How Effective Are the Yellow Pages in Online Marketing?

Ever since when the internet came, yellow pages were become obsolete for some business. It is because the Internet showed a better way of promoting their local business and even international business. Nevertheless, the golden pages made a great impact to business world 10 years ago. It was popular for listing businesses and contacting them. You can also have good copies of any businesses you want from the golden pages.

As of today, there are still directory pages available for local market business although it is not that popular anymore. There are still businesses use yellow pages for particular marketing strategies. In online trade, golden pages are still visible but not that useable since we have several online classified directories. Directory Pages are optional but still effective for online marketing techniques. Directory pages can now be seen through online. There are several websites which are considered as golden pages.

There are databases storing particular data such as phone numbers, business name, basic business info such as business address, fax number, contact person, services offered and its categories. The directory pages information can be edit anytime you want as long as you have your log-in details. Most yellow pages are sorted according to its State and Cities. They are more useful for local business who wants to be on top on Google search engine. Since Google are now accepting golden pages as one effective way of promoting your business online.

Keywords and tags are also valuable matter to keep in mind when listing down your local business in common pages. It is more effective if you designate keywords or tags for you site. It could be word or phrases which are related to your website and make sure it is SEO friendly. Once your company is listed in yellow pages, if someone search your phone number, automatically your business name will appear on result pages and it could bring potential customers. However, if you're an international companies it is suggested to use directories and classifieds which is totally different to golden pages.

At the end of the day, it is best to list down your business in local yellow pages available near to your place so that it can be found in different places online since Internet is a big thing now. Yellow pages are still proven to be useful and effective for small business in local market into their online marketing strategies.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Effective-Are-the-Yellow-Pages-in-Online-Marketing?&id=6486646

Yellow Page Advertising For Lawyers - Where Have All The Calls Gone?

I get calls every week from lawyers saying they're not getting calls anymore from yellow page advertising. Having done quite well in the past, they're afraid to discontinue the advertising. They want to know what's going on and what to do.

Apparently, lawyers are not the only ones. In his article "Quit wasting money on Yellow Page advertising" by Peter Fernandez, D.C., a yellow page, print advertising and practice management consultant for chiropractors, Dr. Fernandez answers the question, "Why has advertising in the Yellow Pages changed from one of the best ways to advertise to one of the worst in just a few years?" (See 1, below)

This article will attempt to explain where all the calls went. I believe lawyers began advertising in the Yellow Pages much earlier than on TV because of the cost; most lawyers were reluctant to become pioneers of TV advertising; and lawyers were pursued by yellow page salespeople, but not by TV salespeople. Since 1976 through the mid-1980s, the Yellow Pages and classified newspaper ads were virtually the only place a potential client could find a lawyer advertising. Consequently, lawyers advertising in the Yellow Pages did not have much competition and had very good results.

Many more lawyers flocked to the Yellow Pages which then became very crowded. In the last few years, and after a few pioneers, many of the lawyers advertising in the Yellow Pages discovered what every other business has long known, that TV is by far both the most effective and cost-effective media. According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, from January 2004 through September 2004 lawyers have spent $287.3 million on TV compared with only $71.3 million on print media, $11.4 million on radio and $4.1 million on Internet advertising. According to research done by the Television Bureau of Advertising, the public's perception of television gets the votes for Most Authoritative and Most Exciting. Both influential and persuasive, TV wins over other media, in both categories, by a wide margin among Adults 18+. TV scores 81.8% in the Most Influential category, with newspapers a distant second at 8.5%. TV scores 66.8% Most Persuasive with newspapers, again a distant second at 14.2%.

Just as buying something wholesale or in large quantities, your cost per person reached from advertising is reduced when you buy media that reaches more people. Broadcast TV reaches many times more people than a county-wide yellow page book and therefore costs much less per person reached. In the New York DMA (broadcast TV market), there are 29 counties reached by TV. If there was only one yellow page book in each county, you would have to advertise in 29 yellow page books to reach the same geographic area as TV. Unfortunately, there are several yellow page books in each county. Smaller community yellow page books produce even less of a return on investment because they reach even fewer people. Many lawyers have found out that for the cost of a full-page advertisement in just two county-wide yellow page books, you can advertise on TV with a respectable budget and reach the population of an entire DMA.

Today, due to the large number of lawyers advertising on TV, potential clients are being diverted away from yellow page books. Additionally, in the field of personal injury, the problem is compounded. Seriously injured people are usually in bed in a hospital or at home watching TV. Lawyers advertising on TV reach potential accident clients long before they can even
get to yellow page books.

When lawyers first began advertising, there was only one yellow page book. Now there are commonly three, four or even five county-wide yellow page books and several village, community or neighborhood yellow page books as well. Some advertisers have even lost their position in the Yellow Pages because they signed a contract with another yellow page book not realizing it was a different book and they couldn't afford two books. Because a consumer will typically keep one yellow page book and throw out the others, the question an advertiser faces is which yellow page book to advertise in or to advertise in all of them. Will your advertisement be in a yellow page book that's thrown in the garbage? I keep only one book and it stays in the closet, rarely used. Today, I use the Internet instead of a yellow page book.

