Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
5 steps to more-relevant marketing - iMediaConnection.com
"EXACTLY! The perfect opt-in, permission-based platform targeting ONLY ready-to-buy, active consumers with near-predictable ROI especially for local businesses....??? Got a guess? Wanna know the answer?"
Customers are demanding precision marketing. Follow these guidelines to ensure your message resonates, rather than repulses.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Article Marketing Made Easy
Search
engine optimization is getting more and
more difficult by the day. The search
engines are evolving at an incredible
speed, making it harder for us SEOs to
rank our websites highly.
With
that said, there are a few tried and true
principles that we need to do when optimizing
our website. The first of which, and the
one that I always tell people to concentrate
on is getting quality, 1 way links pointing
to your website.
The
more quality links you can get pointing
to your website, the higher you will rank,
period.
While
there are many black hat tricks and tactics
that you can do for short term gain, I
would suggest NOT spending your time on
those things. I would focus my entire
effort on figuring out how to get other
websites to link to yours without you
linking back to them. That is the biggest
key to ranking well in Google, Yahoo,
and MSN.
Doing
this is easier said that done. One of
the easiest known ways to get quality,
one way links is by finding website directories
and then submitting your website to them.
This can be a very tedious process, but
always a very rewarding process at the
same time.
You can either submit your articles to these directories manually,
pay someone to do it for you, OR you can use one of the article directory
submission programs out there. The best program for the money that we've found
is a program called "Article Submitter" created my internet marketing
expert, Brad Callen.
This program allows you to submit your articles to over 700
article directories and can save you an incredible amount of time in doing
so. You simply enter your article details into the software once, and then
select the directory you would like to submit to. The software will then,
automatically fill in all of the submission criteria for each directory and
allow you to quickly submit your articles.
Not only does this save you time in submitting your articles,
but it saves you an incredible amount of time in just finding these free directories
online. I highly suggest grabbing an article submission program if you decide
to take advantage of one of the easist ways to get quality, 1 way links to
your website.
You can learn more about Article Submitter and how you can
download your FREE copy here:
Got 3 Seconds to get attention?
Got 3 Seconds to get attention?
What You Need to Know About Headlines
Have you ever wondered why some marketing tactics just don’t seem to work for
your business? You sit and watch a competitor’s website grow and business
soar and you’re just not quite sure how they do it.
After all, aren’t all marketing tactics pretty much the same?
The answer is a resounding “NO”!
Marketing tactics that work are not about rocket science. They are often very
simple concepts but many online marketers fail to recognize them for the
value they can bring to a business. Focusing on a business that brings high
conversion rates and plenty of sales is a marketer’s dream.
But it will only materialize when marketing tactics are successfully deployed.
First of all, people want to find a solution to a problem. That’s why they’re
searching for a particular product or benefit to begin with. So what do you
have to offer?
Headlines say it all
Headlines pull the prospect in. In the offline world, it is the Yellow Pages
ad, Newspaper or Direct Mail piece. It is the first sentance of a strong
radio or TV commercial. In the online world its your web pages, e-mail
subject line, article or press release title or landing page
Don’t wait to tell them what’s in it for them. Tell them right away with your
headline. Headlines can be one of the most effective marketing tactics you
have to offer. The headline should always include valuable benefits for the
customer. With recent studies indicating that users decide whether or not to
stay or leave a site within 8 seconds or less, well-written headlines are
critical.
Using a headline to grab attention is one of the simplest, yet most effective
marketing tactics available. People have a chance to quickly understand why
they need to read further than the headline. Instead of clicking away from
your site, they’ll be clicking through your information to find out more.
Always follow-up a headline with some other compelling fact or value-added
benefit of the product or service. Keep website visitors moving through your
content by including one bit of important information after another in every
sentence. Don’t use teasers that make them feel they have to keep searching
for what’s important but be up-front and direct about the product’s value and
benefits with each sentence.
Market the benefits and value, not features. The difference is key. The
classic example is a handyman does not buy a drill, per se; he buys the holes
he need for the project
The headline is the best place to start marketing the benefits of the product.
It’s also the best way to attract search engines that are seeking websites
based on keywords used by online users. When the headline includes the words
that potential customers are most likely to search for, the search engines
will reward you by bringing more visitors to your website.
Facts, statistics, and data that substantiate your claims of value are also
important ways to increase the effectiveness of headlines. “48% reduction in
costs with X product….” can be a real attention grabber. Don’t hesitate to
use data to support your benefit claims.
Advanced marketing tactics
Headlines are just the beginning with marketing tactics. There are many more
advanced marketing tactics that can make a substantial difference in
conversion rates and sales. Knowing and integrating advanced marketing
tactics into the overall marketing plan for your website and business can
make a huge difference in your profits.
Evaluate your current marketing tactics and make necessary adjustments by
utilizing advanced tactics to support and grow your business. Time spent
preparing effective marketing goals and strategies, supported with effective
tactics, is time that will result in higher profits and a thriving business.
