Articles
by Stacey Ackerman, M.A.
If there's a reoccurring theme I tell my small business clients, it's "look beyond the yellow pages." This isn't to say that putting an ad in the yellow pages is wrong, but for many small business owners, this is where the majority of their marketing dollars are spent, and the rest of the marketing mix is often forgotten. Your stock broker would never advise you to put everything you own in one company, but rather to have a diverse portfolio. I recommend a similar strategy when it comes to marketing: DIVERSIFY.
One reason to go beyond the yellow pages is because this form of advertising is passive. You put in your ad, and then wait for the phone to ring. While this may work in small towns where you are the only salon, carpet store or chiropractor, it isn't effective in the metropolitan area. Your competition is too steep, and just because you have the biggest and most expensive ad in the yellow pages doesn't mean anyone is going to call you over your competition.
Yellow pages sales reps are notorious for making you think that if you don't have an ad as big as your competitor, you are going to lose market share. Many clients and prospects I have met are spending more than I recommended for a yearly marketing budget on their yellow pages listings alone. I urge you to not follow your competition, but be a leader in your industry.
How much of your hefty yellow pages spending is really hitting your target consumer? The yellow pages go to every person with a home telephone in a certain geographic area. In many cases, only 10 percent of the people looking through the yellow pages are even people who have a need for your product or service. Therefore, of the calls you are getting, how many of those people are ideal consumers?
You also need to look at the way the world is changing. Just because yellow pages advertising worked well in the past, doesn't make it necessarily true today. The onset of the Internet has drastically altered how people look for information. If you target market is below age 50, I recommend allocating some of your marketing budget towards online search engine tools, which can be much more targeted than traditional forms of advertising.
So now that you're ready to go beyond the yellow pages, start adding diversity to your marketing mix. They four key elements for developing the proper marketing mix are: 1) knowing your target market; 2) working within your chosen budget; 3) planning ahead (reactive marketing can be deadly to small businesses); 4) branding your business with consistent language, imagery and messaging.
Now that you realize you need to diversify your marketing, how do you go about doing so? Write a professional yearly marketing plan that incorporates your budget, business goals and objectives and a proper marketing mix in a workable plan of action. If you need further guidance, consult with a marketing professional.
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