Have you been getting calls from Yellow Pages, Yellow Book, E-Local Listing, Yahoo, Google and more? They all want you to spend money with ads, banners, premium listings, and search engine optimization. It always sounds cheap and harmless when they call, but all these options add up quickly and soon you will find your budget heavy on the on-line side and low on the results side.

 

Don't be confused from my last newsletter, yes 80% or more of all consumers are researching companies and products on the Internet before making a purchase or visiting your store. You want a presence on the Internet, but use other ways to drive them to your site (ex. print, radio, direct mail). Or choose one on-line source that works for you and limit yourself to it. I recommend buying straight from Google over AT&T Yellow Page On-line methods or try a search engine optimization company like Tier 1 (see link above). Each business finds success in different ways on the Internet. It will take some testing and tracking to find what works for you. For more on this topic, tracking, or measuring results, call me for a consultation before you over-spend!

 

 

Here's your opportunity! If you are in a Yellow Page category that has little to no competition (with ad space), consider buying ad space. This is a business growth strategy. But NOTE: this is effective only if your product/service has a broad appeal. I almost always recommend the "Leader Ad" if it is available. There are only 3 Leader Ads available per category, they are full color, and in-column at the beginning of each heading. If you are the first to go into a category with a leader ad, AT&T will give you a "new category" pricing to jump start ad buying competition in any given category.

 

Here's a rough rule to follow: Never let Yellow Pages (print and/or on-line) exceed more than 20% of your Advertising Budget. In most cases, 10% is advisable. Please do not get caught in the trap of thinking that there are not better ways to bring in business. Here's something else you should remember. The Yellow Page ads you place only get you really cold leads or calls from prospects when the peak season or high-demand happens. Other advertising allows you to do two things: 1) Bring business when you want or need it and 2) Build a brand name and recognition within the community.

 

For some businesses I will actually take the bold move and place a display ad, a full page or even a double truck (2 pages side by side). The rule you should follow in placing display ads is this...be in the top three or don't be in a display ad (Leader Ads excluded). If you're going to spend that much money, make sure you're being seen. Otherwise, call me and I will gain you 2 or 3 times the leads, sales and revenue with other media.

 

There are many other strategies to buying the Yellow Pages, so don't think that I've covered it all in this brief reading. The bottom line is this...

The leads & sales generated by the Yellow Pages will always be the "coldest", lowest closing percentage, and lowest margin out of most other lead sources that your company has. So ask yourself if you can do without the 20% of your overall leads you get from this source and generate more or better quality leads with the same budget dollars? By the way, if you don't hear from me for a while, please ask the police to interview the local Yellow Page reps.