Survey Shows that Yellow Pages Advertising is Highly Ineffective when Compared to Online Advertising
BY Leap Clixx
In a recent survey by St. Louis online marketing firm Leap Clixx, 90% of respondents claimed to use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to find the products or services they were looking for, while only 3% admitted to using the print Yellow Pages and YP.com.
With the recent sale of Yellow Pages by AT&T, a lot of marketers assumed that print advertising, especially in the form of a 5-pound book dropped off at your doorstop, was dead. St. Louis online marketing firm Leap Clixx set out to survey the local market, since this was where the Yellow Pages business unit was based. Online search engines have dominated print directories for years now, but what would the general perception of the Yellow Pages be in the city that headquartered the recently sold subsidiary?
In a recent survey by Leap Clixx, a whopping 90% of respondents felt that advertising in the Yellow Pages was ineffective. When asked, “On average, how often do you use the print version of the Yellow Pages,” only 3% admitted to using it everyday, while 67% answered “Never.” This data, combined with the sale of this former cash cow should be enough evidence to convince most business owners to shift a significant portion of their advertising spend away from print advertising.
Another question asked, “Where do you search for products and services you’re looking for?” A staggering 90% of the people surveyed responded that they use Google, Bing, or Yahoo. This is a frightening statistic since an estimated 64% of small businesses in Missouri do not have a website! When businesses cannot be found online, they are missing out on a crucial point in the buying cycle – when the consumer is actively searching for what the business offers.
When asked, “How often do you use a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo to search for products and services,” more than 90% replied “Daily.” Billions of searches are being conducted on Google alone each month. Combine this with the millions of consumers on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and it’s obvious that every single business is going to need an online marketing strategy very soon.
So, what exactly does everyone do with his or her Yellow Pages phone book? Nearly 97% of those questioned admitted to throwing it away, recycling it, or using it as a doorstop! “Businesses here in St. Louis that are not shifting a significant allocation of their advertising dollars to online marketing should be prepared to see their competition blow right past them“ said Chans Weber, CEO and co-founder of Leap Clixx. Seattle and San Francisco are leading the way for the rest of the United States by banning Yellow Pages in their cities. Distribution of the Yellow Pages in San Francisco was creating nearly 7 million pounds of waste annually.
The final question of the survey asked “When searching online, what search results do you typically click on?” 97% answered, “Results on the top half of the first page,” signifying the importance of a properly optimized website. “There is no point in having a website that your customers cannot find with Google. It’s like buying a neon open sign for the front window of your business and never turning it on,” stated Weber.
St. Louis online marketing company Leap Clixx specializes in helping businesses transition from print advertising to more modern marketing solutions. They offer fusion packages that are designed specifically for small businesses that realize the importance of an online marketing plan but don’t know where to start. For more information about Leap Clixx’s fusion packages, visit http://leapclixx.com/online-marketing-services/local-seo-st-louis/. For more information about Leap Clixx’s full range of online marketing solutions, visit http://leapclixx.com/.
About Leap Clixx:
Leap Clixx is an innovative marketing company based in St. Louis that helps small and medium sized companies grow their business through online marketing. Leap Clixx develops, implements, and tracks Internet marketing campaigns for businesses with a focus on localized search engine optimization, Google Adwords management, and social media marketing. Leap Clixx’s fusion packages bundle everything a small business needs to compete in today’s digital age.