Yellow Pages & Small Business Commandos Blog

This makes me feel better

2007-06-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

If you're having a tough day, just watch this.

Bad Day..It Could Be Worse - Watch more free videos

Goog in the Hood

2007-05-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Google LatLong: Neighborhood Search Capability

Google's targeting has recently been expanded to include neighborhood search in 50 cities around the US. (Sorry Canada).

In a few years, this will be so standard, that we'll reminisce about our quaint blog posts on the subject.

All politics is local. More importantly, all plumbing is local.

The easier it is for consumers to find local information online or via mobile devices, the greater jeopardy faces traditional media.

This Blog Has Moved

2007-01-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

please update your settings.

This Blog Has Moved

2007-01-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

I've moved this blog to a new blog account.

You can get it at http://commandos.cc/blog

Verizon (oops, I mean Idearc) Strong Book Growth?

2006-12-29T00:12:00.000-08:00

I received the following email today from a contact back east. Can anyone with inside information shed some light on this?

Hi Dick,

When I heard your webcast the other month about the growing internet "yellow" pages I thought for sure the next Verizon book would be thinner than last years. It sure seemed like everyone was piking the end of the yellow pages in the mp3. To my surprise the Verizon book 49% larger...that's right 49% larger than last years.

Last year's yellow pages (Verizon in Lancaster, PA) was 509 pages. This year's yellow pages are 757 pages! Whoa! (The book arrived on my door step today.)

I can't believe how many advertisers upped their full page ads to 2 full pages. I also can't believe how many lawyers grabbed 4 full page ads (instead of 2 pages).

Since you're an industry insider did Verizon run some kind of special to get all these companies to buy bigger ads? Or is Lancaster, PA just 10 years behind the times (I used to live in L.A. and when i moved here a few years ago...it sure felt like I've moved back in time) and don't know any better...that they should be putting all their bucks into internet advertising? Searching for a plumber online locally is a fruitless effort.

Wishing you the best of health.

Vic K

10 Secrets to Turbo-Charge your Yellow Pages Advertising

2006-12-02T23:23:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Pacific Standard Time

Join author, Jeffrey Hauser in a Small Business Commandos exclusive online seminar.

Jeff is the author of "Inside the Yellow Pages", a brand new "tell-all" book that rips open the Yellow Pages publishers' veil of secrecy so that advertisers can have take full advantage of the Yellow Pages benefits.

In this totally free presentation, he will reveal 10 Insider Secrets for the first time ever.

Most Yellow Pages sales reps follow the "strategy du jour" without necessarily putting the advertiser's interest first. (This is a generalization, I'm sure there are some sales reps that put the advertiser's needs first. You can spot those reps, because they're on skateboards because their cars have been repossessed.)

Jeff will reveal . . .

When should you decrease your ad size and put the money into color?
How can you know exactly how well you ad is performing and use that information to negotiate a better rate?
What is the single most important element in a Yellow Pages ad? (blow this, and kiss your customers good-bye.)

Plus, we'll analyze 3 ads sent in by readers and identify the fatal flaws that are costing the business owner big bucks.

There is no charge for this on-line seminar. Register here:
https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/479013335

If you want to get the most out of this webinar, buy Jeff's eBook. You'll be glad you did.

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=64349&ProductID=3317463

Lessons from The "Real Numbers of Local Search" Webinar

2006-11-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

(clockwise from upper left: Jeremy Owens, Miramar
Automotive; Steve Dennen, comScore; Peter
Krasilovsky, Krasilovsky Consulting; Dick Larkin,
Small Business Commandos)

There were some important lessons in the Real
Numbers of Local Search Webinar that I'd like to share.

Lesson 1: Don't give up your print Yellow Pages
(yet).

When Internet measurement guru, Steve Dennen
recommended that local advertisers not abandon their
print Yellow Pages, you could have knocked me over
with a bucket of linguine.

That is assuming of course, that you were
holding a bucket of linguine, in which case I probably
wouldn't have been standing close enough for you to
hit me with it.
Still, 60% of local
look-ups occur in the print world (for now).

While the shift to Internet is dramatic,
print is still viable in many markets.

Don't wait too long to advertise online,
because all indications show local web search
surpassing print as early as next year and being
totally dominant in three short years.

The lesson here is to advertise where you get
results regardless of the medium. That may be
common sense, but it sure ain't common practice.

Lesson 2: Local Search leads directly to offline
contact.

ComScore found that most people made contact and
purchased from local merchants after searching for
local information online. Does this surprise
anyone?
Restaurants are one of the top
local web
searches, and last time I checked, restaurants
generally require you to show up in order to get food.

