THE Facts on Print Yellow Pages

The anti-print Yellow Pages lobby has a new monster on the horizon – “Internet Metering” will be coming to your home soon. The concept is simple and socialistic in concept — those who use more bandwidth pay more per month for their Internet service.

Time Warner Cable who provides my cable and hi-speed Internet service is conducting an initial test in one Texas market. Meanwhile Comcast has said it would expand its strategy to slow down the volume of Web traffic by so-called “bandwidth hogs” at peak consumption times. AT&T said it too was considering consumption-based pricing last week: “Based on current trends, total bandwidth in the AT&T network will increase by four times over the next three years,” the company said.

The three companies claim that capping broadband use ensures fair Web access for all users, but the Times points out that the tactic “is a throwback to the days of dial-up service” and that “the experiments could have huge implications for the future of the Web,” particularly as consumers ramp up their consumption of bandwidth-sucking entertainment.

That FREE print Yellow Pages that arrives at your door step each year is looking a whole lot more valuable, isn’t it?

The Yellow Pages Association just released this interesting comparison of print and IYP usage just in case people are wondering why those “pesky” print Yellow Pages are still around –> it’s because people use them, and hence, the phone rings at the businesses that advertise in them. Plain and simple. And the IYP usage is a great add-on to attract additional lookups from those who are online:

The stories I continue to receive from people are really powerful testaments to the value of the printed Yellow Pages. Here’s a new one from TH:

For 8 of my 20 years in the business I lived in Louisiana. However, when Katrina hit I was living in Albuquerque, NM. Many people displaced from Louisiana were sent to a Red Cross station in Albuquerque. Having a deep sense of concern for my former co-workers and friends, I made some calls to see how people were doing and thankfully found everyone I knew to be doing fine. However, we began talking about how many people were displaced from the area and now were in what had to seem like a foreign country to them - New Mexico. We then worked together to get copies of the directories of the areas from where these folks lived shipped to my office in Albuquerque. I then took the directories to the Red Cross and they were handed out.

It was then that I felt the intangible of our product. It’s like the lights in the house. We never fully respect what it does for us until it’s not there and then the book is sorely missed. The gratitude I and my friends at BellSouth received for providing them with something from home, something that was a constant in their lives was something I will never forget. Many immediately used the books to look up friends to check on them, some used it to try and contact vendors, but most just held it like it was a favorite pillow….something they know they can trust and count on. It gave them a sense of home - of feeling everything will work out.

And some people say they don’t need a book?? Wow.

In this weeks edition of YP Talk we asked people in the industry to send us stories about how the printed Yellow Pages made a real life impact on them.  The stories have started to come in.  Here’s a new one from CS:

I asked my 23 year old daughter if she thought the yellow pages or internet helped her make buying decisions more frequently….

Katie’s response was the PRINT YELLOW PAGES!!! She had just returned from a vacation in Texas, an area she had never visited, she said they grabbed the yellow pages out of the motel and took it with them to tour the area and find restaurants and use the maps etc.  When staying in a hotel, most vacationers find it inconvenient to go to the lobby and use the guest computer.  Katie also said “when I use the internet I never know what I’m going to get for a search result, but when I look in the yellow pages, I KNOW I will find just what I am looking for.”

Now that is one intelligent girl……

Keep those stories coming…

One of the reasons I think the print Yellow Pages is so misunderstood is that people don’t recognize how it really does impact their lives.

Case in point – my 26 year old son, one of those “people under 30 who never use the Yellow Pages” you’ve probably heard about, buys his first home.  He asks me to come help him fix a old floor.  We rip up the old wood floor to find all kinds of leftover glue and crap still on the slab.  After 10 minutes of trying to scraping this stuff away, I know this is going to take the rest of the weekend on my hands and knees to get this done – and that’s not my version of a great weekend.  My son runs upstairs, fires up his pc, and starts searching.  10 minutes later he is no closer to a solution then when he started.  I grab his print YP and in one minute I’m talking to a local equipment rental shop that has a special buffer with a steel wool pad on the bottom that is perfect for the job.  Problem solved.

