Why Still Go Yellow?

Yellow you ask?  Is that still being used?  Do people really use those Yellowbooks?  Is it relavent today to my business?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!!

All across America the phone book is still being used by millions of people on a regular basis.  See, perception and reality simply do not match on this particular instance.  Just ask one of the hundreds of thousands of business owners who still advertise their business in the local phone book and they will tell you the same thing.  Yes!!

Now, has usage declined?  Has usage changed?  Are the leads as good as they once were?  Are people using them less?

Yes, yes, yes and yes!!

That's right, I said "yes" to the fourth question.  Usage of the yellow pages has declined.  Industry data shows this to be true.  However, my opinion is this... Yellow page advertising is by and far one of the least costly forms of advertising when you look at cost per lead.  One call to a patio contractor for instance, pays for his entire year of advertising and likely the next few years if he lands a great customer.  So, does declining usage mean that nobody uses the yellow pages anymore?  Of course not!

Business owners have a responsibility to their customer base and to local consumers to advertise their products and services.  What's the old phrase, "Inquiring minds want to know?"  When a consumer looks into their local directory and your business isn't running an ad there, guess what, they are going to look to your competitor.  If nobody is advertising what they need or want, they will seek in other ways.  You just lost a customer!!

Remember this... one new client/customer/patient is worth the $1200 or $3000 or $500 you spend in yellow page advertising.  One new customer is also a referral source to your business and you must consider the lifetime value of that new customer.  If you do a great job, they will come back time and again, right?

Invest in yellow!  You will be glad you did!