Wizbee.com a link between Colorado Springs business, shoppers

Ryan and Greg Unseth thought it was absurd that online shoppersin Colorado Springs would buy products from other cities and stateswhen they could buy the same products here.

But then again, maybe shoppers didn't know they could find thesame products here.

That's when the father-son duo decided to start listing locallymade products on the Internet, and their new business, Wizbee.com,was born.

"The Internet has done a lot of good things, but some of the badthings that have come with it is that people are shopping online andsending their money and tax base out of this community," said RyanUnseth, who helps run his father's painting business.

Wizbee lists local businesses with photos, maps, customer reviewsand coupons.

Now in its third year of operation, Wizbee has expanded itsservices to include web page development, text message campaigns,social media, mobile applications and search engine optimization forsmall businesses.

Their clients range in size from mid-size companies to the mom-and-pop businesses that don't know how to use social media to drivecustomers to their door.

Providing those services is driving business for Wizbee, too.

The company's four-year annual gross sales projections exceed $4million, Ryan said.

The Unseths stumbled into Internet marketing when traditionalforms of marketing, such as direct mail, stopped providing results.As the two began their research, they discovered searches forproducts often lead to eBay or Amazon where products are orderedfrom businesses outside of Colorado Springs, and there was no way toperform a localized search.

So the two got to work.

They created a directory of 25,000 businesses in El Paso Countyand listed them in 22 categories from arts and entertainment tohealth and pets.

Basic listings on the site are free, but premium listings thatinclude additional photos, a business description, Google maps andkey word searches cost $29 a month.

Using Wizbee provides better shopping results than using Googlealone because it provides more results, Ryan and Greg say. That'sbecause of the use of keywords, Wizbee marketing manager LindseyMenhusen said.

She has helped to optimize the company's search capabilities byusing keywords to allow search results to include related topics aswell as the specific results.

"We are trying to connect the local businesses with the consumerin ways that Google can't yet do," she said. "Maybe they will in thefuture, but right now they can't get down to the nitty gritty ofwhat these businesses offer."

An estimated 82 percent of Internet searches for local businessare followed by an in-store visit, and 60 percent of local searchesresult in a purchase, according to comScore, an internationaldigital research and marketing firm.

Greg Unseth said he went into Internet market kicking andscreaming, but he readily admits its benefits now. He said nearly 60percent of his customers find his painting services through theInternet.

Aside from the benefits to their bottom line, Greg and Ryan saythey find satisfaction from the idea that they're doing somethinggood for the greater community.

"Our hope is that Wizbee is tying local businesses with localconsumers," Greg said. "The dollar stops in this community."