BellSouth has made changes to Guia Export, a trade directory of U.S. exporters, that will increase the Latin American exposure of Atlanta companies advertising in the guide.
Guia Export is distributed to companies and chambers of commerce in about 90 countries, with a concentration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Total circulation of the guide, which recently won the U.S. Department of Commerce’s “E” award for excellence in promoting U.S. exports, is estimated at 200,000.
BellSouth plans to expand distribution of the directory into Mexico this year, and is exploring the possibility of opening up distribution channels in Canada next year.
Because the directory was developed in response to large numbers of Latin American tourists visiting Miami to buy U.S. goods, earlier editions listed companies by city, with Miami at the front of the book. The 1997 edition, due out this week, will list companies alphabetically and by category, which will put all 20 cities featured in the directory, including Atlanta, on equal footing.
The directory also has a Web site now, http://www.guiaexport.bellsouth.com, where international customers can access information about U.S. companies in Guia Export.
A listing in the directory is free for Atlanta companies that purchase a yellow pages listing under the “Export” heading. The cost of yellow pages advertisements ranges from $20 per month to $8,000 per month, and BellSouth claims a Guia Export advertisement renewal rate of 76%.
A recent marketing survey by BellSouth indicated that 76% of the people who received the directory contacted a company in it, and 60% made a purchase.
For a copy of the directory, call 1 (800) 807-3823.