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project 03 :: Internet Marketing :: Advertising and PR 01
Combine Your Yellow Page Ad and Web Site for Maximum Profits
When you think about marketing and
traffic, what do you think of first? Which aspects of marketing and
traffic are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take
or leave? You be the judge.
A Yellow Page Ad isn't Enough Any More
An unquestioned "must" for any small business has been to run an ad
in the Yellow Page Directory. Since most customers were local, that was
enough to establish itself as "open for business." The annual Yellow
Page ad represents the largest promotional expense for many
enterprises.
Yet, Yellow Page directory use is declining, while expanding
segments of the public don't rely on them at all. Yellow Page
advertising costs keep going up, and the complicated pricing structure
is difficult to figure out.
Worse yet, having a Yellow Page ad doesn't deliver like it used to.
People can find most of the information they want without ever opening
a directory. Your business needs its Yellow Page strategy to be in tune
with the times and your market.
Like most business owners, you must squeeze maximum value from
every promotional dollar spent. That requires you to move beyond
treating a Yellow Page ad like it's a separate, stand-alone way to promote your business. It's not. Your Yellow Page advertising needs to work in tandem with all the rest of the efforts you pursue.
The Internet Expands Your Arena
Every business needs to put itself in front of the people looking
for what it does - and that's not just through the Yellow Pages any
longer. An increasing percentage of customers, who spend their money
close to home, are Internet savvy. There's a major overlap between
Yellow Page directory users and Internet users. That fact supports
integrating your local and Internet promotional methods so they attract
more new customers.
Yellow Page users are likely to be Internet users as well. And a
business that ignores online activities entirely may have a tough time
getting access to or credibility with those customers. It is possible
to make online and traditional (offline) methods to attract customers
work in tandem - improving the effectiveness of each alone. So it's no
longer an either-or, all-or-none choice whether to promote the business online or off.
People who subscribe to online services consult the Yellow Pages 23% more often than non-subscribers.
Frequent Yellow Page Users are:
* 18% more likely than average to be Internet subscribers
* 32% more likely to be among the heaviest Internet users
* 18% more likely to make purchases on the Internet
* 27% more likely to spend more than $1,000 on Internet purchases
Source: Simmons
Customer Behavior is Changing
More and more, people are going to the Internet to find,
learn about, or select products and services. Even local ones. That
doesn't mean that they will buy online, however. People still prefer to
spend their money locally when they can. But, even the smallest
business can do a better job of being found by those who prefer to use
both the Internet and the Yellow Page directory to make their buying
decisions. And, it can be done very inexpensively, too.
Even a 100% local business can pull in more business by getting its low-tech and high-tech advertising to mesh. Visit http://www.yellowpagesage.com
for lots of free practical assistance. As you broaden your visibility
to buyers, your business will be found more often - by the very people
you've been looking for.
What Else has Changed?
* Buyers are less trusting and more willing to shop around
* Customers have more options and ways to find what they want
* Availability of Internet Yellow Pages
* Aging population uses the Yellow Pages differently than young people
* Development of unique niches and specialties
* More choices for a "better deal"
* More directories competing in a geographic area
* More immigrants, or those from other cultures, unaccustomed to Yellow Page use
* Area code proliferation fragments cities
* Larger cities have multiple directories, rather than one large one
* Development of specialized directories - like ethnic, non-English, women, minority, business to business
Become Visible Online - With or Without Your Own Web Site
If your business already has a Web site, treat it as a way to expand the reach of your Yellow Page ad and traditional marketing
activities. Jettison the expectation that it should make sales - few do
so. But an information-packed Web site can support your traditional marketing methods very well.
Even without your own Web site, your small business can establish an online identity that helps buyers to find you.
* Get listed in a variety of Internet Yellow Page (IYP) directories
* Send emails to your "regulars" with special offers and useful information
* Position yourself for Local Search - a method whereby customers
use search engines to locate local businesses by town, state, region,
zip code, etc.
Expand the exposure of your business beyond your Yellow Page ad
through a Yellow Page strategy that reaches the whole globe. Your
operation, whatever its size, will gain more credibility and traffic locally when it puts itself in the bigger picture.
© 2004, Lynella Grant
About The Author
Dr. Lynella Grant is an expert in visual communication, how printed
materials send signals that reinforce or negate the verbal message.
Decode and repair your unintended impressions. Author, "The Business
Card Book" and "Yellow Page Smarts."
http://www.yellowpagesage.com
(719) 395-9450
Off the Page Press P.O. Box 4880 Buena Vista, CO 81211
grant@yellowpagesage.com
Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above.
The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's
important about marketing and traffic.
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