Comments on: Yellow Pages Continue Toward Fossilization

By: Biz Search Local

Biz Search Local — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:56:09 +0000

The phone book is dead there is no fixing that, but companies like superpages will still be around because of their IYP’s (internet yellow pages) and its high usage. I think they are also starting SEM campaigns too.

By: OSYM

OSYM — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:47:24 +0000

Their ‘hard sell’ tactics are also despised in Europe, believe me. We are witnessing the same process across the Atlantic. I concur that their management are being myopic about what’s going on and that their bullishness does them a great disservice. OSYM's last blog post..Aralıktaki Sınav için Son Gün

By: Monica - current accounts

Monica - current accounts — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:15:24 +0000

If you pay attention to the Wall Street Journal’s take on things then today’s headline is not real promising for the Yellow Pages industry regardless of its form. Imagine you wake up as the leadership team of RH Donnelly or Idearc , Well,can’t say I disagree though. Many have considered this option but now with the economy taking a dump and small businesses cutting back in every way the Yellow Pages are primed to take what could be a knock out blow

By: ozi

ozi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:24:45 +0000

I just cancelled my Yellow Pages advert and let me tell you my experience with them were never pretty. They always have these “Akmal Saleh” types of phone consultants who seem more like jokers to me. They are very unprofessional and when I wanted to cancel my account they ask me “Is your business shutting down?” and other rude comments like “So its something you dont care about” And quiete honestly it sounded really sarcastic. I had this lady from Yellow Pages once before again who was offering me an extended service and I said “no, thanks” and she said “Oh so do you don’t care about your business, how are you going to get customers?” Obviously very very rude and offensive and agressive. I “paid for them” to talk to me this way. And what Frank Reed has said that their online user stastics are inaccurate, that was on the ball. I am going to continue to blog about Yellow Pages and how these phone people were rude and I am also going to tell everyone in person. And by the way their complaints department “The Shif Manager” was another ‘Akmal Saleh’ – so it was pretty much a whole bunch of gang working their. (Nothing against Akmal Saleh by the way)

By: SEM certified industry vet

SEM certified industry vet — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:49:48 +0000

Never trust a beleagured employee…they lack objectivity. It’s easy to bash a product and a company that has let you go! Wait and see the new product for yourself and see if you find any intrinsic value…you may just be surprised. To Beleagured in Colorado: maybe you should go to work for Yellow Book! You are their prime candidate…jaded and out of touch!

By: Beleagured RHD Employee

Beleagured RHD Employee — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:38:33 +0000

I work at RH Donnelly’s Colorado office, on their soon-to-be-launched new Dex 2.0 on line business directory and am certain that it will prove to be a huge flop. I have stared at the site 8 hours a day, for weeks on end and even I cant figure out why anyone will ever go through the trouble of using it. The search functions poorly, information is clumsily laid out and I anyone who would find it more useful then a simple google search is crazy. The business owner who puts even a dime out to purchase a listing is wasting money and needs to invest ten bucks in web marketing for dummies.

Bye Bye yellow pages. The irony is that, of all industries, none were better positioned to capitalize on the Internet. Too bad they didn’t figure that out 12 years ago.

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:04:59 +0000

I’ve tested both media, yellow pages versus pay per click. Our return on pay per click destroys yellow pages. $280 a month in pay per click or organic search engine listings will buy you a lot more then a $280 advertisement in the yellow pages. I sold yellow pages in small markets, and we were the telco book, even their you couldn’t get a decent ad for $280 dollars a month. Whereas if I bid .05 on pay perclick, including placements on other websites, I can generate a lot more sales for my clients then a $280 print spend that doesn’t provide me with any guaranteed leads. My favorite feature about the yellow pages is how you can click on someones ad and get connected instantly to their business…oh wait that’s what the phone, black berry, and all the new 3 g phones do. Once everyone has a phone with connectivity to the internet, what purpose does the yellow pages have if you can do search on your phone? Yellow pages isn’t dead yet, but as a long term investment, it’s over for this type of advertising media, and the people at these companies are so stuck in backward thinking, that they don’t see the writing on the wall. Yeah the skateboarders comment is ridiculous, another example of lack of understanding of how people are using the internet. I never assume anything until I’ve tested for myself and compared. People searching on the internet are better customers (savyness, education, and income all beat the average yeller page user)

By: james

james — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:37:18 +0000

JC23 – your references to the internet as being for “skateboarders” and a “pretty young thing” show how little you know about the internet and Web 2.0

Take Tripadvisor for example. Its revolutionized how people find hotels/motels and independent lodging. It forces business owners address complaints and become involved with customers – thereby keeping them honest.

