4
Secrets Why Search Engines Beat Yellow Pages in Local Advertising
Submitted
to "Expert Law"
By Phil Reifenberg
Submitted July, 2004
I was
recently looking for a phone number in my kitchen drawer.
As usual the drawer was packed and I had to pull all the contents
out to find the15 page school directory I was looking for.
As I was trying to stuff the pile back in, I realized the
source of the problem, the 4 inch thick yellow pages book.
Although I don't use the yellow pages very often, I usually
keep them and throw them out when the new edition comes.
I work
with numerous law firms and I realized that many of my clients
were spending a significant portion of their marketing budgets
on the yellow pages. So I decided to do some research. Opening
the 2,000+ page book, I was amazed to see that there were
almost 100 pages of advertising just for lawyers. At about
15 pages into it I was overwhelmed - too much information
and too many choices.
The yellow
pages book in question wasn't from New York or Chicago, it
was from Cincinnati. So why would anyone spend thousands of
dollars a month to be part of this process? Well, I asked
my clients, and the most popular answer was... because everyone
else is doing it.
I didn't
like that answer and I also don't like wasting money. I looked
closer at the Yellow Pages vs. Search Engine models and identified
four trends that will impact how local companies advertise.
1. Ease
of Use - People do what is easy. Access to the Internet
via work, home or any library have truly made getting online
easy. According to Jupiter Media, over 64% of people who are
looking for information online, use search engines. If I can
type my problem or what I want into a search engine and find
what I need, I don't need to go through the 100 pages of ads
in the yellow pages. Search engines are getting more precise
down to an industry specialty and geographic focus, while
also continuing to be easier to use.
2. Cost
Model of Yellow Pages vs. Search Engine - In reviewing
these two models we need to compare the traits and cost basis
of each media.
Clearly,
the Yellow Pages model is more expensive while also being
significantly less flexible and scalable than online search
engines.
3.
Differentiation vs. Directory - As a business owner, the
last thing I would do is give my prospects a detailed list
of my competitors, including addresses and phone numbers.
But that is exactly what the Yellow Pages do. Using search
engines, you can differentiate yourself from everyone else.
So when the ideal client is looking for what you do, they
find you, not all your competitors.
The Yellow
Pages industry is over 100 years old and according to the
Direct Marketing Association is a 12 Billion plus market.
It is not going away. Yellow Pages Online and many industry
specific directories are now being aggressively marketed.
In our studies, we have seen very little traffic or lead generation
coming from these online directories. If you are approached
to be in an online directory, ask if you can pay for it by
the number of visitors and/or leads to your site. You won't
get many takers on that offer.
4.
The Future Big Winner in Search ... Local Firms! The traditional
success model for winning online has been the ability to sell
your product or service nationally or internationally. However,
local or regional firms could not leverage the national and
international traffic that search engines brought because
they were only licensed or had services available in a specific
city, state or region.
Good
news ... the search engines now have the ability to
determine where the search is coming from. What that means
to you is you can target all the way down to a city, zip or
area code. If you have a firm that has a defined geographic
area, you have an incredible opportunity to be the top firm
that comes up when people use a search engine for services
in your area.
Wow! Can
this be true? If so, where do I begin? Based on these trends
there are five things you need to do today to differentiate
you from your competition. We suggest that you change your
strategy and reallocate your budget as follows:
1.
Look at your Yellow Page investment. What did it cost
you last year and what business came directly from it? If
the numbers work, keep doing it. However if the answer to
this question is "I don't know", we have a suggestion.
Keep the yellow pages ad, just make it smaller. Take the 50%
you save on your budgeted yellow page fees and use it to directly
drive online prospects to your firm. If you are satisfied
with your results with yellow pages, take 20-30% of your current
budget to be online. As phone books and directories continue
to diminish in value, you will be ahead of the curve.
2. Have
your own site -
If you are in a directory and it has created a simple site
for you, don't worry about tracking traffic, you probably
aren't getting any. Make sure you have your site set up as
your own, and that people can find you through normal search
engines, not just through the directory. Also, remember that
if clients find you through directories, you are introducing
them to all your competitors. Be careful.
3. Measure
- Look at your site.
You should know how many people come to your site. If you
are signed up with an online or directory service, get your
numbers from them. You will probably be surprised with the
low amount of visitors and leads you get. If the directory
provider can't (or doesn't want to) get you your performance
numbers, fire them!
4.
Add Relevant Location Text to your Site
- People today are using search engines to find what you do
in your city. Make sure that the search engines can easily
know your address, city, state, zip and area code. If you
have areas that you specialize in, make sure location info
are on those pages too.
5.
Start Using the Online Model Now! Realize
that yellow page books and yellow page online directories
do not differentiate you from everyone else. Make sure your
site tells what you do, where you are located and invites
the client to take action with your firm. Welcome to search,
the killer application that is leapfrogging the current directory
model. Search is the future: the question is - are you going
to be a player or a spectator? Good Selling.
