Internet Marketing vs Yellow Pages

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span                            with the regulators on their back
class="cap">Interne     capping and indeed cutting rates
t marketing should be your      by 3.4%.

irst priority when looking to

How surprising is it that more
create a strategy for marketing       and more of my clients are
your business as opposed to a         cutting back expenditure on
large spend in the Yellow Pages.      Yellow Pages?

Have a look at the facts and

Not surprising at all really.
statistics about Yellow Pages         If you think about it, search is
directory before you shy away         not new and it has played a major
from investing in search and paid     part in marketing activity for
marketing options.                    decades in the form of phone
To most companies, advertising in     books and directories. Effective
Yellow Pages is the unshakeable       search engine marketing simply
cornerstone of their annual           takes this a giant step further,
marketing spend and they would no     unlocking as is does the
more think of cancelling it than      incredible introductory potential
they would hire David Brent as        the web medium provides between
office manager.

supplier and consumer to connect

Surely Yellow Pages is and do business.

established, recognised

This trend is reflected in
everywhere and enjoys strong          Yellow Pages own market analysis,
distribution. It’s expensive, but     which shows a downward trend in
is there any alternative?

client retention from 78% to 75%

A moderately sized quarter of      year on year. Interestingly, it
half page ad is looking at 3 -5K      is newer customers who are
a year. A whole page? That can be     leaving.

anything from 5K to over 8K for

Yellow Pages ads are viewed by
the year. There’s no negotiation; people who have all ready made a
take it or leave it - and that’s decision to buy. Don't emphasise

why your product or service is        have to take an extra step to
needed but rather why it should       print a yellow coloured ad ie
be obtained from you. Consumers       they overlay white paper with a
need and want two types of            yellow ink but this is cheaper
information from Yellow Pages         than a white ad.

adverts.

Our surveys show that colour

Firstly, they need to know why is not the most important factor
they should purchase from one in selecting an advert. In fact,
company and not another.

it is well down the list.

Secondly, they need

Yellow Pages sales reps often
information that facilitates argue:

making their purchase ie they

"It'll only cost you £800 a
need to know how to make the          year to move up to the next
purchase or have a call to            largest ad size and ad colour.
action.

Don't you believe that the

If you really focus and see        increased sales you'd obtain
things through your customers         would more than offset that
eyes then your Yellow Pages ad        expense?"

copy should virtually write

This is a bad argument for a
itself.

number of reasons....

The use of colour and how

It assumes that the business
Yellow Pages charge for it is generated by your original ad
pretty unbelievable.

pays for itself

The book is now printed on

It assumes that you make a
white paper (think about it you 100% profit on each sale (nice
can't have white ink)

work if you can get it)

Yellow Pages charge more for

It assumes that the use of
white in your adverts - 40% in £800 for additional Yellow Pages
fact.

advertising would generate more

But, Yellow Pages actually business than would the use of

the same £800 in another the kill.......

media

This article is free to

Nonetheless I see many of my       republish provided the authors
clients putting all their eggs in     resource box remains
one "Yellow Pages" basket without     intact.

obtaining effective proof that gend>About the
their adverts are actually Authorworking.

id="authorbio"

The secret is to monitor the class="membersnoticewhite">This
response to each and every advert article was written by David
you place.

Clarke a partner at DBS and an

If you can't measure it you href="http://www.dbs-uk.co.uk/">i
can't manage it.

nternet marketing consultant

I know from my experience as a     who offers former Yellow Pages sales rep         href="http://www.dbs-uk.co.uk/tel
that one had to continually           ecoms/0845-to-mobile.html">0845
create a false sense of urgency.      to mobile and Typically Yellow Pages reps only      href="http://www.dbs-uk.co.uk/tel
work two directories ie they are      ecoms/0845-number-provider.html">
in each area for six months at a      0845 number
time. The reps are paid a             services.