And always remember - success starts with your headline!
What You Need to Know About Headlines
Have you ever wondered why some marketing tactics just don’t seem to work for
your business? You sit and watch a competitor’s website grow and business
soar and you’re just not quite sure how they do it.
After all, aren’t all marketing tactics pretty much the same?
The answer is a resounding “NO”!
Marketing tactics that work are not about rocket science. They are often very
simple concepts but many online marketers fail to recognize them for the
value they can bring to a business. Focusing on a business that brings high
conversion rates and plenty of sales is a marketer’s dream.
But it will only materialize when marketing tactics are successfully deployed.
First of all, people want to find a solution to a problem. That’s why they’re
searching for a particular product or benefit to begin with. So what do you
have to offer?
Headlines say it all
Headlines pull the prospect in. In the offline world, it is the Yellow Pages
ad, Newspaper or Direct Mail piece. It is the first sentance of a strong
radio or TV commercial. In the online world its your web pages, e-mail
subject line, article or press release title or landing page
Don’t wait to tell them what’s in it for them. Tell them right away with your
headline. Headlines can be one of the most effective marketing tactics you
have to offer. The headline should always include valuable benefits for the
customer. With recent studies indicating that users decide whether or not to
stay or leave a site within 8 seconds or less, well-written headlines are
critical.
Using a headline to grab attention is one of the simplest, yet most effective
marketing tactics available. People have a chance to quickly understand why
they need to read further than the headline. Instead of clicking away from
your site, they’ll be clicking through your information to find out more.
Always follow-up a headline with some other compelling fact or value-added
benefit of the product or service. Keep website visitors moving through your
content by including one bit of important information after another in every
sentence. Don’t use teasers that make them feel they have to keep searching
for what’s important but be up-front and direct about the product’s value and
benefits with each sentence.
Market the benefits and value, not features. The difference is key. The
classic example is a handyman does not buy a drill, per se; he buys the holes
he need for the project
The headline is the best place to start marketing the benefits of the product.
It’s also the best way to attract search engines that are seeking websites
based on keywords used by online users. When the headline includes the words
that potential customers are most likely to search for, the search engines
will reward you by bringing more visitors to your website.
Facts, statistics, and data that substantiate your claims of value are also
important ways to increase the effectiveness of headlines. “48% reduction in
costs with X product….” can be a real attention grabber. Don’t hesitate to
use data to support your benefit claims.
Advanced marketing tactics
Headlines are just the beginning with marketing tactics. There are many more
advanced marketing tactics that can make a substantial difference in
conversion rates and sales. Knowing and integrating advanced marketing
tactics into the overall marketing plan for your website and business can
make a huge difference in your profits.
Evaluate your current marketing tactics and make necessary adjustments by
utilizing advanced tactics to support and grow your business. Time spent
preparing effective marketing goals and strategies, supported with effective
tactics, is time that will result in higher profits and a thriving business.
And always remember - success starts with your headline!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Advanced Marketing Tactics that are Proven Successful
Advanced Marketing Tactics that are Proven Successful
A marketing plan is just as valuable for online business as it is for traditional offline business. An effective and successful marketing plan should contain a list of tactics that will be used to increase traffic to a website, increase conversion rates, and help grow sales. There are beginner and advanced marketing tactics and it is vital to integrate all of them into a successful marketing plan.
Tactics are those methods that are used to achieve a particular short-term goal. They help define and explain how to complete a task successfully to reach a desired outcome. To optimize tactics, you must first have a goal in mind and that means visualizing what success looks like for your business.
Some marketing tactics that have proven effective for online marketers include:
1. Creation of compelling headlines and content to engage site visitors.
2. Scripts that increase sign-ups and subscriptions.
3. Utilization of an auto-responder or other technology to reach out to customers.
4. Use of social media to reach a target audience.
5. Marketing through article sites, ezines, newsletters and other media to reach customers.
6. Inclusion of videos that demonstrate product benefits and value.
7. Blogging to allow people to get to know you better.
8. Asking questions to learn more about what the customer is thinking.
9. Offering solutions to a problem.
Marketing tactics are not secrets that are hidden from the average online marketer. But they are often overlooked and misunderstood by many marketers. Understanding the basic principles behind marketing tactics makes it much easier to effectively deploy them for your business.
One important aspect of online marketing tactics is that they must be simple. When marketing tactics become complex and unwieldy, they no longer work. Tactics should be simple, easy to implement, and easy for customers to understand and follow.
There are basic marketing tactics and there are more advanced tactics for those who take their online business seriously.
For example, advanced tactics related to giving away products or content for free will raise questions in the mind of a customer. If your information is so valuable, why are you willing to give it away? What’s in it for you and how do I get anything out of it? Can I trust you?
This is a very interesting marketing concept. If people are curious about why you are giving something away, what would you expect them to do?
Click away?
Or keep reading?
Customers are likely to keep reading to find out why you are offering valuable free content and in the process they become more engaged and intensely intrigued by what you have to offer.
