Ian Mundorff

How'd you find my blog?  Did you let your fingers do the walking? 

My guess is that you fell back on that little box in the upper right hand corner of your browser and let Google or the like tell you where to go.  And while we in the Balihoo Media Buying Team don't encourage the 'focus group of one' mentality, you're right this time around.

Sure, the local advertising landscape is considerably more complicated than just Google, with the local shopper going through about 8 different resources to find their best local shop.  Still, Search Engines have eclipsed the traditional print Yellow Pages.

A recent report finds that while the Yellow Page book can still be found in 84% of homes, only 28% report using it as their primary source for local business information, down from 33% in 2007.  Meanwhile, Search--both standard Search Engines and Local Search Sites like Google Maps--is the primary source for local business information for 40% of the population.  The rest of that pie is sliced up almost entirely by other online tools.  Aside from being the first choice for local shoppers, Search Engines are also used more than 1x a week by 71% of users.  Compare that to Yellow Pages rate of just 40%.

There's a lot to the data, and in many cases Yellow Pages can still complement a local media plan.  However, if your marketing strategy consists of renewing your Yellow Pages ad, it's time to reevaluate your options.

If you're ready to take it up a notch and you're one of our beloved co-op or franchise marketing partners, check out how Balihoo can help with your local media planning.  If you're still looking for a Local Marketing Automation solution, make sure to check out our demo.  If you're not sure if you're ready, you might want to try that box in the upper right corner of your browser.