Yellow Page Advertisers: Your Calls are Going to Decrease - Heres the Remedy


Response rates to Yellow Page advertising are declining

There's no getting around it, traditional Yellow Pages arein trouble. Fewer people use them every year. Even the best-pulling ad in the section isn't getting the number ofcallers or sales it used to. At the same time, the monthlycost to maintain your same-size directory ad keeps going up.

Simply tinkering with ad size (or options like color) can'tcompensate for the adverse developments. Declining usageimpacts each directory category differently. Some (likecontractors and lawyers) are declining more steeply thanothers. Emergency service providers (tow trucks, plumbers)are holding their own. While categories like cell phones andlawn furniture are growing rapidly, with increased consumerdemand.

Advertising only in the Yellow Pages is no longer a safe bet

- Over half of all customers go to the Internet first to find product information and sources - even if they intend to spend their money locally

- People increasingly trust the Internet as a source of information about major purchases (and has overtaken the newspaper for used car sales)

- Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) are kept up to date (unlike print directories) and can be searched from anywhere - their usage is growing 25% a year

- Local Search lets search engines (like Google) include small, local businesses in their search results (even without them having a website) - over 25% of all search queries request Local Search results

- A large percentage of young adults or business buyers never consult the Yellow Page directory at all - and they control an expanding chunk of dollars spent

Rethink the role Yellow Page advertising plays for yourenterprise

Take a serious look at how much you rely on the Yellow Pagedirectory to bring new business. Are most or all of yourpromotional dollars spent there? Do your expectations matchthe number and kinds of customers your ad actually bringsyou?

Your strategy needs to consider all the ways youattract new customers. Recognize changed customerpreferences and buying habits for your specific type ofoperation. The issue isn't whether or not to advertise inthe Yellow Pages. If you've been there you should continue.But switch some of those dollars into marketing methods thatconnect with buyers who won't look for you there.

Follow these steps, with them all sending a clear,consistent message

1. Get listed in Internet Yellow Pages (IYP); there aremany of them; some are free

2. Make sure your website provides the informationsearch engines require for Local Search. Learn how to dothat at http:www.yellowpagesage.com/localsearch.html

3. Beef up your website with the information customerslook for (or join a portal of local businesses)

4. Submit articles about your enterprise online

Keep track of what's delivering new business. Commit toasking every new customer and caller how they found you.That's the only way to know which method is winning; orwhere to shift emphasis and money for the next year.

Pursue ways to increase business from your existingcustomers

The value of Yellow Page advertising is mainly to attractnew customers. People who know you already are more likelyto find your number in the business white (alphabetical)listings. Start working harder to strengthen thoserelationships so they stay loyal. Efforts spent to servethem better (or to get referrals from them) does more forprofits than constantly chasing new customers can.

Get started well BEFORE the directory deadline

Some day soon it's time to renew your directory listing foranother year. Let this be the year that you've figured outyour strategy well in advance. Make your new strategy afront-burner, squeeky-wheel priority. Yellow Page Smarts,http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html explains how tomake your Yellow Page ad and Internet marketing support eachtogether effectively.

If your next directory deadline hasn't come yet, there'sstill time to change your ad for next year (like add yourwebsite address address - a study found 60% of directoryusers only call Yellow Page ads with a website!). If you'realready committed, spend the next year getting the rest ofyour strategy in place. Your timely efforts can compensatefor the decline in Yellow Page advertising's effectiveness.And you won't be caught off guard.

© 2004, Lynella Grant

--Dr. Lynella Grant Author, Yellow Page Smarts, Make more money from your Directory ad in tandem with your Web site. Get a YP ad critique. 719-395-9450 grant@yellowpagesage.com

Free YP resources at http://www.yellowpagesage.com.

