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Why the Yellow Pages are Always a Step Behind

When was the last time you looked up something in the Yellow Pages? Or any printed directory for that matter?

I actually had to do it the other day but it was the postal code book at the post office and I had to do it because my parent’s postal code, in Ontario, shares the last 3 digits, in reverse, with my brother’s. Which means that every single time I ship a package to my parents, or my brother, I have to look up the postal code because I can NEVER remember which is which.

Truth be told, if I had had the fore-thought to look it up before leaving for the post office I most definitely would have done so on the internet. It’s much faster and I would not have to look for the book first (not that I actually have a postal code book in my home but you get the idea)

Most people you speak to nowadays refrain from using the Yellow Pages or White Pages to look up a business. When the books are delivered there is a very good chance you’ll see the road-side recycling boxes filled with Yellow on the next pick up day.

As for a means to advertise your business? It was my personal experience, many years ago when I first started my first offline venture, that the Yellow Pages are over-priced and under-utilized.

There certainly exist a demographic that still rely on the Yellow Pages to look up business information and if that is your target market you might consider the Yellow Pages a good place to reach them.

However, if you are more interested in laser targeting your audience, attracting new clients to your business, and growing your list, your money would be much better spent attracting customers through Social Media.

The word “attract” is the key to Social Media. The more value you provide, the more eyes you will attract and the more people will refer you. It’s as simple as that.

The additional benefit of Social Media over traditional Yellow Pages advertising is cost for value.

With a Yellow Pages ad you present 1 face of your company to the public. That ad is static and does not change throughout the shelf-life of the publication. You have no control over how that ad attracts once it is published.

However, if you engage in a Social Media campaign you can track your visitors. Determine which ads or wording works best for you and adjust accordingly.

The Yellow Page companies have been scrambling, trying to catch up to the Social Media sites by offering online listings when you purchase a print ad. The idea is good in theory but it’s not until you go to the site that you realize it’s the businesses that pay a premium that get the featured listing and your company is buried deep down.

Again, you have little control over how you are presented when dealing with the Yellow Pages.

When people look up a business online they type the name of the business into a search engine. The company with the best search engine optimized site comes up first.

What does your marketing campaign look like? Does it include a professionally planned Social Media strategy? If not, you’re missing out on massive traffic.

And where is your copy of the Yellow Pages right now? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the Yellow Pages vs Social Media. Comment away!

September 10, 2010by jax
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Here are some recent projects. Feel free to poke around my site and drop me a line if you think you'd like to work with me.


Hotel Iguanazul - Costa Rica
Hotel Iguanazul - Costa Rica
This client needed a site that integrated with online travel agents and merged calendars for guest bookings. While the design is simple and elegant, the backend is very robust. I added an additional solution to give hotel staff on the ground the ability to take bookings over the phone or in person without sacrificing the calendar sync.
North Vancouver Realty Blgo
North Vancouver Realty Blgo
This site was created to compliment North and West Vancouver Realtor, Elizabeth Dyer's, growing real estate business. Liz felt that providing people with real experiences from the North Shore would help them get a true feel for what it's like to live in this amazing place. The site is growing daily with new posts and new tech like vlog posts!
Layne's Way Environmental Interior Design
Layne's Way Environmental Interior Design
I created this site for my daughter Layne who is just about to graduate high school. We worked on it together as a tool to help her realize her dream of becoming an Interior Designer. The site is used for post-secondary admissions and scholarship opportunities. It also showcases many of Layne's extra curricular activities.
Women In Leadership ~ National Women's Leadership Organization
Women In Leadership ~ National Women's Leadership Organization
Jacquie McCarnan is the National Director of Social Media and Online Outreach for the Women In Leadership Foundation. She is also "keeper of the brand". With chapters in 4 Canadian cities, the WIL online presence is an extremely intricate part of the Foundation's overall community outreach. We conceived and built individual sites for each chapter, trained each chapter rep and provide continued support through the national head office site. By giving the chapters some autonomy to construct their own content we have seen a considerable increase in online engagement; not only from the website(s) but from all social media outlets as well. We also initiated, planned and constructed processes to make the social media engagement a turn-key solution for each chapter since all chapter members are volunteers. In less than a year WIL has become the most robust online presence of all Canadian women-centric non-profits. (big round of applause :)


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