Not only are you creating interest from your potential customer, but you are building trust with them too. The more facts and information you offer them, the more likely they are to see you as a partner with them and they’ll turn to you for more information and facts. This enables you to create a loyal relationship and gain them as a valuable long-term customer.
You haven’t even sold them anything yet, but you have gained their trust. Sales will certainly follow. Knowing how to deploy this and similar types of advanced marketing tactics will soon put your business on the high road to success. You’ll reap the benefits of accessing advanced marketing tactics by incorporating them into an existing or new marketing plan that envisions the future of your business.
Marketing tactics that work are the secret to online success. Don’t let another day pass by without evaluating and updating your existing tactics and incorporate fresh, proven tactics that will make your sales soar and put you in the winner’s circle.
Friday, April 16, 2010
9 Tactics to Create Strong Customer Relationships
9 Tactics to Create Strong Customer Relationships
There is ONE absolute in the world of marketing. No matter if it is in traditional, web or social media. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for taking care of your customers. Your goal should not be to satisfy your customers, but to AMAZE them. If you do that one thing exceptionally well, every other marketing, sales, or promotional activity will yield efficient and effective results. Offline or Online users are always searching for something of value to them. Whether it’s information, products, or services, they are looking for an answer to a question or a problem. Online marketing tactics are especially important with the increase in competition across the world wide web.
One of the most important aspects of building any business is to create a business that values and appreciates customers and potential customers. This means marketing tactics that build a strong, trusting relationship with customers are important. Building trust starts with the first encounter with your receptionist, greeter and website and continues with every single subsequent interaction.
According to Nobel Prize-winning scientist Daniel Kahneman, we experience approximately 20,000 moments each and every day. A moment is the few seconds it takes for the brain to evaluate and record an experience. These experiences can be either positive or negative and your website, headlines, content, or responses can make a huge difference in how people record the experience – and their reaction also determines what people do next.
When people visit your web site, they quickly scan the headline to see if they want to read more. They continue reading if they are engaged and intrigued and they want to learn more about what you have to say. This is a great place to start building a relationship with customers. Be sure that you say what you have to offer and do not make false promises or you’ll lose customers quickly.
It’s important to build this connection with customers and website visitors to gain their commitment and loyalty. They will also become tremendous assets as their trust grows and they promote and advertise your website to their friends, colleagues, and social network.
Relationship marketing is a valuable marketing tactic for online entrepreneurs. It has been an important part of sales in the off-line world for decades and now it has found its way to the Internet.
But building a relationship online is different than having a face-to-face discussion and opportunity to persuade potential customers to make a purchase.
Some of the most effective tips and methods deployed to begin building a positive relationship include:
1. Make every customer interaction count.
2. Follow-through on commitments and claims about products or services.
3. Offer benefits and product value that responds to the customer’s desires.
4. Treat customers as individuals who are respected and valued.
5. Listen to customers – even complaints can be a gift if handled properly and quickly.
6. Be available and accessible when customers have questions, concerns, or comments.
7. Surround your customers with valuable information by using emails, website content, social media, and other methods of outreach – but do not be invasive.
8. Make your website user-friendly and easy to navigate for new and existing customers.
9. Create a blog about your business where discussion is more casual and inviting.
Relationship-marketing is not just a fad. It’s here to stay and people want to know that they are valued and appreciated as an individual. Creating long-lasting relationships helps to ensure long-lasting customers and repeat sales. It also encourages existing customers to refer their colleagues, friends, and others to your website.
Don’t take a single customer for granted. Each and every interaction with a customer is a gift and should be valued. If it weren’t already a great “life principal”, treating people well and respecting them would be the best thing you could invent to do, to ensure marketing and sales results
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Successful Marketing with Proven Marketing Tactics
Successful Marketing with Proven Marketing Tactics
Offline and Online marketing both are the result of ambition, determination, commitment, and a desire to succeed. It’s also dependent on successful marketing tactics that attract visitors, drive sales, and retain long-term loyal customers. Turbo-marketers are highly focused on advanced marketing tactics that enable them to successfully grow an online business. They are the leaders and winners in the world of online marketing and sales. The worlds of online and offline marketing can be very different, yet both rely on basic, proven strategies and tactics
The good news is that there have been many people who have tried, failed, tried again, failed again, and finally succeeded in identifying the most effective marketing tactics for an online business. Learning from the mistakes and successes of other thriving marketers gives today’s marketers the ability to come out of the gate running -- and with some ambition and hard work, move ahead of the pack to become a leader. You never really want to be re-inventing the wheel, but you can creatively apply proven success techniques to your business
Establish goals
This makes it critical to envision the success of your business and know what you want to accomplish through your marketing tactics. Goals lead to strategies and then to tactics.
Before you take the first step on your online journey to successful entrepreneurship, establish your goals and objectives. Plant them firmly in your mind and envision yourself succeeding. Starting with a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude is the best way to start any business or venture. Once you have your goals for success implanted in your mind, it’s time to get started on the journey of a lifetime
Take action
One of the first rules of online marketing is to take action.
