How To Improve Your Digital Neighborhood Map Sales?

As more and more local creators and travel guides join NanoWhat, we’re getting a lot inquiries about what customers expect when they download a neighborhood map.

Common questions include – What kind of map should I sell? And – Why do I need NanoWhat when I have my own blog? Or – Is there anything that can help me earn more on NanoWhat?

We’ve compiled a guide for you to better understand our city explorers. Plus, we’ve got some helpful guidelines on pricing your neighborhood map of hidden gems, the sales factors that trigger customers to buy, and a quick intro to our Travel Blogger partnership program!

Let’s dive in!

First, let’s take a look at some of the market differences between NanoWhat and similar sites.

What’s the difference between NanoWhat and…

Digital City Guides?

Gone are the days of using a foldable paper map to find a destination from a decade ago. In this digital age, tourist maps, travel books, and city guides have been slowly phased out, or turned into e-Guides.

The biggest difference with NanoWhat is that we prefer to focus on neighborhood maps recommended by real locals. Our audience tends to choose unique local experiences, genuine cultural activities, native food, and authentic local customs over more well-known attractions that any mainstream guide book can provide.

Travel Blogs / Media Publications?

You might see titles on both NanoWhat and other Travel sites like: “15 hidden gems you must visit in xx” –

But blogs tell the story in a narrative way, giving people detailed content about their experiences, such as transportation, historical context, reasons to visit, and even stories that happened on the road. People visit different blogs and media websites to accumulate useful travel information and inspiration.

NanoWhat uses Google Maps to tell the city’s story.

As the most widely used digital map platform in the world, Google Maps provides the perfect tool to make maps. NanoWhat doesn’t want to trouble our customers to download another app or subscribe to a separate service.

Instead, we provide a website where explorers and locals and can connect and share access to their collection of places saved to Google Maps. No additional software is required, and content is directly converted to Google Maps. After downloading a map, just open the link and it’s conveniently imported to your phone.

It’s also worth mentioning that while downloading a map from NanoWhat opens the door to explore the city’s hidden gems, it also gives you instant access to all the reviews on Google Maps. Each business on your map link will have it’s own reviews and pictures thanks to Local Guides and other contributors who post recommendations and first hand comments.

Google Maps?

We stand on the shoulders of giants and hope to contribute our own value!

Google Maps focuses on maps, while NanoWhat focuses on people.

Bringing together 150 million Google Local Guides, Google Maps is a vast resource of options, but with all those choices – how can you really know what’s worth visiting and what might be a tourist trap?

Unless you have a very precise keyword to search, or already know what you’re looking for, it’s not the most efficient solution for vetting locations.

By putting an emphasis on the power of the local creators and tastemakers, NanoWhat showcases contributors’ collections of places by giving individuals the option to link their social media profiles & show off their personal photos. Giving the potential map buyer a true sense of their style and the opportunity to ask questions before making a purchase.

What are people looking for on NanoWhat?

A neighborhood map for new experiences!

If you can share a collection of activities, locations, or restaurants which outsiders don’t know about, that’s what people are looking for on NanoWhat.

Do you know:

• The mysterious side of a city?
• A place that blogs aren’t writing about?
• A landmark where locals hangout but tourists rarely visit?
• Newly opened or under appreciated delicious neighbourhood food spots?

How much should I sell my map for?

First, let’s take a look at some of the well-known digital city guides (e-Guides) in the world. These guides are usually based around a city.

• Lonely Planet e-Guides can be purchased by country, city and chapter. If you want to buy a certain chapter, the price is around US$4.95

• Louis Vuitton’s City Guides are priced at US$9.99 per city and can be purchased through your phone’s App Store

The time and effort each local guide spends on a map varies. It’s hard to set a single standard for the price of a NanoWhat Local’s map. But based on popularity and number of sales, here are some factors to consider:

Map Niche

This is the most important factor in determining the price of your map. Rare is precious. If your map gives good local spots that are otherwise difficult for people to find on their own – then a reasonable above market price is acceptable.

Number of Places

When people buy maps, they have their own expectations about what’s included in them. The number of spots on your neighborhood map is the most direct indicator of cost. Too many or too few locations will affect the price of the map and the frequency of purchase.

Additional Services

If you can provide simple Q&A below the product to help answer potential enquires that can go a long way in the eyes of the customer. This kind of personal touch can greatly improve the demand for your map.

Why do some people list their maps for FREE?

Our maps are digital products. Customers are buying access to a link. There’s no stock and no quantity limit.

You can adjust the price at any time according to the market demand. In the early days, many local guides will use a FREE map to generate interest and show people what they have to offer. Some sellers also hope to gain social media exposure through maps, so the links are more of a convenient tool to provide valuable content to their fans rather than a money making endeavour.

But when people get to know your style and personality through a free map, they may be more likely to return to your shop and buy a map once you have established trust and delivered user satisfaction!

Key Elements To Drive Map Sales

In case you want to review a good example of a map currently on sale on NanoWhat – check out: Puerto Rico Pork Highway & other Lechón 

1. Photo

Before people get to know you and your map, they will see your photo. Think of it as your business card.

TIPS: NanoWhat suggests uploading 1 Feature Photo (which is the main image and the product thumbnail) and 3 or 4 Gallery Photos (which can be viewed on the product page and give you an additional opportunity to sell the look and feel of your map)

2. Map Name

NanoWhat’s Team helps set parameters to enhance the SEO for each map. But your title plays a huge role in quickly letting customers understand what your map is about. You want to stand out and be creative, but also give an accurate description.

TIPS: Try to include the below keywords when deciding on the title-

• map niche or specialty
• compelling selling points of the map
• city name

Example: “Stunning waterfront restaurants in NYC”

3. Tags & Category

Our Tags are very similar to Instagram’s #Hashtags. They give customers a quick reference point for what to expect in your map.

Category is used by NanoWhat to classify and organize maps into groupings. We use broad categories in case city explorers don’t know exactly what they’re looking for or just want to browse related products.

TIPS: Choose your words wisely. Think from the perspective of the customer – what might they be searching for and what is going to help them identify your map as the one that meets their needs?

4. Promotional Pricing

On NanoWhat, you can set 2 prices. One is the original price and the other is the promotion price. You can adjust the map price any time according to your sales situation to maximize your revenue.

5. Description

Write as if you’re talking to good friend who is planning a trip from abroad. When you recommend the must see places, add a personal story to illustrate your point and get them excited to visit.

TIPS: Make sure to copy and paste the below 3-point summary at the end of your description. Just switch out the text to fit the map you’re selling.

>>>>

Location:  New York City, New York, USA

Places: 19

Highlights: oysters / foodie / seaside dining / al fresco / seafood / skyline

6. Personal Profile

This is VERY important because on NanoWhat the map creator is just as important as the map.

Your city, style, personality and vision all affect how people perceive your map. At present, our system only supports vendors to upload their own avatars. So, when you’re ready to start selling, send an email to our team and include the following:

• social media links
• blog or website link
• 2-3 line bio

Last but not least, we welcome travel businesses and bloggers to apply for our partnership program.

What is the NanoWhat Partner Program?

If you have your own website or blog, you can apply for our promotional program. Simply put, NanoWhat will give you up to 15% discount on service fees in exchange for mutually beneficial collaborations. For details, please contact hello@nanowhat.com