State of Local

Lately I’ve seen more and more space devoted to the Independent Yellow Pages (IYP) and frankly, I don’t get it.  After reading pieces by Greg Sterling at Screenwerk  and Media Post I’m left with the conclusion that the IYP is not only a valid publication, but that it hasn’t yet suffered much loss of traction as a result of the Internet.  This absolutely astounds me.

Admittedly, I’m a sample of just one, but I can’t recall the last time I used a Yellow Pages for anything other than a doorstop. I have always felt it to be a nearly useless resource.  When it gets dropped on my doorstep, it goes directly into the recycling bin.  Same goes for the little “local” editions as well.  From poor design (i.e., too much clutter) making it hard to find listings, and the onus being on me to decipher where some listings will appear.

I simply don’t want to work that hard when I’m looking for something.  Frankly, I’ll use a white pages and search in the business listings if the Internet’s not available, or if I know the business name for which I’m searching. Or even better, if I need a mechanic, plumber or electrician — I’ll ask a trusted friend for a recommendation.

But as I said, that’s just me.  So on a whim I quickly surveyed 10 co-workers (ranging in age from under 30 to 50+) and the consensus didn’t fall too far astray from me:

• Two colleagues said they’ve used the IYP in the last month with qualifiers (if the Internet’s not available, and if they don’t know the business’ name to search for it in the White Pages — like me!).
• The other eight survey respondents were much more direct.  Not one could recall using a printed Yellow Pages in years. On co-worker claimed to do what I do: recycle immediately, while another was so loathe to use it she’d rather “wait on a computer boot-up, than rely on a Yellow Pages lookup.”

That’s pretty damning stuff, and what I’m really wondering is this: Is anyone else seeing this kind of data and sharing it with these small advertisers?  These folks need to be educated as to what’s really going on in local search and then they need to be migrated to the Web now, and not later.  It’s not a matter of branding it’s a matter of survival.  If people can’t find you, because in ever increasing numbers you’re not where they are, no amount of branding will help.