The web is a dynamic, rapidly-growing medium where businesses are created every day. If you sit and think about what you are going to do every day and never take action, you will never get where you want to go. Marketing tactics are useless unless you take action and execute them.
This takes us to the next critical point of online marketing. You must know and understand where you want to go before you begin your journey. Without a clear understanding of where you want to go, how do you know what you need to do? How do you create tactics and take action?
Define your business
Starting your online business means understanding what your business is all about. What is it you want to accomplish? What do you need to do to reach your goals? What marketing tactics will help you succeed?
Success is heavily dependent on your ability to dissect and understand your business. You must be the expert in your niche and you must carefully evaluate what your customers want. Once you identify what they want, it is essential to determine how you can deliver those results for customers.
Basic marketing tactics
Now that you have your business firmly outlined and clarified, deploying basic tactics is next on the list. And that starts with knowing how to market what you have to offer. Basic marketing tactics include:
1. Creating a ‘brand’ or identity around your product
2. Creating a simple marketing message
3. Establishing a credible website
4. Creating a presence as an expert in a niche
5. Defining the benefits or value of what you have to offer
6. Deploying search engine optimization techniques (SEO) to attract and drive traffic
These are some of the early, basic marketing tactics that must be mastered. As your marketing plan unfolds, integration of more advanced marketing tactics will enhance your online presence and position. They will also further the growth of your business through the use of proven techniques that create a unique value proposition for the targeted audience.
Build your business step-by-step and do your homework to evaluate the most effective marketing tactics available. Learn from other successful marketers and save yourself weeks, months, and years of effort by taking advantage of proven techniques whenever possible.
The sooner you know where you want to go, the sooner you will arrive.Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
What's funny in and ad
What’s funny in an ad?
Humor in advertising is not easily subjected to scientific analysis. But researchers Yih Hwai Lee and Elison Ai Ching Lim reported in the Journal of Advertising (Summer, 2008) that there are, in fact, some aspects of humorous advertising that can be tested. They studied what they termed "incongruity-resolution" (e.g., Geico’s cavemen in a restaurant ad) and arousal-safety humor (e.g., Big Foot threatening tourists for beer in a national park ad). These forms of humor create an ambiguous situation that creates a certain amount of viewer discomfort that needs a resolution for the ads to be funny and favorably received. Ambiguity creates discomfort that requires resolution to be funny. Viewers in more "group-oriented cultures" responded most favorably to this resolution.
Humor in advertising is not easily subjected to scientific analysis. But researchers Yih Hwai Lee and Elison Ai Ching Lim reported in the Journal of Advertising (Summer, 2008) that there are, in fact, some aspects of humorous advertising that can be tested. They studied what they termed "incongruity-resolution" (e.g., Geico’s cavemen in a restaurant ad) and arousal-safety humor (e.g., Big Foot threatening tourists for beer in a national park ad). These forms of humor create an ambiguous situation that creates a certain amount of viewer discomfort that needs a resolution for the ads to be funny and favorably received. Ambiguity creates discomfort that requires resolution to be funny. Viewers in more "group-oriented cultures" responded most favorably to this resolution.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
More Great Info here from MSU!
With their permission, I will be using excerpts from "Putting Research to Work at Michigan State University"
Where faculty members at Michigan State University help make academic research as relevant as possible for practitioners
Effective Magazine Ads To Be Seen, Not Read
Computer graphic design software and the increasing popularity of the Internet have had a dramatic effect on magazine layout style since 1990. A content analysis of magazine ads spanning the period from 1969 to 2002 shows that a highly visual "brand block" replaced the previously dominant "picture window" style in ads that had been copy tested by Starch and Gallup & Robinson research firms. Edward F. McQuarrie and Barbara J. Phillips report in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of Advertising that changes in consumer lifestyles, the competitive media landscape, and the availability of numerous choices in product categories has resulted in the consumer no longer seeking out and reading entire magazine ads for brand information. Researchers say since consumers now have very little time to stop and read magazine ads, ad styles have changed to reflect that reality and most readers merely glance at an ad. Designers should take note of this trend and realize that magazine ads have become brand identity vehicles and are no longer the brand information sources they once were.
Redesign TV Ads To Beat The Digital Video Recorder
Clients planning to cut their television ad budgets because of the increasing use of DVR's should think twice. A 2004 survey showed 75% of large national advertisers cited DVR usage as a major reason to cut TV ads. But wait, findings that defy conventional wisdom from researchers S. Adam Brasel and James Gips published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Marketing, show heavy central branding in fast-forwarded ads can actually boost brand visibility. Designing an ad with the brand front and center can increase brand recognition. Research subjects zipping through ads in the study also chose products featured in centrally branded ads more than two-to-one compared to products in ads with more limited branding.