However, I recently ate a pizza that
tasted suspiciously like it had been emailed to me.
That's a topic for another newsletter.

Lesson 3: Internet Yellow Pages have the best
customers

This makes me smile because I spent nearly a
decade building Internet Yellow Pages. IYPs have
better customers that the search engines because
they have richer local information (and the person
searching an IYP has already searched Google or
Yahoo and is searching deeper).

Here, real life matched comScore's research.
Jeremy Owens of Miramar Automotive said that the
customers coming from Internet Yellow Pages spend
more than customers coming from other advertising
sources. People searching on an Internet Yellow
Pages are further along the buying cycle.

The downside is that the traffic on IYPs is a
fraction of the major search engines. You gotta do
both to get quantity and quality.

Lesson 4: Local markets vary widely.

ComScore found that there were significant
regional differences in local search traffic. To
advertise effectively, ask your customers where they
search online. The local Yellow Pages publishers'
sites are strongest where they have print directories.

Peter Krasilovsky reminded advertisers to
consider their local newspaper sites. Those sites
often have the highest local traffic and they have
very loyal customer bases.
Missed the Webinar? Listen again, and again, and again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lots of folks asked for the recording, and
this is the only way to get it. Plus, you'll have a
permanent recording of the audio and video of the entire
presentation.

When you order the DVD, I'll throw in an MP3
download of the audio file so that you can listen in
your hot tub. I'll even include the slides for your
viewing and bathing pleasure.

If you order before November 15, you'll save
$20 Sorry, no extensions.
Order the DVD and MP3 and save $20

Internet Yellow Pages experiencing strong growth

2006-10-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article regarding the growth of Internet Yellow Pages sites.

I am often asked about the importance of advertising on the IYPs.

Here are my basic rules for IYP advertising.

1. Make sure you are at the top of the list for your primary search terms in your service area. Internet Yellow Pages are linear in nature, meaning that users start at the top and work their way down. They also tend to be much more structured than typical one box search engines.

If you can't afford to be in the top 3 search results, don't waste your money.

2. Users of IYP sites tend to be further along the buying cycle. So a click or an impression on an IYP is inherently more valuable than that of typical web search.

Pay more, get more.

Here's the article from Clickz

Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) searches grew 46 percent in the past year, which means a 43 percent local search increase across the Web. A two-part series on local search from comScore Networks details local search behavior as well usage of Internet Yellow Pages and directory listings.

In July, 68 million Internet users in the U.S. conducted searches at IYP sites. These searchs represent a 46 percent increase over the same month last year. Yahoo sites grabbed 23.9 percent of directory searches; Verizon SuperPages served 20.1 percent; and Google Sites held 12.5 percent.

Top Eight Internet Yellow Page Searches by Site, July 2006
Site	Total Yellow Pages Searches (%)
Total Internet	100.0
Yahoo Sites	23.9
Verizon SuperPages	20.1
Google Sites	12.5
Yellowpages.com	12.0
Time Warner Network	7.7
Local.com	5.9
InfoSpace Network	5.1
Dexonline.com	4.1
Total U.S. Home, Work and University Internet Users
Source: comScore, 2006

Across the Web, about 109 million U.S. Internet users conducted local searches in July. That's about 63 percent of the U.S. online population. Local search, including searches conducted on sites serving local interests and also IYP sites, saw a 43 percent increase over July of 2005.

Google sites garnered 29.8 percent of U.S. searches; Yahoo sites served 29.2 percent; Microsoft sites saw 12.3 percent of local searches; and Time Warner properties, including AOL, got 7.1 percent of search traffic.

Forty-one percent of local searches were conducted for users' home area. Of those searches, 59 percent were to locate a restaurant or an entertainment-related establishment such as a theater, theme park or sightseeing attraction. Just over half (52 percent) searched for a phone number or address. Forty-one percent searched for a local service in their home area like a car rental office, dry cleaner, or lawyer.

ComScore data are taken from a global panel of more than 2 million consumers. The research firm obtains explicit permission to confidentially capture the browsing and transaction behavior, including on- and offline purchasing.

Zig vs. Zag

2006-09-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

At the Kelsey Group's Directory Driven Commerce 2006 conference this week in Los Angeles, Seig Fisher, CEO and founder of Valley Yellow Pages articulated his company's strategy to the chagrin of the technorati in the audience.

See, Seig is old school. When I say old school, I mean one-room school house with a stern school marm teaching the three R's using a coal-oil lamp.

