Monday, 12 December 2011
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The Case Against Yellow Pages Advertising
Too many people drop their directories straight into the recycle bin soon as being the directories are dropped off on the doorsteps.
The family of a close buddy owns a restaurant. They've already never paid for promotions --in any media-- in their 25+ year history. Now the economy has gotten crazy they're just asking should they give the yellow pages a set off... pay that huge per month fee.
Well, shrinking users isn't the only real reason our friends family should look into whether there's potential so you can get a positive return on their investment. A 2nd big problem is competition recommendations fierce. More fierce than any other kind of advertising and also marketing. Potential customers see the ads of advertisers while doing so the potential customers see competing ads -- all on the same page.
So there are actually two requirements to making it here.
Primary, and foremost, your potential customers must actually use the yellow pages to search for what you sell. Really, what's the point associated with paying that fee if nobody who matters ever spots the ad. And don't allow me any crap about 'branding'. You can't brand your company if no one sees your marketing message. You may as well flush that 'investment' down the toilet. The end result will be the same.
Whatever the ad agents claim, not everyone uses the orange page directories. A truth that's being overlooked is that an entire generation of teenagers and young 20-somethings don't have a clue about finding vendors, suppliers, or retailers through the directories. Much of that comprehensive generation is blind to the yellow pages. That is just one of many groups that primarily avoids while using yellow pages at just about all, in favor of using other media. Like the net.
When your market does use the yellow pages to find what you sell, the second requirement for success is that the ad must actually get an ad. Not an oversized glorified business card.
The greatest advertising "sin" committed in the directories is a form of advertising incest. Basically all the ads designed by the directories are made 'cut and paste' one from another using a common template. There's no variation besides name, position, and serial multitude. And just like serious incest, these kind of ads get dumber and dumber more useless because they continue to reproduce.
For proof just glance at the ads in any of your family local directories. They all have name, phone selection, maybe a picture in the staff or owner, a few lame 'touchy feely' slogan that anyone else can also claim. What should be a highly effective and competitive ad is reduced to only an oversized, ineffective company card.
Irrespective of whether you, like my acquaintance and his family, are considering advertising in the internet directories, and are already advertising inside directories, or are looking to earn a living writing better ads for people who advertise in the directories you have to recognize that the key to succeeding with yellow pages is to design ads that differentiate yourself and appeal and snatch the dialing fingers of the millions of people who still let their fingers do the walking to uncover what you or your clients sell or supply.
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