In seminars on local advertising, I ask several questions. The resulting answers are instructive. Here are a few.
"How do you advertise?"
Many of us have used newspaper, radio, postcards, coupon magazines, cable TV, and Yellow Page advertising. But nearly everyone in business is in the Yellow Page print book, so let's start with that.
"Have you noticed that your Yellow Page advertising is less effective that years ago?"
Everyone raises heir hand. You may have started to raise your hand, even though I can't see you.
"When people call you from the Yellow Pages, what are they asking for?"
A price. Here is what happens. The average customer calling you from the Yellow Pages, is calling an average of 5.3 places before they decide on where to go. That's a real fact.
And the I ask the question that hurts...
"How many here have the lowest prices on everything they sell in your market area?"
Do you? I know I don't. You still get people coming into your store from your Yellow Page ads...
But most really just want a price.
Did you know that 67% (2011) of all Yellow Page searches are now online? And nearly every other way to find you is also online? Newspapers are getting thinner, losing money, and closing shop. Why? Advertisers are finding another way.
Your Yellow Page and print ads are less effective now because less people are seeing them...but that doesn't mean you can't be found. You just have to be where the customer is looking.
They are looking online. And not just anywhere online. They are using Google and Youtube to get information about what they want. Ready for the dreaded statistics? 85% of all online searches are on Google or Youtube. (Google owns Youtube) All search engines and directories (including online Yellow Pages) combined make up the other 15%. Be where the customers are looking.
"But Claude, I'm listed number one in Google".
Some dealers mean that they are listed at the top of Google Places. This is the local listings at the top of a search that show the first few listings (out of hundreds or thousands). These listings are based on your geographic location ad the location of the store. There are a a few other factors. Reviews help. A listed website helps. Being listed in hundreds of local directories (with the same information) helps. But here is the kicker...
Less that 5% of the clicks (meaning when people click on a listing to go to the website) are from Google Places. Sad, but true. And every book I've ever read on local online marketing (I've read them all, and have the dry eyes to prove it), only talks about Google Places (or Yahoo & Bing equivalents) . And yet, this is what they talk about. Why? Because the authors invariably have a paid service to list you on local directories...so that's what they talk about.
Why aren't directory listings clicked on often? Because they look like ads. They are ads. They smell like ads, and they don't have what the shopper is looking for...information.
It's the same reason Pay-Per-Click ads are not that useful. Only 5% of the clicks on a Google search are on the Pay-Per-Click ads. Why? Again, they look, smell, and act like ads...and they aren't fooling anybody.
Besides entertainment (that's the PG version), the thing people are going online for most is information. It's almost never to buy....it's to get more information, so they can decide what to buy. That information simply isn't in your Google Places listings or your Pay-Per-Click ads.
People search online to find information or to get a specific question answered. Where can they find that? In the organic Google and Youtube search results. That's good, because that's where the customers are looking.
Author Resource:-
Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. Claude gives talks to associations and groups of independent small business owners showing them easy methods to quickly augment their online advertising and marketing results, at no cost to them.
To get more information, check out http://www.claudewhitacre.com }
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