Valley Yellow Pages (which is one of the largest independent Yellow Pages publishers in the US) has a unique Internet strategy. They ignore the Internet and focus solely on their print directory business.

When every other publisher has tried at least one internet product set, Valley sticks ink on dead trees.

AT&T, Valley's largest competitor, paid roughly $100 million for the domain name YellowPages.com. Meanwhile, Valley's print books grow year after year and the profits roll in.

While I don't find this strategy particularly exciting or leading edge, it makes money. Loads of money.

The print strategy will probably not carry Seig for the next two decades, but by that time, a company with an Internet strategy will have paid through the nose for the deep market penetration that Valley has achieved.

See, it's all about picking a strategy and sticking to it.

That is one of the toughest business strategies of all.

33 Random Observations About Business

2006-09-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with local online advertising or Yellow Pages. However, when I received my friend, Matt Michel's Comanche Newsletter, I felt that this was something worth passing on to you.

Matt has compiled 33 observations on business. There is an awful lot of truth in this list.

Make it a wonderful day.

1. More businesses close from a lack of cash than a lack of profits. Cash is king.

2. Sales covers up a lot of inefficiencies. Strong sales buys time to fix most problems.

3. Most hiring mistakes are mistakes of rushing to fill immediate need. Be slow to hire.

4. Conflict is inevitable. Politics is not. Someone with time for politics does not have enough to do.

5. People usually live up to your expectations. Do you expect a little or a lot?

6. The lowest bidder is usually the bidder with the most oversights.

7. Overnight success takes years to achieve.

8. The more successful you become, the more you will be copied and criticized. No one resents a failure.

9. If you think everyone is out to get you and act like it, they soon will be.

10. People usually charge what they believe they’re worth. Service contractors need more self esteem.

11. Simple is superior.

12. The worst thing a company can do to its customers is fail to survive.

13. The second worst thing a company can do to its customers fail to charge enough to serve customers well.

14. Some people are simply not employable. They’re called small business owners.

15. The workload always expands to fill the office staff’s available hours. Focus on what’s important.

16. Act fast. Think faster… Think first.

17. Don’t fix your weaknesses. Hire people who are strong where you’re weak. Play to your strengths.

18. The only person you can safely make fun of, is yourself.

19. When a willing buyer agrees to a price asked by a willing seller, the price is perfect.

20. Your integrity can never be taken from you. People don’t “lose” their integrity, they give it away.

21. Some things are black and white. Some things are right and wrong. Some people do not care. Avoid them.

22. When someone goes out of his way proclaiming his honesty, wonder why.

23. Salespeople put the company first by putting the customer first.

24. Managers put the customer first by putting employees first. It’s impossible for front line employees to treat customers better than management treats them.

25. Good coaches accept blame for losses, while refusing credit for victories. Credit goes to the team.

26. The purpose of a businesses is to increase owner wealth. Businesses accomplish this by getting and keeping customers.

27. Success begins with the first step. Get moving.

28. Incompetence and indifference are bigger problems than corruption.

29. Mistakes are the tuition of experience from the school of hard knocks. Avoid remedial education.

30. The customer is not always right, but is always the customer. Treat the customer like he’s right, even when he’s wrong.

31. A company’s self inflicted damage usually exceeds the impact of competition.

32. Customers care about their problems, not yours. Focus on theirs and keep yours to yourself.

33. Implementation is everything.

© 2006 Matt Michel

Yellow Pages green with Web envy

2006-09-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Following is an article from the Globe and Mail pointing out that print Yellow Pages are under attack by the likes of Google and Yahoo.

Not exactly a news flash, yet the directory publishers continue to roll along with rate increases.

What does the future hold for the tree killers? Time will tell.

BMO Nesbitt Burns analyst Tim Casey had a bit of fun with Marc Tellier on Tuesday. As the Yellow Pages boss waited to make his speech to an investor conference, the analyst took a poll.

"Pick up your handsets," Mr. Casey instructed, "and address the following question: What is your primary source of information for local businesses in your household?" Each member of the audience had a small voting machine and three choices: the Yellow Pages directory, a search engine like Google or Yahoo, or another on-line directory.

Fifteen seconds later, the results were in. The winners: Google and Yahoo.

Not quite fair, Mr. Tellier responded. A bunch of BlackBerry-addicted stiffs from Bay Street aren't exactly representative of the Canadian public. With other crowds, the Yellow Pages business is growing. Like who? Sushi eaters, apparently. " 'Sushi' is a fast-growing heading [for advertising]," Mr. Tellier said. '' 'Tattoo parlours' is one of our fastest-growing headings. Walk by any university campus today and you'll see who's getting tattoos."

