Marketplaces & Directories
Growth Systems for Location-Based Marketplaces.
Two-sided marketplaces have two growth problems: supply and demand. Variant Media builds acquisition systems for both sides.
Multi-Market
Franchise acquisition system built and deployed for MySalonSuite across multiple US markets.
Two-sided marketplaces have two growth problems: supply and demand. Variant Media builds acquisition systems for both sides.
The Problem
Marketplaces Have Two Funnels. Most Agencies Only See One.
A location-based marketplace — a directory, a booking platform, a local services network — has a supply side and a demand side. Growing one without the other creates an empty platform or a backlogged one.
Most marketing agencies help you drive consumer traffic. They do not have a playbook for growing the supply side: recruiting vendors, listing owners, service providers, or location operators.
Variant Media has worked with location-based platforms including Go Private Golf and MySalonSuite. We have built programs for both sides of the marketplace: consumer acquisition and operator recruitment.
How We Work
We Build Both Sides of the Funnel.
For consumer acquisition, we build organic search programs around the location-specific terms your audience uses, and paid campaigns that reach buyers at the moment they are searching.
For supply-side growth — recruiting vendors, operators, or listing owners — we build a separate funnel. This buyer has a different set of motivations, a different decision-making process, and a different set of objections. They need their own campaign.
We structure both funnels in a way that scales. As the platform grows, the acquisition system grows with it.
What We Do
Location-Based SEO
Organic programs built around geography and category. We build content and site architecture that ranks for the specific city-plus-category searches your audience uses.
Consumer Acquisition
Paid search and social campaigns targeted to the demand side of your marketplace. We target intent, not just interest.
Supply-Side Recruitment
Paid and organic programs designed to recruit vendors, operators, or listing owners. A different message, a different funnel, and a different conversion goal.
Franchise & Multi-Location Rollout
For platforms operating across multiple markets, we build templates and systems that scale. We built the franchise growth program for MySalonSuite across multiple US markets.
Typical Engagement
Niche Market Acquisition or Fractional Head of Growth
All engagements are structured as fixed-scope projects or monthly retainers. No hourly billing.
Marketplaces & Directories