Advertising Media

Yellow Page Ads Can Help
Build Your Business

Some folks are writing off print Yellow Page directories. Some of these folks are absolutely vehement about how useless they’ve become. I think their death knell should be muted --- for a while at least.

Yes, despite stats that show how popular the Yellow Pages are, print directories are losing their clout. Meanwhile Internet Yellow Pages are booming and will continue to grow at the expense of print. But print Yellow Pages can still be a good investment for any business--- if used wisely.

Don’t Take Bad Advice

One guru has advised his readers not to invest more than 10% of their ad bucks in Yellow Pages. That’s quite an arbitrary recommendation to make without a clue about the marketer’s niche, USP, product, price, location, or marcom plan.

This same guy says the only thing Yellow Pages do is validate that you are in business in the community. Not true. They can do a lot more. He also says that Internet Web sites are the best way to get across what you do and who you are. But he doesn’t say how you get traffic to your Web site. Yellow pages could help.

The Yellow Pages are one more opportunity to connect with people looking for what you have to offer. They can do far more than validate. They can differentiate. They can provide helpful information. Used creatively they can motivate. Words have power and their ads can help move products and build trust.

This same blogger says, “Word-of-mouth business networking is still the best way for any business to get to customers. It is cheaper and produces quicker and higher quality results.”

No! No! Word-of-mouth is just one of many ways to get to customers. And it’s a damn good way. But compared to an aggressive marcom plan, it will not get quicker results or higher quality results. Every satisfied customer gained through marcom becomes a word of mouth emissary. You’ll get more emissaries quicker through effective marcom than golf outings or social networking.

When investing your marcom dollars remember: It’s not the big that eat the small, it’s the fast that eat the slow. Don’t depend on word-of-mouth alone. It may take forever. I’ve met dozens of passive marketers who use it as an excuse for not investing in a solid marcom plan.

Tip for the Little Guy:

Follow the Yellow Book Road;

It might make you rich and famous.

Set up your own detours and shortcuts. Steer around any pitch to match the biggest ad on the page. Don’t just set up a listing, though. . Take a shortcut to the sale. Present a benefit and a call to action. For example, those who visit your Web site or blog or call your 800 number will get a discount coupon or other premium. Leverage that little Yellow Pager and you’ll get your money’s worth.