You can see Mr. Tellier's problem. He runs a great business and has a gold-plated stock valuation to match (that's true even after a 10-per-cent drop in the unit price this year). Yellow Pages enjoys operating profit margins of about 40 per cent with little competition. But most investors don't give a damn whether John's Sushi Emporium just bought a half-page ad. What worries them is, how much longer until the Internet starts to eat Yellow Pages' business?

Mr. Tellier is nothing if not a good salesman -- how could he be otherwise, when he's tapping the equity markets so frequently? So, naturally, he's got answers. Google's great for a lot of things, he'll point out, but it's not as handy as Yellow Pages' own sites if you want to find, say, a plumber in Toronto. Yellow Pages has also been buying specialty Web names, like http://www.doctors.ca, in the hope of turning them into new revenue sources. Other initiatives are in the works.

But for all of that, Yellow Pages still gets more than 90 per cent of revenue from putting ads on dead trees. This summer, Veritas Investment Research sent a summer intern to the library to count pages in the yellow books in five major cities. Their finding: The number of advertising pages fell 8 per cent in 2006. Conclusion: "Unmitigated decline," Veritas analyst Neeraj Monga wrote.

The report stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy on Bay Street, where the coverage of Yellow Pages normally ranges from positive to sycophantic. But even some of the bulls are starting to concede the end is in sight for the company's growth phase. Blackmont Capital's Barbara Gray figures the company will run out of growth by 2010 (nonetheless, she rates the stock a "buy").

If she's right, what does that say for the stock's value? Most analysts think the company will produce between $1.25 and $1.30 in distributable cash a unit in 2007. If we assume Mr. Tellier can squeeze out 5-per-cent growth until the end of the decade, after which the business levels off, and then calculate the present value of that cash flow, Yellow Pages could be modestly undervalued. (In that scenario, the units are probably worth between $16 and $17. Yesterday, they closed at $14.68.)

But that involves a pretty big assumption-- that the business will never decline, but merely stagnate. If you assume even a modest drop in cash flow, starting in 2011, the numbers begin to change quickly, and Yellow Pages starts to look overpriced (Mr. Monga reckons they'd be fairly valued at $13). And that, it seems, is a view that's starting to take hold among investors, if not with Mr. Tellier. "How many other media companies will come here today that have growing franchises?" he boasted at the BMO conference. True, but for how much longer?

RHD's Swanson "Real" degree

2006-09-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

An article on Forbes.com discusses the misleading information in an RHD press release about the CEO's degree.

I think it's unfortunate and regrettable, but I seriously doubt that there was ever any intention to mislead the public or investors. It's not like a degree from St. Cloud State University made a bean's worth of difference in his performance.

Dave Swanson is one of those guys who has risen from an entry-level position to the executive suite by consistently producing top-drawer results for his investors, employees and advertisers.

Give the man his due. Dave Swanson's degree is from the school of hard knocks where he holds masters degrees in integrity, leadership and vision.

Rock on Swanny.

Two Weeks to Networking Event

2006-09-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

The major networking event for the Yellow Pages industry is coming up in two weeks in Los Angeles.

I will tell you that virtually EVERY important contact I have in the Yellow Pages industry (and I have a lot of wonderful contacts) has either started at a Kelsey conference, or it's been renewed there.

People contact me regularly about contacting YP executives. This is where you can sit down and have a beer with them in a relaxed, upbeat setting.

Yellow Pages Advice

2006-08-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief article by Adams Hudson, a marketer who services primarily the HVAC and Plumbing industry.

His advice on Yellow Pages ad design is straightforward, helpful and is not usually offered by the sales person who is paid for increasing your budget.

Win $5,000 Local TV Campaign from SpotRunner

2006-08-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Got a note from SpotRunner that they are running a contest to give away a $5,000 local tv campaign.

If you don't know about SpotRunner, you've got to check them out.

They make it so easy (and cheap) to run local cable tv ads.

See, local cable is required by law to run a certain amount of local information or advertising.

SpotRunner negotiates to buys this space on the cheap for the advertiser and make it very affordable.

They have amazingly high production value commercials and because the cable channels don't have to have sales people, they're thrilled to get dang near anything for te space.

Here's their note to me . . .

Spot Runner launched a sweepstakes this week giving local businesses the opportunity to win a complete television advertising campaign, including an ad of their choosing from our library personalized to their business, $5,000 worth of television airtime, a consultation service with one of our media experts and a portable DVD player.

