Yellow Pages: Choosing a Telephone Directory That’s Right for Your Business

There are many choices available to businesses wanting to advertise in a traditional telephone directory. Here’s advice on how to choose which directory will give you the most bang for your buck.

You’ve decided to take the plunge. You know it’s a lot of money, but you’ve also heard from other people in your industry that the yellow pages directories are a key source of new business leads for your type of business. And now you’re ready to place an ad. But you’re puzzled. How do you choose which directory to put your ad in? Should you go with the neighborhood book (and its lower costs)? Or would the county-wide directory be best even though the cost is more than you wanted to pay? What about some of those alternate directories? The one that uses multicolored ads would make your ads look appealing. Which one will you get the best results from?

To make that determination, start by asking yourself these questions:

1. Who are your customers?

2. Where do the majority of your customers come from?

3. How do you reach your most valued customers?

4. Which directory or directories do your current customers use most frequently?

After you get the answer to those questions, talk to your sales representative. Ask him or her for the following facts: How many people use the directory? Have there been studies conducted that prove directory usage? How frequently is the directory updated? What cities, counties, and towns are included in the directory? How many books are distributed in the directory area? What percentage of all businesses and residences does the directory get distributed to?

Once you have all of these facts, you will be able to make an informed decision about which directory best matches your target audience and therefore will give you the most value for the money.