While there was once only one Yellow Page book in town receiving 100% of yellow page advertising revenue, they are now losing a large share of that revenue to several competing yellow page books, but their operating costs remain fixed. All of the yellow page book companies must print and distribute the same number of books. Unless all advertisers advertise in all three yellow page books, the publishing companies have to increase advertising fees thereby increasing the cost of reaching a yellow page consumer. In an effort to increase revenue, yellow page books have even begun creating new real estate to sell including advertising on the covers, spine, tabbed pages and even Post-it Notes style ads. These high visibility advertisements also divert yellow page consumers from regular full-page advertisements.

Simply stated, there was once only one yellow page book in town; it was cheaper to advertise in the book; there were fewer lawyers advertising in the book; there were few lawyers advertising on TV; the Internet was not what it is today; and there were far more people using the Yellow Pages than there are today.

So what's a lawyer to do with yellow page advertising? If you're one of the three or four largest advertisers in your market with an advertising budget large enough for a substantial TV advertising campaign including billboards and radio, you may want to consider advertising in all of the yellow page books. If you're not one of the largest advertisers in your market, my suggestion is to discontinue advertising in yellow page books and to spend your money on TV. If you have a 1-800 vanity telephone number available and extra money in the budget, you should also advertise on billboards and radio.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Yellow-Page-Advertising-For-Lawyers---Where-Have-All-The-Calls-Gone?&id=75575

Beware of 'Magazine Style' Yellow Pages Ad Design

I have been doing Yellow Page design for the past 15 years. I have been fully submerged in the medium. Even as I sit here writing this article I have various Yellow Page directories from all over the US stacked on my desk.

It's an art form, I tell you. Few comprehend its power. Few understand the subtle blend of art and science that combines to create the successful Yellow Page ad design. It takes a true connoisseur to understand the underlying psychology of a masterfully crafted Yellow Pages ad design.

Now I know what your thinking. This guy is off his rocker. Oh, but I disagree. I intend to plainly illustrate a very disheartening trend developing in our local neighborhood Yellow Pages. I call this trend--the rise of the dreaded 'magazine style' Yellow Pages ad.

Now I love magazines too. I like to leaf through my Forbes Magazine as I leisurely sit by the pool. I occasionally glance at the pages of Elle when my wife leaves it lying around. I've even been known to flip through the pages of Wired when I'm ready for the latest rant on how Star Wars has changed the world. But when I turn to my local Yellow Pages the last thing I'm ready to face is the pages of Cosmopolitan.

With the recent rise of readily available, cheaply commissionable, Yellow Page ad design services it would seem our Yellow Pages are turning into a 'magazine style' nightmare.

Now I'm not saying your ad should be as ugly as your Yellow Pages advertising sales rep wants to make it, but if your Yellow Page ad is turning into an Ansel Adams exhibition, and your selling air conditioners there is something wrong here. I know, I said Yellow Page ad design is an art, but what I meant by art was the kind of Yellow Page ad that ultimately leads to someone buying something from you.

It's like Trump calls it--the art of the deal. That's the kind of art you are looking for in your Yellow Pages advertising. It's the art of getting peoples attention, and not losing it a half second later when they can't figure out what it is your selling. I mean, the heading says 'Plumbing' but with all these baby pictures it looks more like a Daycare heading. Which one of these guys is a plumber?

These clever ads may be all the rage as I'm sipping my cocktail by the swimming pool, but when I'm looking for a reason I should buy from you instead of your competitor, trying to baffle me with a clever picture that makes me think some Yellow Page flunky lost his job when he mistakenly pasted a Daycare ad in Plumbing, is not the way to do it. Yeah, you got my attention. Am I calling? Sure. I'm calling your competitor.

Nobody has the time to decipher your cute 'magazine style' Yellow Pages ad. Captivating your audience is important, making your Yellow Page ad design distinctive is paramount, but confusing people can make your Yellow Page advertising useless.

I have learned over the years to even steer clear of 'magazine style' layout for fear of lack-luster results. Many directories have phone company traps set up with 3 or 4 pages of these 'magazine style' Yellow Page ads for there own products and services. Yellow Page shoppers learn to tune them out quickly.

Stumble through 4 full-page full-color 'magazine style' Yellow Pages ads under 'Publishing' while you're on your way to the 'Printing' heading and you quickly learn what not to look for. Phone company traps can be set up under Advertising, Communications, Publishing, Internet, Telecommunications--always just a few pages away from where your Yellow Page ad is going to call home.

While magazine ads can be very entertaining, who doesn't like PacBell's cross-eyed dog that is guaranteed to be under seven headings of any given PacBell directory, the important thing to remember is Yellow Page shoppers are not there to be entertained--they are there to buy. Hopefully from you!

So be warned, from the desk of a 15 year veteran in the Yellow Page ad design field, if you are expecting great results with that clever, not so clever, magazine style Yellow Page ad design you are running this year, you might find yourself sadly disappointed.

There are better ways to grab people's attention with your Yellow Page advertising, AND get them to buy from you. Never sacrifice your company's sales for magazine style Yellow Page advertising.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Beware-of-Magazine-Style-Yellow-Pages-Ad-Design&id=48620