Entering the sweepstakes takes just seconds, easily done on our homepage at www.Spotrunner.com, where you will also find complete details. Final entries are accepted through September 5, 2006.

Achtung! Der Yellow Pages for All

2006-08-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

Just like in the US, the German courts have ruled that the trademark "Yellow Pages" and the German translation "der valking finkers" are generic terms and can be used by anyone.

Oh joy!

Now our friends in Germany can enjoy the confusion that we do. Multiple directories sharing a common name and trademark. (Hopefully the Germans will use better sense.)

Well, I have to give their online advertising credit. For GoYellow.de, their commercial featured the amazingly talented Paris Hilton rolling around in her underwear waiting for a delivery boy.

It's hella more interesting than the lame ads we see stateside for online directories.

Deutsche Telekom loses "Yellow Pages" brand

After some two years of consultation, the the German Office of Patents and Trademarks (DPMA) has ruled that "Gelbe Seiten" and "Yellow Pages" does not deserve protection. Rather, as the DPMA told German news weekly Der Spiegel, these terms are merely general descriptions of services that are not protected. In other words, all providers of industry listings can call their registries of addresses "Gelbe Seiten."

This decision is a major setback for Deutsche Telekom: its subsidiary DeTeMedien was attempting to have these common terms registered as trademarks and had filed a large number of claims against competitors who also called their industry listings and Internet directories "Gelbe Seiten." Indeed, Telekom has filed more than a dozen suits for alleged violation of trademarks against just one company, Internet service provider GoYellow Media AG, in the past two years. "This is a real breakthrough," GoYellow's general manager Klaus Harisch stated. According to the upcoming issue of Der Spiegel, this decision does not surprise legal experts.

At the same time, GoYellow is not finished with the courts. While the struggling provider of online industry directories and Internet information services no longer has any unfinished business with Deutsche Telekom, it recently lost a legal dispute concerning its name with power provider Yellow. The ruling is not, however, legally effective because GoYellow has appealed. (Craig Morris) / (jk/c't)

Yahoo! Local Insights

2006-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

The conference call with Yahoo! Local started with a few technical bumps, but once we got rolling, Paul discussed several important developments in Yahoo's plans.

It was no surprise to me that he places heavy emphasis on having channel partners to provide full-service to local businesses.

The relatively new "Featured Listings" products on Yahoo! Local offer prime positioning in a limited inventory rotation on either the top of the page of relevant search results ("North" rotation), or on the bottom of the page ("South" rotation).

Commando hint: buy the top, and buy it now. There isn't a more important local network of sites, and these spots won't last long. The prices range from $20 - $300 per month depending on classification and geography.

Also, Yahoo's Enhanced Listings (which sell for $9.95) generally increase user activity by double the unenhanced listings.

Another Commando hint: enhance your listing and load that profile with relevant content and especially photos.

More later . . .

Yahoo! Local Teleseminar

2006-07-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 2 at 11:30 AM Pacific Time

Small Business Commandos is hosting an exclusive tele-seminar on

Insider Secrets to Successful Local Online Marketing.

Paul Levine, General Manager of Yahoo! Local will be on the hot seat answering your questions.

Yahoo! is sponsoring the event and is paying for the first 300 participants. Additional participants are $39 each.

Sign up now before all the seats are filled. In the first 20 minutes after announcing the event, more than 180 of the seats are taken.

Read more at http://ypcommando.com/yahoo.html

Where would you find Barbarians in the Yellow Pages?

2006-07-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

New York buyout firm KKR (the company made famous in the book/film "Barbarians at the Gate" is said to be in negotiations to buy PagesJaunes, the French Yellow Pages.

PagesJaunes, loosely translated means "big honkin' cash flow from old media."

Dang, Yellow Pages is one sexy business.

Verizon Buys Inceptor

2006-07-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Verizon acquired Inceptor, an Efficient Frontier competitor that specializes in bid management software for placing ads on Google and Yahoo.

This marks a significant move for Verizon that they want to expand their capabilities to distribute their advertisers across multiple search properties.

Once again, Verizon is leading the charge in the US in terms of greatly expanding the service offerings of their online product.

Three cheers for Eric Chandler, and the Verizon team for taking action. Print is certainly on its way out, and the Superpages team isn't waiting around to be a casualty.

Verizon Directories, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, said on Friday that it has acquired the assets of Inceptor, a search engine technology company.

Verizon said the deal would bolster its Internet yellow-pages business, SuperPages.com. Verizon said in December that it would sell or spin off its directories unit as it focuses on its wireless, high-speed data and corporate customers.

