Is it Time to Shift from Print to Online Yellow Pages Advertising?
With so many options for marketing, it is often difficult for businesses to decide where to focus their energy and dollars. Rumors of the imminent demise of the Yellow Pages abound, but are greatly exaggerated.
Let's assume you have chosen to go with the Yellow Pages. Should you go online, should you invest in print, or should you use some combination of both?
Pros and Cons of Print
The many detractors of print directories make some valid points:
- Lack of flexibility - once your ad is printed, you cannot change it for a year.
- Your ad appears in one category, potentially lost among all of your competitors.
- Ads can be expensive.
- Few people actually use the print Yellow Pages anymore. The word "dinosaur" is sometimes used to describe these big yellow books.
- The Yellow Pages market is saturated. With no new markets to tap, they can only grow by pushing bigger, costlier ads.
- With environmental issues of concern to many, it seems wasteful to have so much paper used in a book that few people refer to.
Despite these criticisms, a Kelsey Group report done in early 2007 stated that demand for print Yellow Pages directories will continue to grow until at least 2011. One reason is their high ROI.
Greg Sterling, of Sterling Market Intelligence, made some other pro-print arguments in a March, 2007 blog entry.
- A large group of consumers is still offline. This point was further substantiated by a study done in early 2007 stating that nearly 33% of American homes neither have Web access nor plan to get it.
- Web-based local search is still developing. In this period of flux, print Yellow Pages will fill the void and act as a secondary resource for consumers.
- Use of print will continue, albeit in a market sharply segmented by income, age, and education.
The bottom line is that print Yellow Pages are still a valid marketing option, especially if your business targets a specific local area. Costs can be controlled by ad size and design. But you should prepare to shift online, as print directories will continue to see their market share diminish.
Pros and Cons of Online
In comparison to print, there are few criticisms of online Yellow Pages advertising. There is a lot of variety in the types of ads available, from free listings to Priority Placement. Unlike print ads, the online Yellow Pages can offer direct Web site and email links to your business. They can also provide maps and online coupons or special offers that appear when an ad is clicked.
Some people feel that search engine listings are better for local search because of the wider range of search options they offer. But the online Yellow Pages are adapting by adding more ways to search. And they have the added bonus of brand recognition - when people are looking for a local vendor or service provider, it is the Yellow Pages they think of first.
The Bottom Line
Marketing studies may show that print directories will experience growth over the next few years, but that growth is definitely slowing. If you have limited resources, online is the way to go.
If you have the ability to spread your advertising budget around, you want to take a package deal that offers a small print ad in conjunction with a more substantial online ad. You can then test the ROI of both and decide which is best for you.
Contact Wolf21 today to discuss your print yellow pages advertising program.