In Advertising -- Standing out may be better than fitting in
A standard operating procedure in the ad business has been to develop treatments made to “fit in” with the editorial or entertainment environment of the media carrying your message. But new research by Micael Dalhe, published in the Journal of Advertising, Fall 2008 may cause us to rethink ad placements in some cases. Research shows some ads just may have a better chance of being noticed if they stand out from the content of the media, rather than fit in. We expect to see car ads in magazines with content aimed at auto enthusiasts, but a stylish car ad might move more style-conscious car buyers if it’s placed in a fashion magazine. Ads that stand out from other content may be better remembered, better liked, and more capable of producing stronger brand associations. Advertisers should consider testing this approach by identifying a clear segment within your target market that connects to a message carrier or media not normally associated with the product you are selling. Not fitting in is what it might take for your ad to stand out.
thousands of executives within the nation’s top advertising agencies and public relations firms, courtesy of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing at Michigan State University. We invite you to submit comments and feedback to Bruce Vanden Bergh at DrV@msu.edu.
Contributors: Richard Cole, Robert Kolt, Alexandra Przybyla and Bruce Vanden Bergh
Where faculty members at Michigan State University help make academic research as relevant as possible for practitioners
Effective Magazine Ads To Be Seen, Not Read
Computer graphic design software and the increasing popularity of the Internet have had a dramatic effect on magazine layout style since 1990. A content analysis of magazine ads spanning the period from 1969 to 2002 shows that a highly visual "brand block" replaced the previously dominant "picture window" style in ads that had been copy tested by Starch and Gallup & Robinson research firms. Edward F. McQuarrie and Barbara J. Phillips report in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of Advertising that changes in consumer lifestyles, the competitive media landscape, and the availability of numerous choices in product categories has resulted in the consumer no longer seeking out and reading entire magazine ads for brand information. Researchers say since consumers now have very little time to stop and read magazine ads, ad styles have changed to reflect that reality and most readers merely glance at an ad. Designers should take note of this trend and realize that magazine ads have become brand identity vehicles and are no longer the brand information sources they once were.
Redesign TV Ads To Beat The Digital Video Recorder
Clients planning to cut their television ad budgets because of the increasing use of DVR's should think twice. A 2004 survey showed 75% of large national advertisers cited DVR usage as a major reason to cut TV ads. But wait, findings that defy conventional wisdom from researchers S. Adam Brasel and James Gips published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Marketing, show heavy central branding in fast-forwarded ads can actually boost brand visibility. Designing an ad with the brand front and center can increase brand recognition. Research subjects zipping through ads in the study also chose products featured in centrally branded ads more than two-to-one compared to products in ads with more limited branding.
In Advertising -- Standing out may be better than fitting in
A standard operating procedure in the ad business has been to develop treatments made to “fit in” with the editorial or entertainment environment of the media carrying your message. But new research by Micael Dalhe, published in the Journal of Advertising, Fall 2008 may cause us to rethink ad placements in some cases. Research shows some ads just may have a better chance of being noticed if they stand out from the content of the media, rather than fit in. We expect to see car ads in magazines with content aimed at auto enthusiasts, but a stylish car ad might move more style-conscious car buyers if it’s placed in a fashion magazine. Ads that stand out from other content may be better remembered, better liked, and more capable of producing stronger brand associations. Advertisers should consider testing this approach by identifying a clear segment within your target market that connects to a message carrier or media not normally associated with the product you are selling. Not fitting in is what it might take for your ad to stand out.
thousands of executives within the nation’s top advertising agencies and public relations firms, courtesy of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing at Michigan State University. We invite you to submit comments and feedback to Bruce Vanden Bergh at DrV@msu.edu.
Contributors: Richard Cole, Robert Kolt, Alexandra Przybyla and Bruce Vanden Bergh
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Not Your Father's Phone Book
Interesting article from Entrepreneur Magazine via Yahoo-Finance...reminds me of the old, famous Mark Twain line "..the rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated"
Not Your Father's Phone Book
entrepreneur magazine
Hayli Morrison, On Tuesday February 16, 2010, 3:00 am EST
Ask any Yellow Pages industry veteran and they'll tell you print advertising is not dead--despite widespread media reports to the contrary in recent years. While the latest industry statistics do show a slight decrease in use, one thing is certain--the times, they are a-changing for the Yellow Pages. With options like service guarantees, trade exchanges, direct mail and coupons-by-text, a Yellow Pages ad campaign is now more complicated--and comprehensive--than ever before.
The high-tech changes came about partially out of necessity, admits Bob Mueller, executive director of business operations forAT&T Advertising Solutions.
"There's definitely a transition going on in the marketplace and in local search," he says. "The print usage of Yellow Pages has declined, but only slightly. Not as much as some people would think, but there's no doubt that consumers are going to [more varied] platforms for their local business search information. Local search is not a zero sum game. For an advertiser to have access to all those places the eyeballs are going, they need to have a presence in each of those places."
Small Towns, Service Industries and Ready-to-Buy Consumers
Yellow Pages directories still have strong holds in industries where consumers often make "ready-to-buy" decisions. In fact, the top 10 most searched categories of the print Yellow Pages include restaurants, pizza, physicians and surgeons, auto parts and repair, attorneys and plumbing contractors.
