Telling you that advertising in the Yellow Pages directory is not an effective use of your money, isn’t breaking news.  

If you have attended one of our lawyer marketing conferences or listened to our many Webinars, you know that overall, we believe that Yellow Pages advertising is dead.  Who really uses this directory to find services anymore?  Maybe someone needs to tell that to the hundreds of law firms that are still throwing their money away.

Open up just about any Yellow Pages book and you will see a substantial “lawyer” section.  There are pages and pages of ads.  Some ads are in color,  while others are not.  There are big ads, medium ads, and small ads. But you know what? Despite the attempts, these law firms have made to make their ads stand out by adding color or buying more space, they are all pretty much the same. Close your eyes and randomly point to an ad, because it won’t make any difference. It will have similar ad copy to all the others.

Could Yellow Pages Advertising Become Extinct?
The big question regarding the Yellow Pages is whether it will be around in the years to come.  Many marketers will tell you that the answer is “no.”  Just take a look at some of the latest trends:
  • 70 percent of respondents to a study about local search stated that they use the Internet as their primary source of local business information. (Source: Local Search Usage Study, conducted by comScore)
  • A study of 1,100 small business owners found that 66 percent have no interest in marketing in the Yellow Pages. (Source: Vista Print)
  • There is a website now specifically designed to help consumers “opt-out” of this directory, meaning they will no longer receive this massive yellow book. (Source: YellowPagesGoesGreen.org)
What Every Lawyer Should Do 
If you want to attract the types of clients YOU want, then you need to spend more time and money focusing on Internet marketing than on the Yellow Pages.  That means you need to have a quality attorney website that is updated constantly with new content and online video.  You also need to get involved in social media and local search websites.  You can learn more by reading our other articles:

Is Your Law Firm Or Medical Practice Website Getting Enough Exposure? Foster Web Marketing Can Help With Our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services  

Are you concerned that your website isn't pulling in enough traffic to keep you swimming in leads? Do you need help with SEO for your legal or medical website? If so, Foster Web Marketing can help! Please contact us online or call our office directly at 866.497.6199 to schedule your free consultation with our experienced marketing team. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.

Matt Casey
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SEO Analyst & Web Strategist
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