255268 MyPHPDirectory Project

PRODUCT OVERVIEW Indiemark LLC requires a web-based platform to power a suite of, vertically-focused, directories. Each directory will be comprised of user-generated listings and recommendations. The first iteration of the directory will be restricted to Marketing Services Providers using the domain name mformer.com. Following testing and launch of [login to view URL], we will promptly develop two more directories. One will be dedicated to Children's Apparel using the domain name [login to view URL] and the other will be dedicated to the Timeshare market, using the domain name timesharebuddy.com. Each directory will use the same logic and architecture, only the imagery and categories will change. Please note that the scope of this project and associated quote should be restricted to the first directory, mformer.com. The purpose of each industry-specific directory is two-fold. Firstly it is to provide individual consumers or businesses (End-users), who are in of need a service or product, with an easy to use and authoritative resource for contacting and evaluating listed providers (Suppliers). Unlike traditional directories, we will allow registered End-users to make, publicly-displayed, recommendations of the listed Suppliers. The website will also serve as a destination for Suppliers who are in need of cost-effective online marketing and sales leads. Revenue will be generated exclusively from the Suppliers. Firstly, Suppliers will have the ability to purchase Featured listings in each of the directory's categories. On select directories, such as [login to view URL] and [login to view URL], Suppliers will have the ability to receive exclusive sales leads on a revenue sharing basis. These paid offerings will be sold online to Suppliers in one, three, six and twelve month intervals. The site will be marketed using Email marketing and Search marketing; however it is of the utmost importance that the platform's organization and development be favorable to search engines. REQUIREMENTS • Code documentation • Simple, clean, validated code • The use of opensource frameworks or modules in order to reduce development time and expense as well as incorporate existing, search-friendly technologies. Examples include customized CMS, Blog, directory or software such as Drupal, Wordpress, or MyPHPDirectory ([login to view URL]). SUPPLIED MATERIALS • All design elements o Photoshop Docs, HTML Templates, and/or Stylesheets • All Content & Content Organization PRODUCT FEATURES Must-have features include: • Directory o Free, basic, listings which will be displayed by date they were submitted  We must have the ability to accept or deny all listings o Five featured, prioritized, listings on each category will be available for purchase.  They will be anchored at the top of each detail page. o Registered End-users will be able to recommend Suppliers, once they register or log-in o Refer a friend and page sharing • Membership o Membership is but requires registration and acceptance of the Terms of Services and Privacy Policy o Members can manage their profile and preferences  includes profile/company listing as well as set their email preferences • Referral Module o On the [login to view URL] and [login to view URL] websites, Members can receive hand-picked recommendations from Indiemark at no charge to them. o Participating Suppliers will receive these exclusive sales leads (Referral) from Indiemark in exchange for the sales lead(s) Suppliers will pay us a commission on all closed sales. o A back-end that will allow Participating Suppliers to update us on the status of the sales leads we have sent them • Administration o Integration with web analytic software or service, most likely Google Analytics o Online billing for featured listings sales and Experts Spotlight o The ability to access the data in the DB o The ability to add/edit/delete categories, content, and all user-generated listings o The ability to set the page header tags, page title, and URL for specific category pages and Supplier detail pages. Nice-to-have features will include: • Integration with 3rd party Email CRM software, such as [login to view URL] Potential Future Developments • An analytic tool that will be used to rank and distribute sales leads to Suppliers who receive Referrals • The ability to sort and display listings by the geographic location of the Suppliers. Specifically, the End-users should be able to sort results in order to find local or regional Suppliers, within a specific category. USER CLASSES The platform's functionality can be organized into four main groups; Visitor, Member, Administrator, and General Functionality. Visitors: The Visitor, or non-member, may be an End-user or Supplier. All public areas of the site are open to them however certain functionality is restricted. Specifically, Visitors can view Suppliers listings as well as contact potential Suppliers; however Visitors can not make Recommendations of Suppliers or receive a Referral. While browsing the directory, Visitors will be able to view a Member's listing and see how many Recommendations the