Verizon Class-Action Questions

2006-07-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I received the following message from the owner of an insurance agency in Cincinnati who is outraged at Verizon's decision to pull out of the market.

He's looking to join forces with other disgruntled advertisers.

So who's to blame when a directory publisher abandons a market?

As the Internet continues drawing the local users away from print, there are likely to be more directories dropped in the future.

Original note:
Dick, I found your blog and was quite interested. I run a small business in Cincinnati and am one of many who were swindled by Verizon. I placed a full page ad in the Insurance category of both the Cincinnati and one of the county directory pages. I am currently in litigation with them. Do you know of any others in the same position, or of any class action attempts from the pull out of markets by Verizon?

If you know of anyone who feels similarly burned, please contact me and I will put you in touch with the folks in Cincinnati.

Woo Hoo! New Yellow Pages office opens in Udupi!

2006-06-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

So I got this press release about a new Yellow Pages office opening in Udupi and I'm thinking "Where the hell is Udupi?"

So I read the article, and I still can't figure it out. Could be that I'm a typical American who couldn't find Canada on a map of North America.

Here's a clue . . .

It's in the Vasuki Towers near the taluk office. (WTF?)

I should probably ask the General Manager, Mr. Thirunavukkarasu. OMG!

Try saying that name three times fast.

Yellow Pages office opened in Udupi
Tuesday June 27 2006 12:34 IST

UDUPI: General Manager of BSNL, DK telecom district, Thirunavukkarasu on Monday inaugurated the Udupi office of VPP Yellow Pages, publishers of official DK telecom directory at Vasuki Towers, near taluk office here.

Thirunavukkarasu said that Yellow Pages were a good source of information.

"In addition to its regular directory, BSNL brings out supplementary pages to update the numbers of its new customers. It also brings the directory in CD version," he said. Chairman and managing director of Abideep Group of Industries Vincent Pinto suggested the BSNL to launch the directory on the web site to enable the tourists.

Hispanic Yellow Pages continuing acquisitions

2006-06-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

The acquisitions continue in the Hispanic Yellow Pages market. Personally, I think this is really smart. The hispanic market is so underserved in the US by traditional media, that the companies who deliver high quality services will reap rewards for many years to come.

Here's the news release . . .

Hispanic Yellow Pages of America Inc., a portfolio company of Hispania Capital Partners L.L.C., Chicago, has acquired the Milwaukee Hispanic Yellow Pages and Resource Guide, a Spanish-language yellow pages directory in Wisconsin.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Hispanic Yellow Pages of America is a company formed by Hispania and several prominent Hispanic publishers for the purpose of building and operating Spanish-language yellow pages directories across U.S. Hispanic markets.

The Milwaukee Hispanic yellow pages directory, established 12 years ago, is being renamed Paginas Amarillas de Wisconsin. The directory will continue to serve Wisconsin's booming Hispanic community now estimated at more than 200,00 people and growing faster than any other local ethnic and racial group.

Former Milwaukee Hispanic Yellow Pages owner Luis "Lou" Rodriguez will remain as publisher.

Hispanic Yellow Pages of America now publishes Hispanic yellow page directories in Illinois, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada reaching more than 500,000 Hispanic households. Hispania Capital Partners is a Chicago private equity firm focusing on later-stage companies serving the Hispanic market.

Verizon Cuts Residential Listings from Mini-Book

2006-06-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

Below is an article that appeared in the Curry Coastal Pilot in Oregon. In the "mini-book", Verizon decided not to include residential listings.

The residential listings are already included in the larger overlay directory, just not in the local directory.

Why, pray tell would they do such a thing?

Money. Residential listings are expensive to publish and there is no revenue associated with them. Since Verizon met the FCC requirements to publish listings by putting them in the overlay book, leaving them out of the mini-book is a no brainer . . . kind of.

Trouble is that consumers USE residential listings, and pulling them out of the directory would normally cause a major problem. The usage will slip, but I suspect that it is a calculated risk on Verizon's part.

The Verizon spokesperson says that they have pulled residential listings out of other markets and are not aware of any complaints.

Huh?

They removed half of the directory and nobody noticed?

Or perhaps they noticed and didn't complain.

Either way, cutting expenses is important when you're spinning off the directory business. Got to boost margins and profits to get highest possible price. The sale of the directory unit is likely to be completed before any advertiser backlash is felt (if there would be any backlash).

Hey, need residential listings? Go to WhitePages.com

CHANGES TO VERIZON YELLOW PAGES IRKS, CONFUSES CUSTOMERS

Published: June 14, 2006

Click this picture to view a larger image.

