Print Is the Well-Spring for Leads

 

          By Larry Angove

 

Telmetrics recently released the results of its study analyzing the extent to which Yellow Pages users visit a business’ Web site after referencing the business’ print advertisement.

 

The study utilized more than 1,200 print Yellow Pages ads containing both a phone number and a unique URL.

 

Telmetrics reported that 56% of the print references generated a direct call to the business, while 44% generated a visit to the business’ Web site after seeing the ad.

 

The study concluded “that leads from traditional print media are being underestimated and that traditional print media remains reasonably effective”.

 

By tracking call measurement numbers and unique URL activity, Telemetrics reported a 78% increase in leads driven by print Yellow Pages.

 

That’s all good news for print publishers, but for me, the Telmetrics study left some important questions unanswered.

 

Did those who visited a business’ Web site after using the print product make a purchase from the Web, or were they simply researching the product or service a bit more prior to making a buying decision?

 

Did they come back to print to make the final connection between buyer and seller?

 

Without answers to these questions, calling the referrals from print to Web “leads” may be overreaching, particularly in light of the accepted data that shows that conversions from leads to purchases is demonstrably higher for calls (print) than for clicks (Web).

 

Whether one agrees with this opinion or not, the study is another confirmation of the growing realization that print continues to offer the lowest cost per lead and among the highest ROI for advertisers.

 

To view Telmetric’s strudy results Print Yellow Page Ads Drive Traffic please click here.