Posts Tagged ‘small business marketing’

End of an Era: Yellow Book, Dead?

February 4th, 2010

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

Small Business Marketing-”Out with the old, in with the new”

August 18th, 2009

Small business owners are exposed with every marketing campaign imaginable.  If I had a nickle for every time someone called me or came into my business, I would have a lot of nickles.  I have a suggestion, next time someone comes knocking on your door and tells you that they understand your business better then you and that they can increase your customer base and sales, start to laugh or start coughing up money.  One thing is for sure.  The small business owners have a big target on their backs.

So “Out with the old”  Gone are the days of fliers on cars, over priced phone book advertising, newspaper, mailers, and print media.  Save yourself some time and money, stop thinking that these methods will be the solution to your small business problems.  All these methods have a way of just littering the community, easily forgotten,  and communicates only the message that fits on the paper.  If you want to limit yourself, go right ahead and use these methods and please send me some nickles.  One quote that I love, “If you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always gotten”

“In with the new”   Marketing online can generate new business.  The Internet gives the opportunity to explain your business to a large audience, define your market, whether it be local or nationwide in scope, and target specific customers so you get the attention of those that are searching for your product or service.     Every business needs to understand how to appropriately market themselves online.    The big question is where do I start?  Who do I connect with?  How do I communicate my business to people that are looking.

Introducing Boostability,  online search engine marketing for the local small business.  They tell you how to start, guide you through all the steps to develop your marketing campaign, and create a network that drives more relevant traffic to your business website.   They do this in a simple step program so anyone can manage their own marketing campaign.  Rely on yourself, rely on those that work for you.  Save some nickles, get the online steps program and the guidance you need to be successful.  Good Luck.

Boostability software technology provides simplified step by step website optimization work flow and processes to help local and small to medium sized businesses by giving them the ability to control their own internet marketing campaign and affect their website ranking on search engines. You can do it, we can help.  Visit Boostability.com