Yet, Yellow Page directory use is declining, while expanding segments of the public don't rely on them at all. Yellow Page advertising costs keep going up, and the complicated pricing structure is difficult to figure out.



Worse yet, having a Yellow Page ad doesn't deliver like it used to. People can find most of the information they want without ever opening a directory. Your business needs its Yellow Page strategy to be in tune with the times and your market.



Like most business owners, you must squeeze maximum value from every promotional dollar spent. That requires you to move beyond treating a Yellow Page ad uggs black friday like it's a separate, standalone way to promote your business. It's not. Your Yellow Page advertising needs to work in tandem with all the rest of the efforts you pursue.



The Internet Expands Your Arena



Every business needs to put itself in front of the people looking for what it does and that's not just through the Yellow Pages any longer. An increasing percentage of customers, who spend their money close to home, are Internet savvy. There's a major overlap between Yellow Page directory users and Internet users. That fact supports integrating your local and Internet promotional methods so they black friday uggs attract more new customers.



Yellow Page users are likely to be Internet users as well. And a business that ignores online activities entirely may have a tough time getting access to or credibility with those customers. It is possible to make online and traditional (offline) methods to attract customers work in tandem improving the effectiveness of each alone. So it's no longer an eitheror, allornone choice whether to promote the business online or off.



People who subscribe to online services consult the Yellow Pages 23% more often than nonsubscribers.



Frequent Yellow Page Users are:



18% more likely than average to be Internet subscribers32% more likely to be among the heaviest Internet users18% more likely to make purchases on the Internet27% more likely to spend more than $1,000 on Internet purchasesCustomer Behavior is Changing



More and more, people are going to the Internet to find, learn about, or select products and services. Even local ones. That doesn't mean that they will buy online, however. People still prefer to spend their money locally when they can. But, even the smallest business can do a better job of being found by those who prefer to use both the Internet and the Yellow Page directory to make their buying decisions. And, it can be done very inexpensively, too.



Even a 100% local business can pull in more business by getting its lowtech and hightech advertising to mesh. As you broaden your visibility to buyers, your business will be found more often by the very people you've been looking for.



What Else has Changed?



Buyers are less trusting and more willing to shop aroundCustomers have more options and ways to find what they wantAvailability of Internet Yellow PagesAging population uses the Yellow Pages differently than young peopleDevelopment of unique niches and specialtiesMore choices for a "better deal"More directories competing in a geographic areaMore immigrants, or those from other cultures, accustomed to Yellow Page useArea code proliferation fragments citiesLarger cities have multiple directories, rather than one large oneDevelopment of specialized directories like ethnic, nonEnglish, women, minority, business to business



Become Visible Online With or Without Your Own Web Site



If your business already has a Web site, treat it as a way to expand the reach of your Yellow Page ad and traditional marketing activities. Jettison the expectation that it should make sales few do so. But an informationpacked Web site can support your traditional marketing methods very well.



Even without your own Web site, your small business can establish an online identity that helps buyers to find you.



Get listed in a variety of Internet Yellow Page (IYP) directoriesSend emails to your "regulars" with special offers and useful informationPosition yourself for Local Search a method whereby customers use search engines to locate local businesses by town, state, region, zip code, etc.



Expand the exposure of your business beyond your Yellow Page ad through a Yellow Page strategy that reaches the whole globe. Your operation, whatever its size, will gain more credibility and traffic locally when it puts itself in the bigger picture.