The other day for Search Engine Land Chris Smith wrote “What Could Save the Yellow Pages? 10 ideas.”
His idea #5 is to add tracking phone numbers to every single YP ad, and let advertisers see the results. Naturally, I think this is a great idea.
I take Chris's thought further. By assigning tracking numbers to all print advertisements publishers could answer 8 of the remaining 9 ideas to save the yellow pages and here’s how: (
[Chris's idea: my thought]
1. Stop distributing books to people who no longer use them: Call tracking data would identify heavy usage households as well as non-users. The data would also reveal true service areas based on calling partners. This is great data to up-sell neighboring directories.
2. Reduce environmental impact: Distributing books based on household usage would lead to a lighter environmental impact (smaller, less frequent directories to non / light-users?).
3. Better, more dependable industry usage statistics: The call tracking data would be rock solid, empirical and does not relying on surveys.
4. Improve PR: The call tracking results would lead to improved public relations for the reasons stated above (better advertising results, lighter environmental impact.)
5. **Add tracking phone numbers to every single YP ad, and let advertisers see the results.**
6. Drop the cost of print advertising: The call tracking usage data would lead to performance pricing. Some prices will fall, and others may increase, but will be ROI-based. Consumers will receive a secondary benefit as the call tracking data will identify which business are more responsive to the calling consumer. This data acts as a base for consumer reviews. Tracking all calls will also identify demand in each market and each vertical. Prices will rise as the market for leads becomes competitive.
7. Bundle: Paying per-lead makes the source of the lead less relevant and promotes bundling.
8. Get mobile savvy: Bundling will stimulate Internet, mobile, DA and other distribution as publishers become more savvy identifying new sources of leads.
9. Fix the data: Assigning numbers to all advertisers will identity disconnected numbers, mis-categorized businesses and other indicators of poor service significantly improving the data.
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3 comments:
Hi, Richard - great additional ideas!
From what I've seen within the IYP industry, both click-to-call and call-tracking have posed a bit of a "which comes first" dilemma -- no one seems to've found the right mix of transparency of ad effectiveness metrics, low-cost ad product, and sufficient profitability to make it work.
Showing that the directory listings might not be called all that often is something the companies are hesitant to do. Yet, without that degree of openness, advertisers are mistrustful of the ROI proposition, and are migrating away from the medium.
One of these companies will likely need to bite-the-bullet by absorbing the cost of tracking, and be brave enough to expose just how much or little calls are being made from the ads. Hard to convince a conservative company to take those risks, I guess...
I'm still surprised that Google cancelled click-to-call in Google Maps. Seems very much like they should try it again in a slightly new incarnation.
Perhaps they'll buy a company that has this sort of technology?
Hi Chris - Google also acquired GrandCentral and hasn't, to my knowledge, done much w/ the asset. Their initial vendor for the click-to-talk was a company called Voip Inc in SoFla. My sense is there may have been some issues w/ the vendor. MSN and Yahoo also have these assets via acquisitions.
I've found that the IYPs look only at pure tracking and not the big picture. Connecting calls tells us not only how many leads are delivered, but also gives a much clearer picture of quality, enables exciting voice 2.0 applications (follow me find me, etc) and is a launch pad for reviews (after the call review the merchant). Breakage is a big issue: the conversation rate from calls to connections, or calls to leads. Call tracking data may reveal the categories with low call volume, but it will also be used to better monetize the categories with higher call volume.
I love your blog. So much useful information. Thank you very very much.
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