AshevilleBoard.com Launches to Benefit Local Consumers and Businesses

New technology represents first in Southeast for local tech company.

Finally, Asheville has its very own Board. Only the fourth city in the nation — after Waco, Texas, Amarillo, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma — to land the technology, AshevilleBoard.com is now online. With the Board, advertisers can take advantage of the Facebook app that works like a giant lottery ticket for area consumers and an income generator for local businesses.

“We’ve seen the Board prove to be extremely beneficial for advertisers in those other areas using it,” says AshevilleBoard.com owner Kristen King. “We are excited to bring this opportunity to both Asheville consumers and businesses.”

How it works: Visitors to the website click on an advertisement from a grid of active ads for a chance to win free prizes from local businesses. The prizes encourage visitors to click on ads that take them to the business’s website. Users can click as many ads as they like and they can win once per day.

Businesses buy blocks on an ad grid. Users register to open the grid and then click on any ad shown. But only one generates a prize. Click the lucky link and win a free prize. In addition, AshevilleBoard’s Facebook page gives away weekly gift cards to visitors.

Prizes range from gift certificates to coupons and BOGOs. The prizes convert website visitors into foot traffic for participating businesses. Early AshevilleBoard.com prizes include pizza slices from Mellow Mushroom, games at Tarheel Lanes and queso from The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village.  asheville real estate

The site has a social dimension, too. Registered visitors can rate and leave comments about the businesses on the board. Anyone can go to the site and see how many times an ad has been clicked — an indication of popularity (which helps the advertiser see what they’re getting for their money). Advertisers get increased web traffic, Facebook likes, higher Google placement, and more overall foot traffic. And advertising rates are affordable even for small businesses.

AshevilleBoard replicates the model of WacoBoard and LawtonBoard, founded in 2007 at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in Central Texas. The concept works best in small cities with lots of locally owned businesses. The launch of AshevilleBoard.com gives Asheville one more hedge in the competitive high-tech market.