"It's the true local, local buying decision resource," says Ken Clark, publisher of industry newsletterYP Talk. "Right now, I don't think the internet's there, as far as being the 'when I'm ready to buy' solution. Besides, when you get into tier two and tier three markets with smaller towns, you may not even get a mobile signal so print Yellow Pages is still an ingrained way of life."
The top 50 most used Yellow Pages categories are heavily weighted among service-oriented businesses where consumers are likely making instantaneous buying decisions--everything from roofing and HVAC to pest control, pet grooming and child care. However, about 20 percent of the top listings are retail businesses like grocers, lumber yards and sporting goods stores.
The Impact of the Internet
According to research conducted by the Yellow Pages Association over the past three years, usage numbers hovered around 13 billion looks for print Yellow Pages and 4 billion looks for online yellow page sites.
"A decade ago, that number might have been 18 billion [for print yellow pages]," says Scott W. Klein, CEO of Verizon Yellow Pages publisher SuperMedia. Klein adds that a Yellow Pages ad still provides a tremendous 65-to-1 average return on investment. "One of the great challenges is traditional press has been clobbered by the shift to digital, so they make the assumption that the same thing is happening to print Yellow Pages, but nothing could be further from the truth," he says.
"That doesn't mean the internet is not important or steadily growing, but if somebody were to spend all their ad dollars online, depending on the market, they would be missing a huge percentage of potential customers out there."
However, it is widely acknowledged that in heavily wired major metropolitan areas like New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, digital advertising is key.
"[Print] Yellow Pages usage has declined more there than in other markets around the country," Klein says. "But, in New York in 2008, two-thirds of advertisers saw greater returns than they did in 2007."
According to Klein, one possible explanation for the increase on returns is that as more advertisers leave the Yellow Pages, all the more calls are to be had by those who stay in.
The Yellow Pages Diversifies
While steadily maintaining that printed Yellow Pages still have a place, the industry is nonetheless shifting toward a more broad range of advertising capabilities. These days, a business owner is just as likely to discuss print ads with a Yellow Pages rep as search engine optimization, customized video commercials for the web, mobile messaging campaigns and direct mail options.
"The larger Yellow Pages publishing community is going to try to help its customers find leads in whatever medium. Yellow Pages publishers have never been technology inventors, [but] they have been technology facilitators," Clark says. "They didn't invent how to put color on a page. A printer did; but the Yellow Pages industry went with it. The same thing is going to happen on the internet.
"If you look at Google and Yahoo--and I don't know that they'd be very vocal about saying this on the record--the places where they're getting a lot of their local content is from print Yellow Pages [salespeople] because these guys can go [to business owners] and say, 'Let's take a look at your complete plan.'"
Some of the latest offerings from the yellow pages include:
* Direct mail: Most Yellow Pages publishers now offer a standard postcard-sized mailing, typically designed online and included as part of a package Yellow Pages ad deal. "There are some times when the ad in the book and the ad in the mail are identical, but more often than not there's a greater call to action in the mail," Klein says.
* Pay per click and pay per call: This a la carte setup lets customers pay for results only, typically pertaining to internet ads.
* ATT411: With thisAT&Tprogram, ifcustomers want information about a company's deals and couponsthey can opt in to a text message marketing list by texting apass phrase toATT411. The pass phrase can usually be found in the company's Yellow Pages print or online ad.
* SuperGuarantee and SuperTradeExchange:SuperMedia offers an incentive to businesses with a qualifying SuperMedia advertisement in the Verizon Yellow PagesandSuperpages.com; a "SuperGuarantee" on all work performed by service contractors in certain sectors. If needed,SuperMedia will even arrange for the problem to be fixed--either by the same contractor, or a different contractor--or will issue a check to the customer for up to $500.
The SuperTradeExchange, on the other hand, is an optional membership network forSuperMedia advertisers to earn and spend "SuperBucks" currency by offering and procuring in-network goods and services. "If you're a dentist who needs brochures printed or you're a restaurateur who needs a travel agent for a vacation, you can trade services," Klein says.
* Call tracking numbers: These unique phone numbers assigned to an ad help advertisers know exactly how many calls each ad is producing. The numbers are becoming more common, often paid for in part or whole by the Yellow Pages publisher. The phone company provides monthly data on call times and call duration and in some cases, calls can be recorded so advertisers know how their employees handled them.
Managing a Yellow PagesAd Campaign
How do you create and maintain an effective Yellow Pages ad campaign? Get in touch withaYellow Pages salesconsultant.
Consultants will help design an effective ad, complete with what's known in the industry as the RASCIL factors:
* Reliability--The ad should provide details about the business owner's years of experience, company size, licenses and awards.
* Authorized--Advertisers should include any logos, trademarks and brand names they're authorized to use--this can even help advertisers get co-op dollars as a result. For instance, HVAC service professionals might include the logo from their preferred HVAC manufacturer in exchange for the manufacturer's agreement to partially reimburse the ad cost.
