In the era of digital marketing, how do the Yellow Pages stack up? Are Yellow Page ads still a good investment? For small businesses, one of the most dreaded marketing decisions they have to make is whether or not to use printed Yellow Page ads as part of their marketing plan and budget. This is a tough decision because
- You have to commit for a full year
- Yellow Pages ads are expensive, and
- It’s difficult to track the leads you’ve generated from the Yellow Pages, so you lack good data to inform your decision.
Why Yellow Page Ads No Longer Work
The digital world has made it exceedingly easy for consumers to quickly find what they’re looking for. Why would anyone turn to the Yellow Pages when they have access to all the listings they need right on their smart phones or laptops? And, if someone actually does want to use the Yellow Pages, your ad still must stand out with eye-catching size, graphics, and color, which increases its cost. The “set-it-and-forget-it” mindset of Yellow Pages advertising is highly inefficient and does not deliver demonstrable value for your investment.
You need to reach consumers where they are searching, and you need a marketing strategy that allows you to see what's working and what isn't so you can continually work to optimize your efforts.
The Better Way
Digital marketing allows you to reach a huge audience of potential customers. Everyone uses smartphones these days, and the Internet is the best tool to connect your business with potential customers (if you know how to use it effectively).
Not only does digital marketing yield better results because it reaches consumers where they’re searching, but it also allows you to easily access data to see the return you're getting on your investment. Placing contact forms on your website, for example, is one way to clearly see leads that your website is generating.
Inbound marketing platforms such as HubSpot can give you even deeper insight into all of your marketing activities. HubSpot can show you how many people are visiting your website, how many have become leads, from what pages those leads reached out to you, what sources are driving your website traffic, and much more. These data allow you to make changes to your marketing strategy quickly so your marketing efforts can be as effecient and effective as possible.
If you want to discover the power of digital marketing, check out our case studies by clicking the button below, or contact us today to get started on your digital marketing strategy today.
