For decades, there was always one source you could depend on for finding local businesses in a hurry: the Yellow Pages. Just like clockwork, every year, that thick yellow book would get flopped on your front door step, and you’d have immediate access to businesses all around you.
Welp. Things change.
The days of the Yellow-Page-dominated world are ending. With the rise of the internet, there is no longer a need for a heavy printed book. You can get immediate access to business information with just a few keystrokes thanks to the internet – in fact, you don’t even have to involve a computer. You can use your mobile phone and find the local Thai place instantly, and a smartphone can even connect the call for you with a couple of extra taps.
And the numbers don’t lie: 80 percent of consumers use the internet to search for local businesses.
So why are you still advertising with the Yellow Pages?
If you already have an agreement in place with the Yellow Pages, it can be hard to break away. After running a monopoly on business ads for so many years, the Yellow Pages have developed an army of salesmen who don’t want to make it easy for you to leave. They might try to entice you with some fancy in-house analytics or special offers, but the truth is, their piece of the pie is shrinking rapidly.
Because bottom line: the Yellow Pages need you a lot more than you need them. In the age of the internet, what use do you have for a print or even online directory? All that does is put another step between your potential customer and you.
The real key to marketing in the internet age is SEO (search engine optimization) and engaging content. Your potential customer won’t be going to a directory to look for your business; they’ll be going straight to the omniscient oracle of the internet: Google.
If you really want to be successful in the internet age, you need to focus on inbound marketing techniques. Inbound marketing is all about drawing the customer to you; allowing them to find you easily, without the need for a middleman. You need to write blogs with keywords relevant to your field, integrate social media on your website and provide content offers to drive leads.
All of these techniques are staples of a solid inbound marketing strategy. If you want to know more about how you can drive traffic to your website without the need for Yellow Pages.
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