Posts Tagged ‘yellow pages’

Traditional Marketing Isn’t Dead Yet

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Regular readers of the Small Business Mavericks Internet Marketing Blog know that I am a big and vocal proponent of online marketing. Blogs, articles, e-zines, social media … I love it all.

But you’ll never hear me tell you that you should abandon every form of traditional marketing. That just isn’t the case.

Business cards. Yep, you need them. When you go to that off line networking event, you need something physical to hand out to people so that they’ll remember who you are.

TV, radio, brochures. Yes, they’re useful. They all have their place.

Even outdoor advertising has its place in your marketing arsenal. But what about that old mainstay known as the Yellow Pages? Is it necessary?

Today, 80%-90% of consumers begin their search for new products and services online. Most people will look for a phone number and address online. If they don’t find the particular business they are looking for, then they’ll call up the one they can find. That pretty much kills the Yellow Pages, doesn’t it?

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars for Internet marketing. Get you a basic website, make sure your physical address and phone number are on it, claim your business in Google Places and Bing and Yahoo! Local, then do some modest Internet marketing. But do it in conjunction with traditional marketing tactics that still work.

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Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 1 Comment »

Are The Yellow Pages Outdated?

Monday, February 7th, 2011

The Yellow Pages now have an opt-out website. Really. And that’s a good thing, right?

Not if you listen to Frank Reed.

I guess there’s good reason to be skeptical, but I have a different take on the subject than Frank does. I agree with his five talking points, of course, but I’m not so sure about his cynical conclusion. From the article:

Unfortunately, we live in a society where this kind of thing can be passed off as real action and the result is the ability of the Yellow Page industry to say “Look we are doing our part!” when they know full well that most people won’t even know the option exists.

Welcome to online America, home of the shallow. Where people can look like they are concerned and give any appearance they need to get by.

OK, I suppose it’s possible that the Yellow Pages are using the opt-out website as a smoke and mirrors illusion-creating ruse to make people think they care about the environment. Then what? It won’t change the fact that people are using the Yellow Pages less and less. I don’t see people saying, “Oh, look, the Yellow Pages are going green. Please deliver them to me so I can make fewer online searches this year.” Do you?

Rather, I think it’s probably likely that the folks at the Yellow Pages have seen the writing on the wall. They’re going to lose to online search. Period. You can’t stop the train. So, what better way to collect your e-mail address than to give you a way to opt out of print delivery? Then, they can redirect you to the Online Yellow Pages using the most effective Internet marketing available – e-mail marketing.

That, to me, seems like a much more likely strategy. What do you think?

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Posted in E-mail Marketing for Small Business | 2 Comments »

Online PR Is Cheaper And Can Produce Better Results

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

In my business I’ve spoken to hundreds if not thousands of small business owners who have switched from spending loads of money on public relations strategies off line to online PR instead. In just about every case the result has been less money spent on the efforts and a greater return on investment. There are several reasons for this.

If you haven’t heard, there’s a revolution going on. People are ditching the Yellow Page for the Internet and their mobile phones. If they use the Yellow Pages at all, it’s for a booster seat at the table for their toddler, or a stepping stool.

Yellow Pages ads cost money. In some cases, a lot of money. And I talk to small business owners every day who say they haven’t got any calls from their Yellow Pages ad in (1, 2, 3, 5, or fill in the blank) years. So why spend the money?

If you’re spending $500 a year on your Yellow Pages ad and you’re not getting any return on that money, why not take it and put it toward an online PR campaign instead? A couple of online press releases generally generate enough buzz to put that Yellow Pages ad to shame. I’ve seen it too many times.

In the future, every business will spend money online. The only question is how much.

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Posted in PR for Small Business | No Comments »

Are Phone Books Obsolete?

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

You don’t have to go back far in time to when anyone looking for a service in the U.S. picked up the phone book and dialed a phone number. Twenty years ago it was an every day occurrence. Even ten years ago most of us were still using phone books. Five years ago? We may not have picked up the phone book every time, but we still used it. Now? I wonder how many people even consult a phone book.

It may not even matter any more. The Yellow Pages industry is creating its own opt out service.

The argument is that online yellow pages saves trees. That’s good for the environment. So if you’d prefer to search online rather than using the print yellow pages, well, then opt out of receiving the print phone books. Makes sense, right? Except that by offering the opt out in the first place, the phone book industry could be channeling all of its business online. How long will it be before the phone book is completely obsolete?

I have to admit, this is a smart move on the industry’s part. They know many of us aren’t using the phone book. They know how many of recycle the phone book. If they can get a definitive answer on how many of us opt out of receiving it altogether, that will change the dynamic of the yellow pages industry completely. The economics will change. The whole world will change. Good or bad, that’s the way it is. And, of course, advertising will change. It already has.

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Posted in Display Advertising | 4 Comments »