IAC/Interactive Corp.'s Service Magic has launched the second edition of its 'Contractor Files' business directory, a locally focused print supplement to its online home improvement marketplace.
The print supplement expands Service Magic's advertising solutions--as the ServiceMagic.com site creates a state-by-state exchange where prescreened home maintenance and repair
businesses can connect with local clients, in addition to providing ad space for home improvement brands like GE and Rheem.
While Service Magic offers a pay-per-referral model for the local
businesses and contractors that drive traffic through the Web site, they don't pay to be included in the 'Contractor Files.' But the home improvement brands do, and according to Rodney Rice, Service
Magic's co-CEO, they're glad to do it.
"'Contractor Files' puts the brand directly in front of the homeowner when they're thinking about home improvement," said Rice. "With the Web and print
combined, it's a way to meld offline and online spend, hit consumers across multiple mediums and increase reach and frequency."
The combination also gives smaller local businesses a
cost-effective multiplatform advertising opportunity, as they can generate online leads without being forced to maintain their own Web site.
Service Magic will send 100,000 copies of 'Contractor
Files' to homeowners in Boston and Chicago that have either visited the Web site or are part of the upscale home improvement demographic. The company first published the supplement in Denver and
Atlanta, with plans to expand to Minneapolis and Philadelphia later this year.