[private]
I observed a little macro-economics on the marketing front yesterday. As many of you know, Sioux and I are “temporarily” here in Kansas City preparing for our end-of-year return to the Dominican Republic after 2 ½ years of care-giving. When I went outside I discovered that the new local phone book (one of many) left yesterday on my door step.
As all of us do, I carried it to my home office to “swap it out” with last year’s version. However, as I hefted the two the new one seemed substantially lighter than last year’s book. Sure enough, when I compared the two book last year’s had 232 pages of advertising “yellow pages”. This year’s had 186. If my rudimentary math skills are right that is a drop of 20% in one year.
And that in a nutshell is where the entire Yellow Pages market is going. Does the Yellow Pages strategy still have value for you? Maybe- depending on your market. But the days are gone when you could depend blindly on the Yellow Pages gods making the phone ring.
Actually you never should have believed the Yellow Pages “snake-oil” salesperson. (These folks make used car selling look ethical!) In fact, waaaaay back in 1996 at the very first Strategies for Success seminar we preached to not depend on the phone book. It is just now more true than ever. (Interestingly, in this same local phone book serving a small suburb last year there were several large display ads for carpet cleaners. This year- NONE. All nine carpet cleaners listed only had the ‘free” line listing. Hmmmm- maybe the word is getting out!)
Something to think on,
Steve
PS I’m by no means an “early-adopter”. But I don’t open a phone book once per month. For me it is Google all the way, baby. My guess many of your customers feel the same. Do I hear that magic acronym, “SEO”? (Don’t forget that our very own SFS wizened marketing gremlin, Bill Yeadon, will delve deeply into internet marketing at your Strategies for Success seminar. Big Billy will even include a personal session with you on your site while you are there! But you may have to buy the Guinness!)[/private]