This post gave us a little insight into where the yellow pages came from and it’s place in marketing history. The truly amazing thing (to me) is that some business owners still swear by it for their businesses! This may not be surprising, as many marketing methods are quite old. For instance,
- The first American magazine was published in 1741
- The first recorded billboard rental happened in 1867
- Radio advertising started in 1922
All of these are still viable marketing mediums today. But there is no question that technology has played a part in changing how effective these mediums truly are. Magazines, for instance, are increasingly being consumed digitally. The popularity of devices such as Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad mean that users can subscribe to any number of magazines without ever getting a single issue in the mail. And the digital billboard trend continues to replace traditional “static” billboards with digital versions, capable of displaying many advertisements per month in a rotation. And there is no question that the introduction of television put a serious crimp in radio’s effectiveness.
The phone book, however, has always been in its own category. Billboards, radio, TV, magazines, newspapers… these are all ways to get your brand in front of potential customers. But, the phone book is different. It is the place that consumers who are ready to buy turn to find the business to buy from. The people using the phone book are actually looking for a business to spend money with. It only makes sense to be in there!
The problem is that the yellow pages, too, has fallen victim to technological progress. Phone books are out of date as soon as (or even before) they are printed. They’re not portable (can you imagine having to carry around a yellow pages directory with you?) and they are an environmental nightmare. And the most important fact about the phone book? People just don’t use them anymore; the latest statistics show that more than 80% of consumers turn to Google when trying to find a local business.
If you’re a business owner who has relied on the phone book, this may be disheartening to hear. But, cheer up! This is actually good for your business. Unlike the yellow pages, Google does not give priority to businesses based on their name. Zaranti’s Barber Shop has as much chance of being first on the list as Ali Barber’s. Google cares about content, not about the name. This means that the playing field online is far more level than it ever was in the yellow pages – a business that can afford to spend thousands of dollars a month can’t nudge a startup business all the way back to page 3 by having a full two-page color ad at the beginning of the listings. With some help from someone like me, even a startup business can be first in their category on Google!
If you are lucky enough to own a business with an unlimited marketing budget, then you can afford to do it all. For those of us who live in the real world, however, we have to pick and choose where to spend our marketing dollars. Hopefully, you are considering right now whether the phone book is really where you want to spend those precious dollars. In my next post, we’re going to look at an actual case study and get some cold hard facts on what the phone book is worth to your business.
