A new set of leads just arrived at my doorstep and probably did at yours

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Hi Warriors,

The new Yellow Pages (I'm in Cincinnati) was just delivered this week. I've used Yellow Pages for years to prospect and it's worked well to ID companies who are already shelling out a lot of money for advertising and I've always landed new accounts by marketing directly to them.

Compared to last year's directory, there are 15% fewer pages. 1212 pages last year and 1031 this year - a significant decline. I know from experience with business owners, a lot of them just renew out of habit or pressure from a YP sales rep telling them how much business they'll lose. Since most don't track the source of their phone calls, they go ahead and renew.

Whatever your method of marketing, the businesses that have display ads are spending money to generate business, which increases the likelihood of them spending money with us.

Personally, I'm selecting niches and identifying companies with ads. I get the contact information from the site and send an email. I've got a couple different new emails I'm testing to see which pulls better. I also use the phone to contact them.

I keep a YP in my car so if I'm out and about on calls, I can stop in and ask the owner if they're happy with the return on their ads. Talk about a loaded question!!! Most are not and many open up and share marketing frustrations. So the YP serve as a great doorstop and a door opener

Anyway, I've always thought of the Yellow Pages as a goldmine for my marketing services because they show me who is willing to spend the bucks on marketing. If they'll spend it on one media, they're more likely to spend it on another one as well.

A lot of marketers use the YP for prospecting so jumping on the new issue as soon as it comes out is a good move for aggressive offliners.

If you're looking for leads, look on your doorstep!
#offline marketing #arrived #doorstep #leads #set #yellow pages
  • The yellow pages are kind of like the Titanic, very big and slow to change course.

    Established businesses have been using them for decades so going away from them is very foreign. However, as you noted in the decreasing number of pages, they are losing business, just as the newspaper is. They won't go away for quite sometime. Thankfully they are still useful to some people!
    • [1] reply
    • Good idea. Lots of prospects!

      Certainly less people are looking in the YP. But even when consumers were using it more, most advertisers didn't take advantage of their opportunity.

      Most ads are too passive and don't employ proven direct response techniques to help make the phone ring and get customers in the door.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply

  • In my area most of the cell phone stores (verizon etc.) have a rack of them you can take for free.

    If they don't have them call the phone company or ask around. We usually have 3 or 4 sitting around.

    DTaylor
  • Like your idea, Yell who own the yellow pages in the UK are now offering web design, seo and video production. They must know there in a dying business
    • [1] reply
    • They offer that on this side of the pond also.

      Thing is their sites aren't well done and their videos are even worse *but* businesses are paying good money for their services.

      There's absolutely no reason why "we" as offline consultants can't tap into that.

      After all we'd do a much better job and produce better results.
  • businesses have been using them for decades now trust me
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