Yellow Pages Aces the Test

The good news proving that Yellow Pages continue to deliver strong value to advertisers, in the form of research data, just keeps rolling in.

A new study just released by Dr. Dennis Fromholzer of CRM Associates in Boulder, CO, drives that point home to every thoughtful and open-minded advertiser.

In earlier studies, Dr. Fromholzer has demonstrated several truths about the Yellow Pages as a stand-alone product:  tremendous ROI; low cost of customer acquisition; increasing print references; leading call-to-sale conversion rates; and usage by those who have the most money to spend on advertiser goods and services.

Most Yellow Pages realists already know that call tracking studies for individual ads confirm the ROI for print is exceptional.

• $14 to $1 for local display; $34 to $1 for local space (in-column); $56 to $1 for national trademarks.

In his new study, Dr. Fromholzer deepens his analysis by making value comparisons among the Yellow Pages, search, and other local media.

The results are rather staggering in favor of the good ol’ Yellow pages!

The Fromholzer research data, for example, estimates the median costs per customer influenced based on the top 210 Yellow Pages headings for each medium. 

• The data shows Internet Yellow Pages ranks first with a customer acquisition cost of just $11.  Print Yellow Pages ranks third out of the 12 media analyzed at $27.
• Compared to other commonly used media: magazines, $43; prospective direct mail, $51; paid search, $53; newspapers, $64; TV, $81; and online display, $138.

It also estimates the relative sales ROI for all ad-types by local medium.  Again, the Yellow Pages are dominant, earning the top two rankings among the 13 media reported.

• IYP returns $60; and print Yellow Pages, $60.
• Compared to other commonly used media: magazines, $30; direct mail and paid search, $20; social networking, $9; and mobile display $8.

Two statements included I Dr. Fromholzer’s study stand out.

“The conversion rate for leads from Yellow Pages is an order of magnitude higher than the conversion rate for most other direct marketing media.  No one uses the Yellow Pages unless they are interested in making a purchase.  This tight focus on ready-to-buy buyers results in high sales ROI for businesses.”

He concludes with this forward-looking advice.

“A smart program uses a mix of media alternatives to insure that the advertiser’s message is available which ever place a consumer goes for information. Knowing the relative ales ROI values across media helps businesses insure that every dollar they spend goes toward increasing sales revenue.  If the advertising doesn’t bring in paying, profitable customers, then the advertising is worthless.”

By that standard, it is undeniable that Yellow Pages, especially print Yellow Pages, must be a major part of every business’ marketing mix.

To read Dr. Fromholzer’s complete study, go to the Association’s web site, www.adp.org, click on the “Why Advertise?” tab in the upper right of the landing page, then on “Market Research” on the drop-down menu.

By: ADP President Larry Angove