Supplier has received. By Clicking the Suppliers “recommendations” link they will be taken to separate page which display the Supplier's listing again as well as the detail of the Recommendations they have received. In order to make a Recommendation they must first register or sign in. By clicking on the Suppliers Listing Title, logo or “visit website” link they will be taken directly to the Supplier's website. (See detail example) All Visitors will have the ability to share a page, or refer it to a friend. Member Functionality: Members can be End-users or Suppliers. Membership is free and does not expire; however Membership requires an email-validated registration and certain required data. Members will have all the functionality of a Visitor. Unlike Visitors, Members can post a Supplier Listing or make a Recommendation of a Supplier, once they are logged in. Members will have the ability to create or manage their profile. This includes changing their email preferences, and if a Supplier they can manage/edit/delete listings. If a featured Supplier they will also be able to upload a logo. We restrict the number of charters used in the Title or description. Listings will be unique by URL with a category. That is we will only accept on unique URL per category. All members will be able delete or edit their submissions, including Recommendations of suppliers. All listings will require Administrator approval, therefore members will be updated via email when their submission is received, when the status of their listings has been changed by the Administrator, if they receive a user-generated comment (Recommendation) or a Sales Lead (Referral). Suppliers will be allowed to purchase Featured listings. These paid listings will be sold on a first-come first serve basis for specific amount of time for specific position within a specific category. The price and quantity of listings will vary depending on the position of the Listing, Supplier demand as well the website and category of the listing. They can also reserve listings which are set to expire. We will also sell Expert Spotlights. In exchange for a set fee suppliers will receive a Sitewide banner for 15 days as well as a promotional email which will be sent to all registered members. We do not require any development for this paid offering besides the ability to edit the side bar of the website. Throughout the site End-users will be encouraged to get a free referral. All referrals will be handpicked by the administrator therefore the End-User will first receive a confirmation email and then a second email informing them who we have referred to them, which displays the contact information of the Supplier. At the same time the selected Supplier will receive an email that they have received a new lead, which will instruct them to log in the site and retrieve their information. Once logged-in, Participating Suppliers will be able to view new and previously referred sales leads. They must update us as to the status of the lead, including when, who, and how much. Suppliers will pay us commission when they have closed a sale from a referral. This will be paid on the honor system. The commission they pay will be based on a percentage of the total sale. This percentage may change depending on demand and the directory/category. In the future we may want ask the End-users about their Referral experience, including their level of satisfaction, final price, and date of the transaction. Administrator Functionality: Administrator must have the ability to; o Approve/deny/modify all user-generated Listings. o Set the URLs, page titles and header content of each category o Review the quantity of listings, including the total and new listings by category. o Assign related categories to a specific category. o This information will be displayed in the sidebar. o Review the sales leads sent to Participating Suppliers. o In the future we will require the ability to review the performance of Referral Suppliers from both a Client satisfaction point of view and a Gross and comparative revenue point of view. We will also require the ability to identify discrepancies between what was reported by the End-user and the Supplier. Emails will be sent to all Members who have either requested or received a recommendation every 15 days of the referral until the status is updated. General Functionality: Visitors and Members alike will be encouraged to invite friends to search, recommend or promote their company as well as share pages using with RSS readers and other social bookmarking technologies. PRESUMED DATABASE LAYOUT (JUST A GUESS) Member • Unique ID • First Name • Last Name • Title • Company Name • Company Address • Phone Number • Email Address • Recommendations, made and received • Referrals, requested or received • Supplier (yes/no) Supplier • Listings o Basic Listings  Clicks received o Preferred Listings  Clicks received • Participating Supplier (yes/no) Participating Supplier • Detail of Referrals • Closing ratio • Total Dollars • Client Satisfaction REFERENCES Homepage Layout: [login to view URL] Detail Layout: [login to view URL]