More Resources

Cable Ads 5 Bucks!
Cable has grown from 13 houses connected togetherin 1948 to coverage of nearly 70% of allhouseholds in the U.S.
13 Facts About Newspaper Advertising
Advertising in the paper works for many people inbusiness. The astute merchant understands thenewspaper's weaknesses and works to avoid themwhenever possible.
Make the Right Advertising Decisions
Advertising is a powerful and somewhat frustrating marketing tool. It enables us to launch new products and services, increase sales, and increase awareness.
Create Your Own Business Cards, Part 1
In this lesson, we will create a business card, using Microsoft Word. I created a new template for my business card.
Womentisements
The unnecessary and extensive use of female models in advertisements is common not only in America & Europe, but also in Pakistan and rest of the world. Women are used to sell everything from cars to cigarettes.
Printing - How Do I Buy It?
Why should I care where I get my printed material from, I'll just go for tenders and go with the low bidder. If you do this probably you won't be in business for long or you'll never really run a successful business.
The Principle Of Advertising Online
Advertising online is very similar to advertising in any environment. You really are trying to get your message or your product out there by the most cost effective means possible.
Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising
Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where competitors in each category are encouraged to out spend each other. There is only one winner in this arms race, and it is not you! Too many advertisers waste their money on Yellow Pages advertising without first considering their marketing strategy.
Create Your Own Business Cards, Part 2
This is the second part of creating your own business card. If you missed the first one, let me know: mailto:webmistress@janes-place.
50 Surefire Business Card Tips
Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards:Your business card must communicate more than just your contact information.
Do Your Adverts Get You More Sales?
Philadelphia retailer and US Postmaster General, John Wanamaker, once said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."If you're spending $10,000 a month on advertising $5,000 is going straight down the tubes.
Does Your Brochure Pass the Test - Or is It Headed for the Trash? Part Two
In part one of this article we discussed the importance of the look or appearance of your brochure.The look or image that your brochure conveys is vastly important.
Advertising - Does it Matter?
When advertising, you need to sell your opportunity, your products and yourself. What sets you apart from everyone else? Maybe you produce a newsletter with a specific content where there is a demand from a particular group of people, or you promote your own special product that no one have not yet seen.
3 Simple But Powerful Off-Line Advertising Strategies
There are several ways to advertise and get the word out about your business online and the best of them include f-ree search engines, pay per click search engines, writing articles, utilizing press releases, doing joint ventures/ad co-ops, and posting to message boards and forums related to your target market.But one advertising method that's neglected by most online marketers is off-line advertising.
Advertising Copy: What's Really Important?
You labor long and hard trying to create the perfect advertising piece but only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned.
Tips On Writing a Successful Ad
When knowledge is based on truth it is powerful!When it is critical knowledge, its presence can drive our success, while its absence may contribute to our failure. I will attempt to convey in this report some useful and practical knowledge about how to write awesome ads for the World Wide Web.
Why Hire an Advertising/Marketing Consultant?
As a business owner, you have the option of taking several different approaches to handling your Marketing and Advertising. You may choose to handle the responsibility yourself, with the idea that no one understands your business quite the way you do.
Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions
If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you've probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.It's pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational.
Advertising Inserts
One of the best and easiest ways to advertise without having to worry about shelf life of those who would most likely use your services or buy the products from your small business is to use inserts in your local newspaper. A marketing piece might also be to insert our flyers in the daily newspaper.
Direct Response Advertising; Radio vs TV
Radio advertising vs. television advertisingMany new advertisers assume that they should start on radio and "move up" sometime later to TV.

More Advertising Information:

