Companies and business professionals know that managing a LinkedIn profile is crucial in terms of recognition and networking, but the same could be said about Crunchbase, a business directory with social media features that can provide benefits ranging from search engine optimization to greater online visibility. Crunchbase was initially launched for the purpose of tracking the progress of tech companies that were considered to be part of the New Economy; these days, it is a massive business database for innovative companies and the people behind them.
Crunchbase is part of TechCrunch, a news website that covers the beat of the technology sector. One of the reasons this online directory is called Crunchbase is because it allows finance professionals to “crunch the numbers” when tech startups receive venture financing deals. If your tech company is looking for seed capital or investors, a Crunchbase profile will make it easier to pursue such financing goals. If you have previously been a principal at a tech startup, particularly one that was listed on Crunchbase, your career will also benefit from a profile. The same can be said about investors and finance professionals who have been involved in funding deals.
There’s a misconception about Crunchbase only being suitable for app developers and venture capital companies. Take a look at this company’s CrunchBase profile for a jewelry marketplace; it certainly belongs in the directory because it matches buyers to sellers by means of a digital platform, but it is not strictly a tech company. Many companies listed on Crunchbase have a technology angle, but it is not limited to software developers or manufacturers of electronic devices and components. Let’s say you run a small business that provides virtual music lessons via Skype or Zoom; in this case, a Crunchbase profile will make perfect sense.
Getting Started on Crunchbase
A lot of the information you will need to provide on a Crunchbase profile can come from LinkedIn, but this does not mean that you should copy and paste from it; in fact, this is not what you want to do at all. While you need to be consistent across the board, pasting information from LinkedIn will look like duplicate content to the Google search engine crawler, and this would defeat the purpose of SEO.
The first step is to register on Crunchbase with a valid email address plus your LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook profile, which will be used as part of the verification and authentication processes.
Once you are verified, you can start completing your profile. Be sure to get your company’s branding upfront as you work on the profile. Use a narrative style of writing that is more engaging than a resume, and keep everything in the third person voice. Using superlatives is frowned upon. The general information section must be completed in its entirety and include details such as headquarters office location, founding date, social media links, industries, and company logo. Similar to Google My Business profiles, information needs to be accurate and current, and this means that you should return to the profile whenever it changes.
Since Crunchbase is often used for venture capital investing purposes, you will need to include information about board members and key employees; if they already have personal profiles on Crunchbase, this will allow you to link to them for greater visibility and credibility. Naturally, if you have already received funding, you will want to search for listed investors so that you can link to their profiles as well.
Any press releases or news coverage that your company has received should be added to your Crunchbase profile by means of reference link. You will also want to link your Twitter account so that relevant updates can be posted automatically.
What You Can Do With a Crunchbase Profile
The SEO boost you get from Crunchbase is not direct because the directory has a rel=nofollow policy, but your company’s profile will appear on the first page of search engine results thanks to the clout that Crunchbase has garnered since 2007. In other words, getting a listing approved on Crunchbase is more than a branding move.
In some ways, Crunchbase listings are superior to Google My Business because the latter is more inclined towards local brick-and-mortar enterprises such as pizzerias. Crunchbase is more agnostic to geographic areas, so this is perfect if your company only works online.
Another advantage of Crunchbase that is ruefully overlooked is that it connects directly with various customer relationship management applications. What this means for your company is the opportunity to generate sales leads, particularly if you operate on a B2B basis.