That’s just one of many examples. You don’t find that interactivity in the Yellow Pages – where “looky loos” (as you label them instead of potential clients) can read reviews and rapidly updated posts about a business, whether in your neighborhood or worldwide…

Also your last sentence disses YouTube. Meanwhile many many corporations and businesses HAVE an official YouTube presence. United Airlines released their latest commercials and marketing campaign ON YouTube (So did our new President last week.)

Your two posts make you sound like a curmudgeon hasn’t used the internet since 1994

james http://www.futuregringo.com

james’s last blog post..The New LAX

By: JC23

JC23 — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:31:45 +0000

Ya Right…Wine-Retail doesn’t even really hit the Yellow Page Radar in regards to usage…something called an obscure heading. Local brands from a customer that spends 4k a year on advertising aren’t going to knock their competition around by asking some skateborder named Gary. The chance of a guy wearing a green wrist band while cussing front of a audiance impressing me will never occur. I am a professional salesmen and the Yellowpages are the front soldiers of local search. Even if the internet moves past it in terms of local search in regards to direct purchases (which it hasn’t)…we will still be the soldiers because we have the long term personal relationships. And these relationships won’t go down with the ship…we will just be employees of a local sales organization just like we are now. Also…you hit it on the nail..Yellow Pages is about buyers looking for sellers….not sellers looking for looky lou’s…like your typical online searcher…joe blow window washer makes his return with the purest lead. Having some guy like you who ain’t ever gonna spend any money click on him but not call is useless in regards to revenue generating activity. I had a customer get 353 clicks to his profile online but only 1 call. That was a good $250 a month investment. Get more info and learn your info on the street not on YouTube.

By: Rich Hill

Rich Hill — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:16:14 +0000

@JC23
Ha ha ha ha ha… LOL, OMG!
You haven’t got a clue!
Print is dead. I use yellow pages for fire starters in my wood stove.
There is absolutely NOTHING that I can’t find online, INSTANTLY, without a magnifying glass.

Sorry pal, the jig is up, the handwriting is on the wall, you’re going down with the ship.
Google: Gary Vaynerchuk and Jason Calacanis.

Rich Hill’s last blog post..What Is Your DNfame? Increase Your Ranking

By: JC23

JC23 — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:05:16 +0000

The Yellow Pages are alive and kicking folks. Just like our economy…the News media is creating a recession in as many industries as it possibly can…just for the sake of their own advertising dollars. For small to medium sized customers addicted to internet advertising…look out. In my opinion, the internet is all glitz and glammer. Kind of like dating a girl that don’t put out…In my opinion, the average business that spends $280 a month VS a $280 a month on a SEM plan will tear up the SEM customer in regards to chance of long term survival, especially in a metro market with a company publishing major telco books. Yellow Pages is about return on investment not glitz or glammer and it is the foundation of a successful local advertising program in my opinion. You will go broke if you open up a business and think glitz and glammer can be deposited in your new business checking account. I have never…not once..had a customer tell me that their internet product has completely changed their life. I have however had about 20 customers call me and thank me for focusing most of their budget on Print Yellow Pages. My experience on thousands of calls has been that the Yellow Pages truly has the power to change a persons life for the better. The Yellow Pages are the King of all forms of advertising and have been for sometime. Give respect where respect is due…certainly I have a lot of respect for internet advertising….its still a young prince in regards to how it effects middle class american business owners. I have many customers who spend thousands of dollars a month on print advertising…a few even hundreds of thousands of dollars a month….not one single customer in this small to middle sized range spends more then 3k a month on IYP or SEM advertising combined (because the ROI for Print and call volume is so much stronger) and I have over 300 of these type customers in a major metro area and have never had less then a 80% renewal on a print program. So be careful piling up on what makes middle class america businesses thrive. The average first time advertiser spends about $280 a month as a first time customer. Trust me…not to many of them will strike it rich with a $280 a month SEM product and my company has over 500,000 print yellow page customers.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:40:37 +0000

