With so many marketing outlets and platforms to choose from, business owners need to be more confident than ever that they are targeting their marketing dollars at the right audience. For many types of businesses, ads in printed directories are a vital component of the marketing mix.
reviews, social networks, online videos, the print Yellow Pages, and interactive Yellow Pages.
While digital ads, consumer review sites, mobile apps, and online search are preferred channels for advertisers and consumers, there is still a sizable audience of consumers who rely on local print directories when seeking products and services, especially those of an immediate and specialized nature. Further, if business owners select only a digital or mobile advertising source, they may be addressing just 50 to 60% of their potential buyers.
The LSA data show that many types of small businesses still value printed directories such as the Yellow Pages as a preferred method of reaching consumers. Likewise, consumers still prefer the Yellow Pages for certain types of searches. It’s important to remember that not everyone is comfortable making significant purchases or service arrangements through a smartphone. Also, not everyone’s mobile phone is a smartphone. A typical retiree homeowner may send text messages from a tablet or purchase books from Amazon, but that does not mean he or she will use Yelp to find an electrician or financial planner.
REACHING LOCAL AUDIENCES Think about it: Printed directories still show up on doorsteps and in mailboxes. We might chuckle and think, “Who still uses these things?” But given the price of paper and shipping, the use of print is not just for tradition’s sake. The business owners who spend their hard-earned money on printed advertising and directory listings year after year do so for good reason. The Local Search Association (LSA), the industry association for location-based marketing, compiles an annual Local Media Tracking Study to analyze media usage for local product and service searching. The study compares various channels, including online search engines, ratings and
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A closer look at the numbers reveals that print still delivers value. Along with search engines, company websites, and word of mouth, printed directories are a top trusted source for accurate local business information that consumers turn to when ready to make a purchase. One might think that print usage is down. However, according to the LSA Local Media Tracking Study, printed directories generated 4.9 billion searches in the United States in 2015. This runs counter to conventional wisdom. In fact, directory references have stabilized over the past three years, and print is outperforming other channels on important metrics