Newsletter Archive - Local Search & IYP
IYP Apps a Great Extension of Print
06/14/2010 - You have to go through a move/relocation to really appreciate just how good print and online Yellow Pages are.
After 15 years in the North Carolina area we have recently moved to Kansas (note our new mailing address). This wasn’t our first move, but for some reason this seemed to be a little more painful – not just the whole packing/moving thing, but trying to find all of those services in your new town that you don’t use very often and take for granted. Hence, this move was a real eye opener on why our industry’s products are so vital to commerce.
The best example that I can offer was regarding carpets. We initially thought that we’d be replacing most of the carpets in our new home due to wear and tear from the prior owners, but also because my wife and I love hardwood floors. But the reality is we have an older dog that isn’t always perfect in controlling her outside doggie business, if you get my drift. So it really didn’t make sense to replace the carpets right now. Plan B – have all of the carpets professionally cleaned before the moving truck arrives, in what was a very late, last minute decision. So from the comfort of our mostly boxed living room in North Carolina we needed to research carpet cleaners in Pittsburg, KS. Not having a book readily available I need to another plan of action.
Since the computers had already been unplugged and boxed, I used my 4G HTC Hero phone (an IPhone type clone) and go to the Names & Numbers mobile application. And it tells me there are 13 suppliers in town.
The first one - Professional Cleaning & Restoration even has a link to their print yellow pages ad.
Clicking through to their print ad (below) I find all of the things I really am looking for:
- A true local small business, owned by two brothers
- Certifications
- Cleaning processes that use less water
- Chemicals that should be less harmful to our dog
- A guarantee if we are not happy with the service.
Perfect. Next thing, I’m on the phone talking with Chuck, getting and estimate, and scheduling the service at the new house. Slam dunk right? But the story doesn’t end there.
When the Marin brothers arrive to begin working, being the curious Yellow Page industry guy I am, I start asking about their Yellow Pages ad program, and specific this online/IYP/mobile ad that caught my eye. But from his reaction, I can clearly tell he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. No problem, I get out my mobile phone and show them exactly how I found them. Net net – they had never seen the mobile app, and have really never looked at the IYP product very closely either. Needless to say they were impressed how his one full page ad in the print book had morphed into something that attracted a new customer from half way across the country in North Carolina.
Now understand this small business brother team are not tech Neanderthals – quite the opposite, they both carried Blackberry phones, make extensive use of voice technologies, and spend a fair amount of time online (did I mention they fall in the 25-34 demographic that supposedly doesn’t use or believe in Yellow Pages??). But they have a business to run and even though they were wrapping on the work on my carpets at around 4:30, the second big job of their day, they were headed to another emergency call for flood situation that came up. This is obviously also physical labor, so by end of day these two were going to be beat. I highly doubt they were looking forward to getting home so they could spend a couple of hours researching keywords they should by online.
The learning I took away from just this one situation is pretty compelling for those of you in sales in this industry:
- Yes, you do provide a valued service to small business people who really don’t have the time, and often the energy, to think about their marketing, and then put a plan in action to make it happen. They want and need your help.
- IYP and Mobile applications are a very powerful extension of a robust print Yellow Pages program.
- An IYP program doesn’t have to be complicated – the Names & Numbers program is a pretty straightforward, but obviously effective application.
- Don’t assume that even the most tech savvy advertiser knows how all of their ad programs will work in the digital world – you need to guide them through them, and they need to know what they are getting for their ad program – these boys were not aware that the mobile ad came with the Names & Numbers IYP application.
- Publishers need to communicate continually with their clients to show them examples like this, call tracking data, testimonials, etc., etc., etc. for advertisers to appreciate the value of their ad program
The Martin brothers got a positive ROI from just one job order with their IYP ad, mostly because it had the full range of information in it as a result a good sized print ad. Have you shown your advertisers how your IYP applications can work for them?