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The ONLY Yellow Pages directory you'll ever need.
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"Why are there so many Yellow Page
directories? Which one should I advertise
in?"
Bruce is a personal injury and bad
faith insurance attorney in San Diego. Our
daughters go to school together, so Bruce and I
hang out every couple of weeks while our kids
OD on sugar at birthday parties.
We usually talk about Yellow Pages. That's
lucky for me, because if we talked about
insurance law, I'd have to shoot myself.
Bruce is a big Yellow Pages advertiser spending
a couple of hundred thousand dollars each year
across several directories. Every time we talk,
he complains that there are too many
directories
and he doesn't believe that it is profitable to
advertise in all of them.
Last Saturday, He asked his regular, whiny
question,
"How should I know which directories to
advertise in? They can't all be valuable. Tell
me which ones to dump."
The answer I wanted to give him was,
"For God's
sake, Bruce. You ask me this question every time
I see you. Get a life already."
Instead, I used a colorful analogy.
By the way, colorful analogies are useful for
avoiding serious debates when you really want to
have a beer and relax.
I told Bruce that he should select
Yellow Pages
directories to advertise in by using the same
process that the Chairman of a major oil company
uses when deciding where to drill oil
wells.
Bruce said,
"So you're telling
me that I should exert
political
influence to pressure the White House into
overthrowing a country that has vast oil
reserves while claiming to be acting in the
interest of national security?
Then my
company can pay unfairly cheap prices for crude
oil, jack up the price to American citizens and
reap billions in scandalous profits?"
Well Brucester, that's not exactly what I had in
mind, but it sounds like you have more pressing
issues to deal with than Yellow Pages advertising.
Actually Bruce, I was thinking in basic terms.
First of all, you seem to have this idea that
you should only advertise in one directory per year.
We need to challenge that assumption, my friend.
A business person should place
ads in Yellow Pages directories the way the Chairman of a major oil company
places oil wells.
The Chairman doesn't start the
year deciding where he'll drill his one and only oil well. That would be a quick road to bankruptcy.
The Chairman
drills wells in every oil field that is likely to produce a profit.
Similarly, a business should advertise
in every Yellow Pages directory that is likely to generate significantly more
profits than the ads cost.
Comparing directories
Buying Yellow Pages advertising
is often more confusing than it needs to be.
Directory deadlines always seem to be looming, and this forces a quick
decision. Pricing is complicated, and
the number of bundled packages and vague discounts are enough to drive a person
mad.
Every directory has strengths and
weaknesses. By understanding them,
you'll be in a better position to decide which is best for you.
Content drives usage
When analyzing a directory, Content is King.
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Yellow Pages
are similar to VOGUE Magazine because the advertisements are the main attraction. Nearly every other media is diminished by
too much advertising. 
Yellow Pages,
unlike most other media, actually
gain value with each additional ad because those ads provide
consumers with valuable information when shopping for products and services.
In general,
the more information-rich ads a directory has, the more useful a consumer
will find it. A directory lacking
information will not be used by consumers.
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Q. How can you estimate how much oil is in
an oil field?
A. By counting the number of wells.
The richest oil fields have the most wells.
Similarly, the Yellow Pages directories that enjoy the
highest usage have the most useful ads.
Advertisers go where the customers are and customers go where they find
the most useful information. It's a
virtuous circle.
There are a few other important factors for consumers to
decide.
Completeness - Consumers expect
their telephone directory to include all of the business and residential
listings.
Some niche directories list only paying businesses or
members of an organization. Examples of
these directories are the Better Business Bureau Yellow Pages, some sexual
orientation directories, chamber of commerce directories or foreign language
directories.
While these directories do serve a purpose, they are much
less complete and will be much less used than a directory that includes all of
the listings.
Advertise in a specialty or niche directory only after you
are properly represented in the major directories that most consumers use.
Accuracy - Consumers expect the
telephone directory to be accurate and up to date at the time of printing. The rise of non-traditional telephone lines
creates a unique challenge for directory publishers to capture the listings
from all providers.
There really isn't a consistent method of verifying the
accuracy of a directory, but if you find that a directory has numerous errors,
you may rest assured that consumers will be similarly dissatisfied.
Coverage - Printed directories
cover a precisely defined geography.
You'll want to advertise in directories that are used by the consumers
you want as customers.
For example, Coronado Island is a small tight-knit community
(pop. 24,750) across the bridge from San Diego.
A pizza restaurant , copy shop or dry cleaner on Coronado Island would
not expect patrons from San Diego to make the trek to visit their
establishment.
The Coronado business would not generate a large enough
return on investment from advertising in a directory covering the greater San
Diego metropolitan area. Instead, they should
advertise in one or more of the community directories serving the island
community.
Ease of Use - Consumers prefer directories
that are well organized with good community information.
Some directories are using larger font sizes in an effort to
appeal to an aging population with diminishing eye-sight.
Remember, half of the people have below-average
eyesight. Think about it.
Conclusion - Selecting the right
directory to market your business is one of the critical steps in developing a
comprehensive local marketing plan.
There is no single solution that is right for every business.
However, by following these simple guidelines, you will be
in a much stronger position to determine which directories are right for you.
Keep your customers and potential customers in mind when determining
which directories will deliver your message to buyers. Don't be afraid to ask the tough questions
until you are satisfied.
Connect with hundreds of professionals in the Yellow Pages industry. Join LinkedIn.
Contact Information
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email: news@ypcommando.com
voice: 858-614-5425
web: http://www.YPcommando.com
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