* Safety--Earn consumer confidence with copy about licensing, bonding, guarantees, professionalism, etc.
* Completeness of information--A great ad shares the entire scope of services; from whether credit cards are accepted, to parking availability, areas served and so on. A catchy headline will also convey information while drawing attention. For instance, "Freshest flowers in town" is more noticeable and informative than "Jo's Floral Shop."
* Illustrations--Quality, eye-catching artwork or photos will help attract consumers to the ad.
* Location--Yellow Pages ads should clearly state the business address or give directions, sometimes even with a small map in the ad.
Ask customers how they found your business and consider using call tracking numbers in Yellow Pages advertising. The extra cost and effort is small to ensure maximum efficiency of advertising dollars.
Keep good records. As with any other aspect of business management, good records-keeping is vital to a Yellow Pages advertising campaign. This is important because business owners have long dealt with various mail and e-mail scams and the Yellow Pages industry is just as susceptible to these scams as any other industry.
That famous walking fingers logo we all recognize is not trademarked and is still used by some legitimate Yellow Pages publishers. Unfortunately, scam artists also use the logo to legitimize the appearance of fraudulent Yellow Pages advertising bills. If business owners keep thorough advertising records, they can compare imposters against a real bill. It also helps to read the invoice's fine print, call related phone numbers before issuing payment and give the person writing checks full access to company records for side-by-side comparisons, according to Clark.
If a business owner receives a fraudulent bill, hang onto it. That scam's classified as mail fraud and should be reported to the Better Business Bureau or even the state attorney general.
"This has been going on as long as the Yellow Pages have been published," Clark says. "It's not unlike anything you'd experience with an online 'phishing' scam."
While some things may never change, there are plenty of transformations in store for the Yellow Pages industry as it adapts to a high-tech world offering more consumer choice.
Not Your Father's Phone Book
entrepreneur magazine
Hayli Morrison, On Tuesday February 16, 2010, 3:00 am EST
Ask any Yellow Pages industry veteran and they'll tell you print advertising is not dead--despite widespread media reports to the contrary in recent years. While the latest industry statistics do show a slight decrease in use, one thing is certain--the times, they are a-changing for the Yellow Pages. With options like service guarantees, trade exchanges, direct mail and coupons-by-text, a Yellow Pages ad campaign is now more complicated--and comprehensive--than ever before.
The high-tech changes came about partially out of necessity, admits Bob Mueller, executive director of business operations forAT&T Advertising Solutions.
"There's definitely a transition going on in the marketplace and in local search," he says. "The print usage of Yellow Pages has declined, but only slightly. Not as much as some people would think, but there's no doubt that consumers are going to [more varied] platforms for their local business search information. Local search is not a zero sum game. For an advertiser to have access to all those places the eyeballs are going, they need to have a presence in each of those places."
Small Towns, Service Industries and Ready-to-Buy Consumers
Yellow Pages directories still have strong holds in industries where consumers often make "ready-to-buy" decisions. In fact, the top 10 most searched categories of the print Yellow Pages include restaurants, pizza, physicians and surgeons, auto parts and repair, attorneys and plumbing contractors.
"It's the true local, local buying decision resource," says Ken Clark, publisher of industry newsletterYP Talk. "Right now, I don't think the internet's there, as far as being the 'when I'm ready to buy' solution. Besides, when you get into tier two and tier three markets with smaller towns, you may not even get a mobile signal so print Yellow Pages is still an ingrained way of life."
The top 50 most used Yellow Pages categories are heavily weighted among service-oriented businesses where consumers are likely making instantaneous buying decisions--everything from roofing and HVAC to pest control, pet grooming and child care. However, about 20 percent of the top listings are retail businesses like grocers, lumber yards and sporting goods stores.
The Impact of the Internet
According to research conducted by the Yellow Pages Association over the past three years, usage numbers hovered around 13 billion looks for print Yellow Pages and 4 billion looks for online yellow page sites.
"A decade ago, that number might have been 18 billion [for print yellow pages]," says Scott W. Klein, CEO of Verizon Yellow Pages publisher SuperMedia. Klein adds that a Yellow Pages ad still provides a tremendous 65-to-1 average return on investment. "One of the great challenges is traditional press has been clobbered by the shift to digital, so they make the assumption that the same thing is happening to print Yellow Pages, but nothing could be further from the truth," he says.
"That doesn't mean the internet is not important or steadily growing, but if somebody were to spend all their ad dollars online, depending on the market, they would be missing a huge percentage of potential customers out there."
However, it is widely acknowledged that in heavily wired major metropolitan areas like New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, digital advertising is key.
"[Print] Yellow Pages usage has declined more there than in other markets around the country," Klein says. "But, in New York in 2008, two-thirds of advertisers saw greater returns than they did in 2007."
According to Klein, one possible explanation for the increase on returns is that as more advertisers leave the Yellow Pages, all the more calls are to be had by those who stay in.
