Labface FAQ
Could you please sum up Lab Face in no more than 100 words. 
Lab Face puts the 'face' of Lab product suppliers in front of buyers, and the 'face' of buyers in front of suppliers.
We provide company profiles and supplier product profiles as well as videos, PDF downloads and ways for buyers to contact suppliers.
We also add a simple b2b networking facility which makes it easier for buyers and suppliers to get to know each other - only on the buyers terms though! Labface is a great way to do business.
When do buyers need to register?
Buyers can freely view company profile pages from suppliers, product profile pages and videos, but if they want to contact suppliers or download PDF's they MUST register.
By registering, our system sets a cookie and buyers don't always have to sign in or add contact details in full when they contact suppliers again. We only need a few mandatory fields anyway and this takes seconds to complete the first time!
Buyers can also set up a group of b2b networking options and this requires registration. They can then interact with suppliers via their management suite area if they wish to do so - buyers are ALWAYS in control!
When do suppliers need to register?
Suppliers will need to register if they want us to add a profile page, product news, videos, downloads or set up networking functionality as well. Registering allows all users to get the most out of Labface via their own management suite area. When suppliers register we will then contact them to set up their pages for them.
What is the B2B networking facility all about?
When buyers and sellers register they can select categories of products they sell or use (suppliers) and are likely to buy at some stage (buyers).
They can also tell us which exhibitions and conferences they are likely to attend and this sets up a match between buyers and sellers. Buyers can then view who they have a match with in the 'product matches' list when they sign in. If they like what they see from that supplier they can add them to their favourites list (for later reference) and/or to their 'product star' list.
They can then build up a quality list of suppliers who they trust in doing business with. The buyers can then begin to contact individual or group suppliers in one click.
Can Suppliers contact buyers directly?
Suppliers will see the buyers they are matched with in the same way as buyers can (see question above) - and they can send out a general message to their own 'matches' list once every month. This message will then appear in the 'My messages' area when buyers sign in and they can read that message.
If a supplier allows the buyer to add them as a 'star' then the buyers and sellers are free to communicate normally. They can then choose to reply to that supplier, ignore it and delete, save for later or stop further messages from this supplier.
It is a great way for buyers to find and communicate with suppliers and the buyers are always in control.
Is there a charge for Buyers to use the service?
No, we don't charge buyer anything to use any of our services.
Is there a charge for suppliers to use the service?
If suppliers want us to add a company profile and the 4 product profile pages, downloads and video content then we charge them an annual fee of £1200 for this. If they want us to add any additional product profile pages (and then optimise them) we charge an extra £300 ($450) per year. Of course, we research the keywords in the product profile pages and make sure their popularity grows though good SEO and link popularity.
Why do you charge suppliers?
Well, we are a business which is providing a very high quality service.
We understand that there is a lot of poor quality material on the internet and we feel that an annual charge will provide the very best quality results for buyers.
Of course there is also a lot of work involved in adding pages, and providing all of the functionality associated with a service like this. We also provide a great sales lead system and fully optimized content across the site.
We feel this is a reasonable price to pay and it seems that suppliers feel the same way!
So what exactly do suppliers get for this annual fee?
They get a full unique company profile page which includes a introduction and keywords for each of their products on the site. These keywords are live links and point to a specific product profile page on the Labface website.
Each supplier has 4 main optimised product profile pages in total and up to 4 videos or slide shows to display on the site. If suppliers don't have a video for each product we'll create a simple one for them with a voice-over. If suppliers carry on with the enhanced service they will also get one product article per month. This means they can add us to their existing press release distribution channels but we will rewrite these articles and add them to their company page. The press release MUST be product articles and not company news, case studies or technical articles. Labface is a product website and that's what works here.
We can also upload a PDF brochure for each product and a web link which goes to a specific landing page.
What do suppliers have to send Lab face?
We write the profile and all of the 4 product profile pages.
All we need from suppliers is the information they provide when they register (address, telephone number and web address) and then suitable PDF brochures and videos to display on their relevant pages.
If a company does not have a video for each product, we make one up for them as a narrated product image video - We can do most of the work.
Can suppliers have more than 4 main product profile pages?
If suppliers wish to pay for additional product profile pages they can do so for £300 per page. This fee includes the rewriting of the product description, PEF upload, image and simple image video for this product. ALternatively, the supplier may send a video of their own and we can upload it.
The annual service will also include one product article per month, which we add to their main company page. Therefore, suppliers can add Labface to their press release distribution list.
We rewrite this content so they contain unique content and add them to the list of existing 4 product profile pages.
This gives suppliers a total of 16 product pages in the first year and then one piece per month thereafter.
Will the pages look very different if suppliers don't pay for the enhanced service?
The content will stay the same, but there will be no live links, PDF downloads, videos or the sales lead service.
We will just give buyers the option to select other suppliers in a similar category.
Can suppliers trial the service first?
Yes they can. We can provide a three month trial for all suppliers.
Isn't there a risk to offering a trial and doing a lot of work?
Well, first of all we are confident that suppliers will see the benefits and will be prepared to take out the enhanced service after the trial.
Even if they don't take the enhanced service we still have some great targeted and fully optimised content which attracts buyers. They can then visit other pages if they wish.
What is the sales lead service?
When a buyer lands on a product profile page for that supplier, they can download information or send the supplier a comment via a form.
Buyers MUST be registered or supply us with a few mandatory fields before they can do this and their contact details will be sent to the suppliers.
This is what the sales lead service is all about.
When do suppliers see the sale leads?
Suppliers receive each sales lead as soon as a buyer sends them a comment via a form from one of their product profile pages.They can also log in and view statistics for views, clicks and sales leads from their profile pages.
Can we advertise on the site?
Yes, but only if a supplier chooses not to take out an enhanced services and/or does not want to advertise on their own pages.
If they don't want to do either, then there is an opportunity for other suppliers to advertise on those pages.
Most of the time our site is advertising free.
Do you have a newsletter?
No, we send buyers and suppliers updates about the site but we don't feel that the industry needs another newsletter.
However, we do create a simple platform and the tools for people to communicate with each other if they wish to do so.
What Does The 'Make A Star' link do?
When you see a grey icon called 'make a star' this means that you can turn it into a full colour icon by clicking on it and signing in/registering. Once you have done that, you can click on the full colour icon again to add that product category to your 'star' list.
This builds a favourites list in your own management suite area and makes it easy for you to view and contact suppliers at any time. You can add as many stars as you wish and then you can contact them and view messages in this area too!
It is all FREE and part of the Labface service. You can also save your favourite events and view suppliers who are attending those events. See separate FAQ for this.
What does the 'Add Event' icon do?
When you see a grey icon called 'Ad event' this means that you can turn it into a full colour icon by clicking on it and signing in/registering. Once you have done that, you can click on the full colour icon again to add that event to your list.
This builds a favourites list in your own management suite area and makes it easy for you to view and contact suppliers who are also planning to exhibit at or visit that same event or exhibition.
You can add as many events as you wish and then you can contact them and view messages in this area too! It is all FREE and part of the Labface service.
You can also save your favourite product categories and view suppliers who sell these products. See separate 'make a star' FAQ for this.