Is it time to kill your yellow pages ad?

Is it time to kill your yellow pages ad? 

This morning, I unearthed yet another soggy, unwelcome phone book from the end of my driveway.  It went promptly into the recycling bin.  Which got me to thinking about all the businesses out there who spend big bucks to get their businesses listed there, and if yellow pages advertising is really a thing of the past.

Bill Gates seems to think so.  In a Microsoft address last spring, he predicted “Yellow Page usage among people, say, below 50, will drop to zero—or near zero—over the next five years.” Already, consumers under age 30 are least likely to look in the yellow pages for information.

Phone book advertising is something many of our clients struggle with.  With aggressive sales reps telling them “you HAVE to be there,” you may feel you need to spend a significant portion of your marketing budget on ads.  It’s an especially difficult choice in our area, where businesses are courted by at least three different directories (local, metro area, and county-wide.)  For businesses that have been buying ads for many years, it’s a scary thought to NOT be there.  So how do you decide?  Here are a few tips to help you re-evaluate your yellow pages strategy.

1. Know how your customers found you.  If you don’t want to ask, put a “special yellow pages only offer” in your ad.  When the customer asks for their discount, you’ll know where they found you.  When you get in the habit of asking your customers how they heard about you, you may be surprised to find that recommendations or other advertising sends more customers your way – which should lead you to enhance these marketing strategies instead.

2. Consider your demographics.  Yellow pages usage is strongly age-driven.  If your customers are mostly age 50+, you may want to continue your yellow pages advertising.  Under 35?  Work on that web strategy!

  

3. Consider going smaller.  If you feel you MUST be in the yellow pages, or you just can’t decide, go for the smallest possible listing plus an online directory, like yellowpages.com.

4. Pick the right book.  Take a look at your competitors in each book.  If there are 30 pages of home remodelers, for example, how are you going to stand out?  You’re not, unless you spend a LOT of money.  Consider a smaller book where your ad will actually get noticed.

5. Look at your overall marketing strategy.  With customers turning to the web for information first, there are many things you can do to make your business website appear higher in search engines, and to offer the content your customers want to make a buying decision.  New technology is making this easier and more affordable than ever before.

(if you need some ideas on how to have some fun with your old phone books, watch this YouTube Video! )

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