101 Ways to Use a Phone Book
Last time I flipped through a thick yellow book to find help was over 10 years ago. This was a result of my being new to town and embarrassed about driving around without a muffler. I remember scanning the pages in the automobile section looking for service shops. There was AAA Muffler & Brakes, AAA Muffler Man, Midas, and Tank’s Mufflers ‘N’ Donuts (just kidding about the last one – but can you imagine the combination?).
There must have been 50-plus local services. It was hard to know which one to pick. Beyond the cheap “triple-A” tactics to nudge for first place in service name listings, paying a little extra for bold red font, or a few eye-catching star stamps, I wanted to know about their reputations, prices and wait-times.
Turning the next page I saw quarter-page ads. These shops pay a lot more for their heightened exposure, adding graphics and wordage to attract me. They listed benefits, spelled out guarantees and, on some layouts, pasted Hot Rod cover models holding mufflers in one hand while adjusting stilettos in the other hand.
Times have certainly changed. While yellow books still get regularly tossed on my driveway, they serve different purposes, such as:
- A booster seat for my young’ins
- An x-treme fly swatter
- Last resort toilet paper
I have bookshelves overflowing with editions and I need to pare down. Can spring-cleaning come any sooner?
These days, for mufflers and much more I turn to the Internet and I bet you do too. The Internet has become so much more effective at finding a local business I need.
An article published by David Clarke, an Internet marketing consultant, former Yellow Pages sales rep, and obvious Brit, explores the current challenges small businesses (SMB) face with their marketing plans. Should SMB continue to spend chunks of their budgets on ads in phone directories that modern society may not cracking?
Check it out at: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/internet-marketing-vs-yellow-pages-529254.html
To learn more about our local online marketing services visit us at boostability.com
–JK