The Yellow Pages Diversifies
While steadily maintaining that printed Yellow Pages still have a place, the industry is nonetheless shifting toward a more broad range of advertising capabilities. These days, a business owner is just as likely to discuss print ads with a Yellow Pages rep as search engine optimization, customized video commercials for the web, mobile messaging campaigns and direct mail options.
"The larger Yellow Pages publishing community is going to try to help its customers find leads in whatever medium. Yellow Pages publishers have never been technology inventors, [but] they have been technology facilitators," Clark says. "They didn't invent how to put color on a page. A printer did; but the Yellow Pages industry went with it. The same thing is going to happen on the internet.
"If you look at Google and Yahoo--and I don't know that they'd be very vocal about saying this on the record--the places where they're getting a lot of their local content is from print Yellow Pages [salespeople] because these guys can go [to business owners] and say, 'Let's take a look at your complete plan.'"
Some of the latest offerings from the yellow pages include:
* Direct mail: Most Yellow Pages publishers now offer a standard postcard-sized mailing, typically designed online and included as part of a package Yellow Pages ad deal. "There are some times when the ad in the book and the ad in the mail are identical, but more often than not there's a greater call to action in the mail," Klein says.
* Pay per click and pay per call: This a la carte setup lets customers pay for results only, typically pertaining to internet ads.
* ATT411: With thisAT&Tprogram, ifcustomers want information about a company's deals and couponsthey can opt in to a text message marketing list by texting apass phrase toATT411. The pass phrase can usually be found in the company's Yellow Pages print or online ad.
* SuperGuarantee and SuperTradeExchange:SuperMedia offers an incentive to businesses with a qualifying SuperMedia advertisement in the Verizon Yellow PagesandSuperpages.com; a "SuperGuarantee" on all work performed by service contractors in certain sectors. If needed,SuperMedia will even arrange for the problem to be fixed--either by the same contractor, or a different contractor--or will issue a check to the customer for up to $500.
The SuperTradeExchange, on the other hand, is an optional membership network forSuperMedia advertisers to earn and spend "SuperBucks" currency by offering and procuring in-network goods and services. "If you're a dentist who needs brochures printed or you're a restaurateur who needs a travel agent for a vacation, you can trade services," Klein says.
* Call tracking numbers: These unique phone numbers assigned to an ad help advertisers know exactly how many calls each ad is producing. The numbers are becoming more common, often paid for in part or whole by the Yellow Pages publisher. The phone company provides monthly data on call times and call duration and in some cases, calls can be recorded so advertisers know how their employees handled them.
Managing a Yellow PagesAd Campaign
How do you create and maintain an effective Yellow Pages ad campaign? Get in touch withaYellow Pages salesconsultant.
Consultants will help design an effective ad, complete with what's known in the industry as the RASCIL factors:
* Reliability--The ad should provide details about the business owner's years of experience, company size, licenses and awards.
* Authorized--Advertisers should include any logos, trademarks and brand names they're authorized to use--this can even help advertisers get co-op dollars as a result. For instance, HVAC service professionals might include the logo from their preferred HVAC manufacturer in exchange for the manufacturer's agreement to partially reimburse the ad cost.
* Safety--Earn consumer confidence with copy about licensing, bonding, guarantees, professionalism, etc.
* Completeness of information--A great ad shares the entire scope of services; from whether credit cards are accepted, to parking availability, areas served and so on. A catchy headline will also convey information while drawing attention. For instance, "Freshest flowers in town" is more noticeable and informative than "Jo's Floral Shop."
* Illustrations--Quality, eye-catching artwork or photos will help attract consumers to the ad.
* Location--Yellow Pages ads should clearly state the business address or give directions, sometimes even with a small map in the ad.
Ask customers how they found your business and consider using call tracking numbers in Yellow Pages advertising. The extra cost and effort is small to ensure maximum efficiency of advertising dollars.
Keep good records. As with any other aspect of business management, good records-keeping is vital to a Yellow Pages advertising campaign. This is important because business owners have long dealt with various mail and e-mail scams and the Yellow Pages industry is just as susceptible to these scams as any other industry.
That famous walking fingers logo we all recognize is not trademarked and is still used by some legitimate Yellow Pages publishers. Unfortunately, scam artists also use the logo to legitimize the appearance of fraudulent Yellow Pages advertising bills. If business owners keep thorough advertising records, they can compare imposters against a real bill. It also helps to read the invoice's fine print, call related phone numbers before issuing payment and give the person writing checks full access to company records for side-by-side comparisons, according to Clark.
If a business owner receives a fraudulent bill, hang onto it. That scam's classified as mail fraud and should be reported to the Better Business Bureau or even the state attorney general.
"This has been going on as long as the Yellow Pages have been published," Clark says. "It's not unlike anything you'd experience with an online 'phishing' scam."
While some things may never change, there are plenty of transformations in store for the Yellow Pages industry as it adapts to a high-tech world offering more consumer choice.
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