Directory advertising in White and Yellow Pages
/In November last year Marketing Magazine Australia published an article entitled "The death of print: the final days of the phone book" observing that the White and Yellow Pages directories published by Sensis "look likely to go with way of the rotary dial phone" and that "Sensis needs to prepare for the inevitable"". We're not advocates for spending money on advertising in the White and Yellow Pages. When we asked around the office "when was the last time you looked in an actual White or Yellow Pages?" the response in every instance was a variation of "so long ago that I can't remember".
Just last month research company CoreData revealed that 58% of respondents would stop having the Yellow Pages delivered if given the choice, with most respondents of the opinion that online business directories were more up-to-date and accurate.
We totally agree - the Google Local Business Directory is the new Yellow Pages, and not being in it will soon be the equivalent of not being in the 20th-century Yellow Pages. (Click here for an example Local Business Directory listing.) The arrival of smartphones like the Apple iPhone will only push this transition faster - you can't beat the convenience and functionality of having a business directory in your pocket that not only gives you a target company's contact details, but also shows you a map of how to get there, an estimate of how long it will take, and updates your position relative to your destination in real time via GPS.
We ensure all our clients' details are current, updated, and tagged for searching in the Google Local Business Directory. If you want to know more about how this works, just give us a call on (08) 7127 0435 or email us at info@chillichocolatemarketing.com.
In the last newsletter we touched on the issue of Search-Engine Optimisation in the article "SEO and why you need it". We believe it's more cost-effective and better for business for a company like Arrunga Surface Solutions to be presented when a potential customer searches for "polished concrete floors Adelaide", or for a company like Homeplus Improvements to be presented when a potential customer searches for "room extensions Adelaide", than to spend tens of thousands of dollars on advertising with Sensis. Making sure that our clients are well-placed in online search results is part of our service to them.
If you're a Chilli Chocolate Marketing client you probably already know this, because we talk to all our clients about how to get the best return on their advertising spend. Sadly, it also appears that Sensis's ever-more-pushy sales representatives know this too. Twice recently we have been called by puzzled clients with tales like this: "We just got a phone call from a guy at Sensis trying to get us to spend (insert five-figure sum here) on directory advertising, and he told us that Sensis was working with Chilli Chocolate Marketing and doing lots of things for your other clients? That doesn't sound right?"
No, it doesn't sound right. Because it's not true. It probably says more about Sensis and its prospects than any market research ever could.
Not happy, Jan.
So, if you get a call from Sensis our opinion is that you should just hang up. Take a free listing if you want, sure, no problem - but we certainly don't think you should spend any money, and certainly don't believe them if they say they're working with Chilli Chocolate Marketing.
--Simon