio) before long. TV affiliates and radio have generally been slow to adapt to the Internet and so are ripe for those that can help them accelerate their online businesses. These relationships have been very successful so far for both the local affiliates and CityVoter.

The TV partners give them credibility and visibility in the market. But I learned there’s a lot more to what they’re doing than simply having high-profile partners. Without going into all the elements at length, they do understand very well the needs and issues of SMBs and offer a high degree of service. They’ve also consciously sought to differentiate themselves on the consumer side with imagery and video (still early) and they have a thoughtful approach to e-mail that plays into their success.

In addition, they’re not (yet) trying to be a comprehensive listings destination; instead they’re focused on “The A List” (as their brand suggests). These are audience-voted winners in each of the business categories. TV sites promote, local businesses encourage customers to vote, voting drives traffic, etc.

Here is a list of partner sites/implementations:

• Atlanta www.myfoxatlanta.com/hotlist
• Boston www.WBZTV.com/alist
• Denver www.thedenverchannel.com/alist
• Detroit www.clickondetroit.com/4thebest
• Orlando www.WESH.com/alist
• Palm Beach www.WPBF.com/alist
• Philadelphia www.myfoxphilly.com/hotlist
• Sacramento www.KCRA.com/alist
• Washington DC www.WUSA9.com/alist

There is a good deal more to say at a later time, but I was impressed with their thinking and strategy.