Yes yellow pages is part of a well balanced marketing plan, but for most advertisers their marketing dollars are spent more wisely somewhere else. Full page ads for $1000 a month, maybe in a small market, in large books that price can be over $5000-$10000 a month. The flaw in the yellow page model is the cost, these books don’t cost that much to print or distribute, you are paying for the sales force commission rate. Yellow pages will always be around, but the cost of advertising has to be re adjusted big time. As of now, if you want to generate the lead pay per click is one of the cheapest, or if you are like me, you have been working on organic search engine placements for years now, which generate lots of leads and no cost. For lawyers, one of the most competitive yellow page headings your cost per lead can be above $35. And, the yellow page companies don’t really offer a competive value when it comes to online advertising. Why should you pay them a management fee when you can simply manage an online program your self via Adwords? I’ve shifted my company away from yellow pages, based on tracking results for online programs versus our yellow page ads. We generate more sales and leads for less money with online advertising, which is keeping us afloat in this economy.

By: Mark T

Mark T — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:26:25 +0000

We work with many yellow page publishers and while the downward trend is certainly there, many publishers are coming to realize the importance of becoming advertising consultants rather than simply a print sales company. If a rep can effectively review an advertisers options with respect to a balanced approach to advertising, they are likely to keep a full revenue stream from that customer. A balanced advertising campaign includes, online SEO/SEM, video and audio production, and targeted print advertising. Yellow pages can still prove their model via call tracking, but an educated rep will be able to defend the overall revenue from a SMB if they know what to sell. Mark T's last blog post..Four Ways to Distribute Your Digital Publication

By: joel cohen

joel cohen — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:52:36 +0000

A whopping 60% of restaurants said they have decreased their Yellow Page directory spending over the past two years, downgrading their listing from a display ad to a bold listing, or from a bold listing to free listing.

This was one of the many facts that surfaced in RestaurantMarketing.com’s “Restaurant Yellow Page Usage Report” – a survey of 214 different restaurants across the USA in various food and concept categories, from casual, to pizza to fine dining, taken in September 2008. You can read more at www.RestaurantMarketingBlog.com.

By: Internet Marketing Access

Internet Marketing Access — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:47:40 +0000

Yellow Page advertising is becoming a thing of the past at a faster rate then they had expected. I have clients who have not seen a good enough return to even cover the cost for the entire year. Full page ads at over $1,000/month that are not producing. I felt bad for them, however they are canceling the ads and moving more towards online advertising. I use one phone book for a door stop, all the rest get tossed in the recycle bin. Internet Marketing Access's last blog post..How To Create An Ebook And Where To Start

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:19:12 +0000

Yellow Pages are definitely ancient and they only way they could possibly survive is to revamp their online site. I doubt that will happen and yellow pages probably won't be around too much longer. Patrick's last blog post..Nanotechnology Dangerous for Your Health and The Environment?

By: Ami Ohayon

Ami Ohayon — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:22:27 +0000

Haven’t used a Yellow Pages in years.

If I know the name of a business I look it up online; if I’m looking for a service I get recommendations from friends or local web sites. Other than propping up a broken shelf I have no use for a Yellow Pages at all.

By: Rich Hill

Rich Hill — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:06:46 +0000

Man I don't know how I missed Marketing Pilgrim but found you through the "Web Top 100 Internet Marketing Blog List," and so glad I did. This post hit me quite strong because just yesterday I wrote a blog post about "How To Make Money In Your Shorts Using The Yellow Pages," on LinkMoney dot org. I hope your readers enjoy it. Rich Hill's last blog post..Make Money In Your Shorts Using The Yellow Pages

By: Oscar Del Santo

Oscar Del Santo — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:40:43 +0000

By: TechnoEsq » Yellow Pages Continue Toward Fossilization - Marketing Pilgrim

TechnoEsq » Yellow Pages Continue Toward Fossilization - Marketing Pilgrim — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:02:02 +0000

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