YP is one of the older versions of advertising and one of the MOST expensive for the small business owner. With so many options at your disposal and today’s economy it does not make sense to put your business under financial stress by making annual commitments.

As an ad sales rep, I have heard too many stories from very nice merchants that feel misled or have been placed in a financial burden trying to honoring a YP contract that has proven unbeneficial to their business. Being sold a “bill of goods” has long been practiced by some ( not all) unsavory sales reps. Its unfortunate to hear stories of businesses that lose their website or forced to pay for bad advertising. Here are a few things to consider before signing on the dotted line.

1 NEVER –especially in 2009’s economy- sign an ANNUAL contract- regardless if what discount is being implied. Major internet players like Google & Yahoo never require you sign a 12month deal…..plans can change, but annual non cancelable YP contracts don’t.
2. AVOID 800 number or call tracking phone numbers provided by YP. A metered phone number is a special number that forwards callers to your real phone number. The phone company then sends you a monthly report on the number of calls you received through the metered line. If you do not renew after 12 months your number expires. People may hold onto older versions of the phone book and will get a disconnect when they try calling (who actually requests YP to send them a new book every year)
3. DON’T PAY FOR ADD-ONS until you actually know it works! Remember you cannot cancel this contract. If you are so inclined to commit 12 months of hard earned money to YP without any guarantees just go for the minimum line listing ( no more than $100/month). That way you will be found in the directory and can assess the calls that come in. That takes me to # 4 & 5
4. ASK– ask everyone how did they got your number- did you see us listed? Train your staff on this as well – and always ask walk-ins. YOU MUST KNOW WHAT IS GENERATING EXPOSURE FOR YOUR BSINESS
5. SIZE vs. LOCATION. Bigger is not always better. Your ad sales rep will come in with a discounted ad package with bells &whistles. Will paying for color ink, borders and FP ads make your business more profitable? People searching a service check local first. Thus a small listing – line item even- may be more practical. Recently I needed an exterminator (ASAP) I entered my zipcode + exterminator and started my search from there. I am in Brooklyn…..I needed an exterminator now. I don’t want one from the Bronx when there are three within 15 minutes of me ( even if the Bronx exterminator has a snazzy FP ad). Don’t SPEND money on YP DESIGN ADS……that significant 12 month investment may be better applied to your website design, professional logo, or email software.
6. YP CLICK PACKAGES . Just type in yp advertsing or click packages & see what comes up on the internet. Your yellow pages rep sells you a PPC package with a guaranteed amount of clicks for a flat fee. What they are not disclosing is YP does not drive 100% of these clicks. YP has agreements with tier 2 search sites, domain parked sites and other traffic sources via feeds to run their click package text ads on those sites with the end goal of generating clicks I personally have worked at local search directories and know how to identify the national feeds that are being placed on 3rd party sites -the business owner are not even aware of.

If you want alternative PPC traffic there are many good options which I will address in a follow up on Niche PPC. The bottom line takeaway is NEVER EVER commit to a 12 month program without doong some research . Online marketing should be trackable and hopefully transparent ( you know the referral sources) . You should be able to add/cutback or even pause a campaign. 2009 was a very bad year for a lot of businesses. Realize there are many advertising options – some even free- which can provide great value to you business. Do not anchor yourself to a program that may not be right for you