Related Articles

Advertising Costs Getting Too High?
Everyone knows that advertising is essential to growing a business. One problem that small business owners have always faced is the high cost of marketing.
The Truth in Advertising
Most of us have seen at least a dozen different toothpaste commercials that claim, "Three out of four dentists recommend..
Double Your Sales Potential With Double-sided Business Cards
Swapping business cards is one of the most basic and common forms of networking in the business world. With something that is so common practice, people often hand out cards blindly while not really thinking about what the card does AFTER you hand it out.
Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal
Boring is one thing you can't afford to be when it comes to marketing your business. With more than 3000+ marketing messages pummeling consumers on a daily basis, you need to be more, and do more, if you want to be heard above the racket.
Creating a Winning Logo
Creating a logo to get you noticed.When you're branding a company with a name, a colour scheme and a logo the logo is often not given enough care and attention.
Electronic Score Boards
Wide range of electronic Key venues around the globe has turned to Electronic score boards that not only look breathtaking from every angle and distance, but provide consistently reliable performance year in and year out.Different type of sports including athletics, track cycling, running events, street cycling and mountain bike, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving as well as inline skating, water polo, ball spots, motor sports, alpine skiing, cross country and biathlon are some of the areas where Electronic score boards perfect fits solutions for.
Turn Your Ad Copy into a Goldmine!
Today, more than ever, it is crucial that your ad copy explodes the reader's curiosity. Are you interested in simple yet powerful ways to improve your ad copy so your readers will rush to action? Invoking a reader's call to action can be communicated in various effective ways.
Creditability In Advertising
I recently saw an ad taped to my mailbox, mind you, my mailbox is shared by many residents of my area. The postal real estate is typically reserved for flyers of lost dogs, cats, small children, etc.
Top Jingle Companies: What to Look For, What to Expect
The internet offers you the opportunity to seek out jingle companies and listen to their jingle samples online. Your success depends upon a thorough evaluation of as many companies as possible.
6 Must-Have Elements of a Powerful Brochure
Most brochures that businesses put out today end up doing little to impact the sales of that business. By applying the 6 must-have elements listed below you will transform you brochure from trash can lining into a powerful sales tool.
How Can All the Radio Stations Be #1?
Are you confused by all the information you receive from various radio stations? Do they all tell you they are #1 and you don't know who to believe? Most of them probably are #1 so believe it or not, they aren't lying to you. The question is, "What are they #1 in and is it a group of ears you want to reach?"Quite often a radio "Account Manager" or "Account Executive" which are pseudonyms for radio sales person, receives a call from someone who states they are gathering information for someone else, the real decision maker, someone who is looking at radio as a possible advertising medium.
The Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy
In order to sell more products and service, you need master customers' mind. Put youself into customers' shoes and think what customers want.
Advertising Copy: What's Really Important?
You labor long and hard trying to create the perfect advertising piece but only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned.
Media Savvy - Treat Them As You Would Your Best Customer
The ability to lead, persuade and influence are integral skills for effective managers. The capability of telling a story that inspires, motivates and informs is an essential part of this process.
Latino Television Programs Fill a Void in Hispanic Advertising; While Advertisers Look to Attract
Advertisers that are beginning to focus on the young Hispanic market have been given a gift in the form of Latino television programming. Now mind you it's not your typical Latino television programming that you would find on Univsion, this programming is geared towards the large and most overlooked demographic, U.
The $500.00 A Month Plan
One way to make extra money or start a business of your own is by placing advertising which will pay a good profit. Selling printed information by mail can br financially rewarding.
How to Create Ads that Sell with Little Effort
One of the main problems people find withmarketing, is the actual selling.How can you create ads which sell?Well there are tons of articles, and payfor e-books to help you create ad copy, butthere is a free and easy way to createyour own ads which sell, sell sell.
How To Make A Fortune With FREE Advertising!
How To Gain FREE Advertising That Will Make You Rich!Okay-Just What Exactly Is "Free Advertising"???Before I get into the specifics of actually HOW to get free advertising - it's important for you to completely understand exactly what free advertising is."Free Advertising" is any mention, listing or "blurb" about your product in a magazine, newsletter, book, manual, directory etc.
Forgot The Ad Budget? Dont Panic!
Bob is excited about his new business. He secured funding.
Create A Killer Brochure: 9 Steps to the Perfect Piece
If you are creating a brochure, make sure you follow these 9 steps to get best return on your investment:1 Grab AttentionYou need a hook that gets your audience interested. The headline or main text is your first chance to grab attention.