The yellow page contracts are up for renewal in the Baton Rouge market. In several meetings recently, I have been surprised at the dollars that are invested in the print version of the yellow pages. In many markets, the yellow pages is becoming an "opt-in" consumer choice. In another words, if you are really interested in having the Yellow Pages, you must "opt-in" to have it sent to you.
Just today, Verizon announced the continuation in discontinuing the printing of the White Pages in some California markets. Earlier this month, AT&T announced that they intend to drop the white pages for the Louisiana markets. According to an article on Yahoo.com, AT&T spokeswoman Kim Allen said that in 75 of company's markets across the country where white pages delivery is optional, less than 1 percent of its customers requested the directory. She said at least 19 states have removed mandatory directory delivery. Is this a sign of things to come?
As BlinkJar Media has discussed in the past, advertising and marketing options are changing in the "Blink" of an eye. What is relevant today may not be so important tomorrow. In a time where the consumer is exposed to over five thousand messages a day, what is the average consumer doing to stand out from the pack. Additionally, the platforms to be found that were used by businesses just ten years ago are now changing drastically.
With so many ways to search, are the yellow pages still a valuable resource for a local client to spend its advertising dollars? With over 66% of the search market going to Google, is it necessary to be in the Yellow pages at all? According to Comscore.com, 17.6 billion explicit core searches were conducted in the month of February 2012 alone. With the seismic shifts taking place in marketing and advertising, is there a pulse left for the Yellow Pages? Maybe it is not a black and white answer. But, I would love to get a true and real feel for where most people search for answers when it comes to consumer products and services.
I have my personal opinions on this topic, but I am going to try something different. This platform is developed with the business owner and advertising executive in mind. I want to hear from you. For the category of Yellow Page Advertising Baton Rouge, where do you stand? You are the "feet on the street". As business owners and advertising executives, you have a feel for the direction of the local marketing. How do you search? Where do you think marketing is headed in terms of search? Do you still use the Yellow Pages? Have you found it to be an effective means of advertising as it relates to producing results?
Please give me your opinion. Your input matters. Simply write your answer in the field below, and maybe we can generate enough feedback to start our own informal survey. Please list your opinion on the yellow pages and google below, so that we can all gather a feel for where the community falls in the world of search. Maybe the answer is neither. If so, I would love to hear about it. So, how do you search?