Yellow Pages advertising are about as 1980s as mullets and muppets. So why is it that there are so many businesses still wasting their precious capital on them?

If you’ve been paying attention to the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, and Bing) lately, you’ve likely noticed that they are now all delivering “hyperlocal” results to search engine visitors in an effort to promote local businesses offering the products and services people are searching for. In addition, it’s a well-known fact that 97% of all consumers today use online search tools (i.e. the search engines, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to research products or services they’re interested in buying. Welcome to the new world of local search marketing.

The data makes is pretty clear that this isn’t “just for young people” — nearly all of the buying public are using Internet search and social media sites to gather information and conduct research. What’s more, according to the Wall Street Journal, yellow pages use will declined by a whopping 39% over the next four years. Meanwhile, yellow pages advertising rates in many areas of the nation are continuing to increase by an annual average of 15% or more.

…according to the Wall Street Journal, yellow pages use will declined by a whopping 39% over the next four years. Meanwhile, yellow pages advertising rates in many areas of the nation are continuing to increase by an annual average of 15% or more.

Starting to see something wrong with this picture?

Marketing has also shifted from one-way broadcast (talking at) to an interactive conversation (talking with). Today’s Internet-savvy buying market doesn’t want to be pestered with ads that yell at them to buy, they want companies to come and talk to them on their terms, through sites like Facebook, Twitter (which have more than 1 billion members combined), and YouTube (over 300 million visitors a month, and is the world’s 2nd largest search engine behind Google).

Local businesses who embrace social media, web video, and local search marketing will see immediate results.

The strategic use of web video and social media marketing is a game-changer for local businesses who understand that the Internet is the best way for them to reach potential clients and customers in today’s marketplace.

In order for you to take full advantage of the potential business you can reap from the Internet, you need a knowledgeable social media expert to help you plan and execute online, video, mobile, and local search marketing strategies that don’t take you away from your business. Contact us today for a free analysis and consultation about local search marketing for your business.

Local Search Marketing