Here’s my call action then – I want all of you who work for the Yellow Pages industry to send me just one real life experience, like the one I just provided above, which shows the value of this powerful medium. You can either post it to this blog, or email it to me at ken@yptalk.com and I will get it up there.

Let’s share the value of these great products with others….

the following was released by the Yellow Pages Association today:

Berkeley Heights, N.J. (May 8, 2008) - In today’s uncertain economic times, small businesses are looking for cost effective ways to generate business. While some businesses think about cutting their advertising during tough times, new research from the Yellow Pages Association(TM) (YPA(TM)), indicates that both print and Internet Yellow Pages are a valuable source for generating sales leads from new customers.

According to the 2008 Yellow Pages Association Industry Usage Study: National Results, conducted by Knowledge Networks/Statistical Research, Inc. (KN/SRI), among those consumers making a purchase after referencing the print Yellow Pages, 39 percent were new customers to the business they chose. Internet Yellow Pages usage shows that 51 percent of purchasers were new customers to the business.

Some of the headings to bring in the most new customers to a Yellow Pages advertiser - headings in which more than 80 percent of Yellow Pages-fueled inquiries are from new customers - include: Siding Contractors, Waterproofing Contractors, Dancing Instruction, Nurses-Registries, Gift Shops, Retirement & Life Care Communities, Uniforms, Bail Bonds and Trophies.

“Small businesses today are very conscientious about spending, but advertising is an important operating investment because businesses always need reliable ways to attract new customers and increase sales,” said Neg Norton, president of the YPA. “The most important thing small businesses can do is have the proper resources in place to handle all the inquiries generated from their advertising programs.”

The YPA offers small businesses the following tips for making the most of new business leads:

1. Answer the Phone & Return Messages Promptly - As many small businesses are understaffed, it is important to dedicate someone who is qualified to respond to phone calls and voice messages as these inquiries are coming from customers who are ready to buy. This is especially important for service businesses, as the majority of these potential customers make a phone inquiry. Examples of headings for which consumers are more likely to make a phone call include: Contractors, Movers, Financial Services, Karate & Martial Arts Instruction, Dancing Instruction, Home Health Services, and Kennels.

2. Check Email Frequently - As more and more consumers use the Internet to search for businesses, it is essential that your ads contain your email address. Again, customers who take the time to contact you are ready to buy. Some headings that are more likely to generate online inquiries include: Banquet Facilities, Limousine Service, Photographers-Portrait, Employment Agencies, Health & Fitness Club/Gym, Burglar Alarm Systems and Travel Agencies.

3. Track Leads - Make sure every customer is asked about where they found your business so you can better track lead generation and measure the performance of your advertising programs. Most Yellow Pages publishers offer metered ad programs that allow advertisers to insert a unique telephone number in their ad, so they can quantify the number of leads the ad is generating. While almost 9 out of 10 Yellow Pages users intend to make a purchase, certain headings have an increased tie from inquiry to sale, for example Mattresses, Bowling, Photo Finishing-Retail, Spas & Hot Tubs, Bridal Shops, Florists, among others.

For more information about YPA research, please visit http://www.ypassociation.org.

About The Yellow Pages Association

The Yellow Pages Association (YPA) is the largest trade organization of a print and digital media industry valued at more than $31 billion worldwide. Association members include Yellow Pages publishers, certified marketing representatives (CMRs) and associate members, a group of industry stakeholders that include Yellow Pages advertisers, vendors and suppliers.

Contrary to what you may be hearing and reading, the print Yellow Pages are NOT dead. Far from it.

It’s time for the 50,000+ people who make their living from this industry — publishers, agencies, and suppliers, to start to fight back. Now.

We’re going to use this site to provide you with the facts, the tools, and the links to confront and challenge anyone that doesn’t get it.