By Ellen Babin

Pilot staff writer

Verizon customers in Brookings-Harbor are finding some changes in the pairs of bright yellow telephone books being delivered to their homes.

The biggest change: no residential phone listings in the smaller book.

Instead, the 140-page Brookings-Harbor area supplemental phone book contains only numbers and ads for local businesses.

The larger phone book, which covers 16 towns within the entire Southern Oregon Coast, contains the residential listings for Brookings-Harbor. And the listings are in smaller type over five columns, rather than the traditional four columns. It also has 222 pages of advertisements from those 16 towns.

The result was numerous calls to the Curry Coastal Pilot from residents confused or angry about the changes.

The reason for the change, according to Verizon spokesman Karen Testa, based in Dallas, Texas, the content of the business' more than 1,400 directories nationwide occur at multiple levels: from the top brass in Dallas, to "regional and local."

Testa is the area public affairs liaison for Verizon's yellow pages in the western and independent markets.

Testa could not be reached by phone, but in an e-mail to the Curry Coastal Pilot this week Testa said:

"Using a basic model, our local marketing and sales teams provide feedback and recommendations specific to their markets so that the local directories meet marketplace needs.

"The removal of the residential white pages is an initiative that affects numerous markets nationwide. We looked at where we have a large ‘core' directory with neighborhood ‘underlay' products that duplicated listings. In the other markets where we have made this change, we are not aware of any negative feedback.

"We do take advantage of demographic information to develop our products, and we do offer our advertisers options to be in both our large and small books. There is no ‘buy one get one free'; however , we do offer advertisers incentives.''

Testa says her firm does value the feedback they receive from our consumers and advertisers and will take it seriously.

Can two thousand contractors all be wrong?

2006-06-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

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Small Business Commando News

Can two thousand contractors all be wrong?

June 9, 2006

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in this issue

-- Can two thousand contractors all be wrong?

-- Cool Local Online Marketing Tip

-- Answer to Last Redneck Riddle

-- Old family recipe

-- Papa's got a brand new bag

-- Just chalk and a sidewalk

-- Wow, that's really low!

-- Scientific Research

-- My kind of tax man

-- Feedback Hotline

-- This Week's Redneck Riddle

-- Quote of the Week

Some good photos this week. Don't miss 'em.

Can two thousand contractors all be wrong?

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Last Saturday, under the sweltering Los Angeles sun, an angry mob voiced their disgust with the Yellow Pages industry.

I was at the PHCC (Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Contractors) show running a workshop on effective Yellow Pages advertising.

Now, I should probably tell you that my business is primarily ONLINE marketing, not PRINT Yellow Pages.

However, the convention organizers were not sure how much interest there would be in online marketing, so they asked if I would also run a workshop on print Yellow Pages.

Representing the print Yellow Pages industry at a plumbers' convention is like being a George Bush pinata at a Muslim birthday party.

It was not exactly a love-fest in the city of angels.

Throughout the day, I heard swarms of contractors recanting their distrust of print Yellow Pages publishers and cheering the growth of online advertising as a viable alternative.

I realized that the issue the contractors had was not with the Yellow Pages product itself, but with the business practices of the publishers.

One Big Scary Dude couldn't pass the opportunity to unleash on a real live representative of the evil Yellow Pages industry (me).

Big Scary Dude's shaved head glistened with sweat. Tattoos crept from under his company-issued uniform t-shirt, and his massive Popeye forearms sported an impressive array of scars that I imagine were mementos from his undergraduate studies at the University of Leavenworth.

As Big Scary Dude began his ranting, I was glad I was wearing dark slacks, if you catch my drift.

Despite his menacing appearance, Big Scary Dude became quite outgoing and friendly after he finished his tirade. He simply wanted someone to listen to his unpleasant Yellow Pages experience.

Out of professional courtesy, I won't identify the publisher earning Big Scary Dude's wrath. I'll only say that their name rhymes with A Tree and Tree. (But it really could have been any publisher with similar sales practices.)

Big Scary Dude felt that he had been sold a load of dog doo.

(It took some serious editing to make that last line family-friendly).

He felt bamboozled, railroaded and bum rushed into buying a substantial ad program.

"It's (expletive deleted) ink on paper, not rocket surgery." Big Scary Dude said.

"Why can't I get a (expletive deleted) price list that makes any (expletive deleted) sense?"

"What kind of (expletive deleted) company charges more if you want smaller ads?

How can a billion dollar company not know when a phreaking phone book will come out?"

Within a month of the directory's release, Big Scary Dude realized that the ad was a total bust financially. (In all fairness, this might not have been the publisher's fault.)

