Jun
Should I Put an Ad in the Phonebook?
I’ve gotten this question for several business owners in the last couple weeks. I guess its ad renewal time for Verizon and the Yellowbook…
Which phonebook is more valuable? Which book should I advertise in? Should I advertise in all of them? Should I advertise in them AT ALL… or should I just be listed?
These are all great questions and ones that everyone should consider. As a public relations expert in technology this is what I know:
- The use of phone books is becoming more scarce because of the information age and the internet
- People who do use phone books probably don’t have the internet or don’t care about using the internet… so… we are mainly talking about an older generation
- In Lynchburg, VA the population is a little slower on new developments and technologies, so compared to the rest of the world people are probably still using phone books
Unless you are tracking the phone calls you get from the phone book, nobody can really tell you how effective it is has been. And unless you can tell the future, nobody can know how effective it is going to be.
Phonebooks are going to become obsolete in the future… we all know this… but just how near in the future?
So, we tend to go off of other people’s experiences in making our decisions. And that is precisely what I have been telling people. I have heard good things about Verizon, OK things about Yellowbook, and horrible things about My Community Phonebook. So… there you have it.
Another way to advertise in the “Phonebook”
We can adapt to the new technologies and use the internet! The internet is a giant phone book in itself. Make sure you are listed in:
- Google! Do search engine optimization to get your services and products listed organically. Also make sure to be listed in Yahoo and other Google-juiced sites
- Online phone books like yellowpages.com
- Online communities and networks like Facebook and LinkedIn
- Customer Review websites like Yelp
All of these websites allow for you to have your phone number and address – some of them even give you the opportunity to put up a map and get customer reviews.
I have noticed that getting listed in Google’s local directory can be just as great as being listed in the phone book. Not only does it come up when people type in the name or service they are looking for in your local area, but you can even do things like add coupons to your listing (just like a phone book)