Sphinn - Multiplatform Yellow Pages Usage On the Rise

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Multiplatform Yellow Pages Usage On the Rise

Posted By: WebmasterT 267 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://searchengineland.com)
Category: Local & Maps

Article on the rise of "references" and demographics of the Yellow Pages audience. Although, IMO, biased there is some excellent info included here.

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from WebmasterT 267 days ago #

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I am hoping by posting this that the author could explaibn in detail what a "reference" is exactly. The only way the numbers of offline references make sense is if they count my picking the Yellow Pages book up at my front door and putting it in the blue bin or the usage as a booster for small children and people of short stature. Otherwise, I find a hard time believing 320 million or so N. Americans are referencing it 13 billion times as that works out to a pretty high number of references for each man, woman and child. I've advertised on two YP providers and the online "references" make sense it's those offline references which account for, AIUI, 90% of revenue that I just can't wrap my head around. I also have clients that also are skeptical of the numbers based on the number of calls they get that they can attribute to YP.

from scotdlee 260 days ago #

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Hmmm, well while I respect the insights shared in this story, I'm pretty dissappointed to see this column used as a platform to disseminate what I'll term an 'industry spin' on an issue. I won't worry about questioning the data cited, but I will point out its careful presentation to achieve a desired effect upon the reader. The term propaganda comes to mind.

Opinions are more than welcome in a column like this but I'd rather avoid such an overt connection with an interested party if possible in the future. Unless that is it is done as part of a rounding out process of presenting multiple opinions on a particular subject.

However, I think this IS a very important topic and well worth continued focus in this venue so I'd encourage continuing the conversation on modern application of yellow pages. Considering the relative expenditure by most small businesses as a share of their marketing budget, I believe this to be a very important topic.

Scot

from paulie159 204 days ago #

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I, too, wonder how these "numbers" are arrived at when I rarely meet anyone that says they use the directories to the extent this "research" indicates! Thats almost 50 references/year for every man, woman and child (including infants!) Even if you took 2/3 of the population, 200,000,000 and divided that into the 13 billion print directory references they state as fact, you'll arrive at 65 references/person/year. I don't know ANYONE who acknowledges that type of print directory use!
Oh, wait a minute! I just thought of a profile of user that would use the print directory that much and MORE! A sales person who uses it for prospecting! I'll bet that # is used in the calculation!

Paul

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