BSD took his lumps and vowed that it would be his first and last foray in phone book advertising.

The following year's edition of the directory was delayed, and the publisher billed Big Scary Dude for several additional months. He continued receiving bills, but scarcely any customer calls. He was furious, and was told that he would be sued if he didn't pay because it was on the contract he signed.

After getting that off his chest and onto mine, our conversation turned to Internet advertising.

Big Scary Dude lit up with excitement. He raved about the leads he was getting from CraigsList and ads in several local online directories.

I learned that Big Scary Dude had taught himself basic website design. He optimized his site for an array of plumbing and HVAC related terms. He was running pay-per-click campaigns on Google and Yahoo. He had even tested a pay-per-call campaign.

I was in the presence of a master local online marketer.

I told Big Scary Dude about the launch of our online marketing program, and he made me promise that he would be in the first group of advertisers.

Big Scary Dude's disenchantment with traditional print Yellow Pages was echoed by scores of other contractors. Only a few were seriously marketing on the Internet, but you can be sure that those numbers will grow.

If the print Yellow Pages industry expects to survive the online revolution, it will have to rethink its approach toward local advertisers and develop programs to deliver quality leads at a fair and sustainable price.

That's my opinion.

I'd love to hear your comments. Call my feedback hotline and leave me a message.

1-888-334-8891

Cool Local Online Marketing Tip

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If want your website to generate calls for your business . . .

Put your telephone number (with area code) in large numbers above the fold. It's even better to put a photo of an operator to reinforce that someone will answer the phone.

"Above the fold" is a newspaper term that means being visible without having to scroll down the page.

Make it easy for someone to call you, and you'll get more calls.

Web designers often mistakenly put the phone number on the bottom of the page or on a "contact us" page.

Put it on every page near the top.

For more great tips on getting pre-qualified customers from the Internet, send an email to subscribe@QuitYP.com

Your email will only be used for local online marketing tips and will never be shared or used for any other purpose.

Answer to Last Redneck Riddle

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Buford rode with Festus and Skeeter to Daytona Beach for biker week.

Festus brought 5 Slim-Jims (spicy sausage snacks) and Skeeter brought 3 Slim-Jims.

A few hours into the drive, the boys got hungry and decided to equally share 8 Slim-Jims.

Buford didn’t bring any food, but agreed to pay $8 for his share in the feast.

How should Festus and Skeeter fairly divide the $8?

The winner receives 15 minutes of uninterrupted fame and an autographed copy of my latest CD "Commando Secrets LIVE - How to Market Your Local Business Online."

Didn't win? You can still get the CD here.

See the answer and the Redneck Riddles celebrity winner

Old family recipe

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Uh, let me guess . . .

bubbles and water?

Papa's got a brand new bag

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I don't know what this bag is advertising, but I dang near wrecked my car trying to figure it out.

Just chalk and a sidewalk

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This is just about the coolest piece of sidewalk art that I've seen.

Wow, that's really low!

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Perhaps the greatest business slogan of all time.

Scientific Research

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I find it really amusing that the Yellow Pages industry touted syndicated research as a valuable tool, and then left it up to the individual publishers to "spin" the results as necessary in self-serving press releases.

Am I the only one scratching my head over this practice?

My kind of tax man

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I love my tax dude.

Hope he gets paroled before next April.

Feedback Hotline

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What do you really think? Call my feedback hotline and leave a message.

1-888-334-8891

This Week's Redneck Riddle

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Buford went to the bait shop and purchased four night crawlers and three crickets for a grand total of 90¢.

Festus purchased three night crawlers and four crickets and paid 85¢.

The bait was priced by the piece rather than by weight.

How much is one night crawler and one cricket?

Email your answer to bait@redneckriddles.com

Every correct answer will receive a gift account allowing them to send five personalized greeting cards (including envelope and first class postage) compliments of www.SendOutCards.cc

One lucky winner will receive 15 minutes of uninterrupted fame and an autographed copy of my latest CD "Commando Secrets LIVE - How to Market Your Local Business Online."

Stumped? You can get the CD here.

To improve your random chances of winning, please include your name, company name, and mailing address.

I draw the winner the day before I send the following newsletter, so keep voting until the polls close.

Quote of the Week

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Albert Einstein Quotes:

"Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them."

"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."

"Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts."

"God does not play dice."

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

Got a good quote? Send it my way, and I'll give you 15 minutes of uninterrupted fame.

Contact Information

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email: dick@dicklarkin.com

phone: (760) 579-1005

web: http://ypcommando.com

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