Yellow Pages – Think They Still Work?
I found a plastic bag at the end of our driveway on Monday. It was the annual delivery of the Yellow Page books.
Things have changed since the famous, “Let Your Fingers Do The Walking” ad from the 1960’s. I thought about their significance in today’s marketing world. I also thought how I haven’t opened one in years.
As I walked into my garage, I dropped the bag of books into the trash can.
As fate would have it, I got a call later that day from the Yellow Pages people. There was real desperation in her voice as she tried to convince me to use their product.
The Center for Media Research recently confirmed what my gut has been telling me for the past three years.
It showed 57% use traditional Yellow Page directories while 47% use Internet Yellow Pages. The real difference is they claim a whopping 82% use search engines to locate products and services.
Here’s why the yellow pages are an endangered marketing species:
Have you ever Googled a product or service and been directed by the search engine to an online Yellow Pages listing for a company?
Me either.
Search engines reward positioning by which links are clicked most often. So if people were using the digital Yellow Pages, those online Yellow Page ads would rank really high on Google and the other search engines.
But the ads don’t rank high on Google because most people never use them.
What do YOU think about Yellow Pages – any variety (there must be a dozen) – and their associated websites? Do you think money spent there is well spent or wasted?
My opinion: Money spent in the Yellow Pages (and their website versions) is basically wasted.
I’m fairly certain my position will generate a firestorm of emails from people who feel passionately that I’m wrong. But there are others who will know I’m right.
Tell me what you think – leave a comment.
Let’s get to work,
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
Newsletter, client newsletter, company newsletter, customer newsletter, direct response marketing, marketing, newsletters, print newsletter
