What’s So Good About IYPs?-Part 1

Mary Bowling | 2 March 2008 |

One of the major strengths of the Internet Yellow Pages (IYP’s) is the trusted relationship they have with their customer base, which is mainly small to medium sized local businesses.

Most local businesses have a long history of advertising in the print yellow pages. They know who their rep is, as he or she visits their place of business a couple of times a year, and they’ve probably been dealing with him or her for years. Therefore, it’s easy for that rep to pitch some reasonable-sounding internet ad-ons and have them accepted, even if the they aren’t well understood.

Most local business people are very good at what they do. They have to be to make their living. We rely on them every day to meet our needs for products and services in our communities. While they may not understand what we, as Search Marketers, do, that’s not their main focus and we both have to communicate effectively with each other to meet our goals.

What’s right with the Internet Yellow Pages is partially what’s weak with a lot of Search Engine Marketing. That’s why here at Blizzard, we are learning from the Online Yellow Pages model.

We’re spending more time with our clients, visiting their places of business and learning more about their localities, their markets, their staffs and their customers. It helps us do a better job for them. The folks at the Yellow Pages have known this for almost a hundred years. Not many Search Engine Marketers have figured it out yet.

Photo from Aidan Jones