A High Point roofing company sat down with us last quarter holding two contracts: an $1,800 a month Yellow Pages renewal and an $1,800 a month proposal from us for SEO, AdWords, and a new website. They asked how to choose. The honest answer was that they should not choose. They should shift, slowly and with measurement, away from one and into the other over the next 18 months.
Why the Shift Is Happening Now
Yellow Pages distribution has dropped sharply in the Triad over the last five years. Most households still receive a book but the percentage of consumers who open it before searching Google has fallen below 25 percent for many service categories. Younger homeowners under 40 essentially never open it. The book still produces some calls, but the cost per call has roughly tripled since 2005 while web channels have moved in the opposite direction.
The Phased Shift That Actually Works
- →Months 1 to 3: Measure first. Put a unique tracking phone number on the Yellow Pages ad and a different tracking number on the website. After 90 days you have a real cost per call for each channel.
- →Months 1 to 6: Build the web foundation in parallel. Claim the Google Local Business Center listing, fix on-page SEO, launch a small AdWords budget, and rebuild the website if needed. Do this while the Yellow Pages ad is still running, not after.
- →At renewal: downgrade, do not cancel. Most Yellow Pages reps have a smaller ad option at half the price. Take it. The book still produces some calls and the partial spend buys you a smooth transition while web channels grow.
- →Months 6 to 18: Reallocate the savings. Half goes into expanding AdWords and SEO, a quarter goes into improving the website, and a quarter stays as profit.
- →At second renewal: drop the Yellow Pages entirely only if the data over the prior six months proves the web channels are producing equal or greater volume at lower cost per call.
Common Objections and Honest Answers
- →"My customers are older and still use the book." Maybe a third of them do. The other two-thirds are searching online whether you appear there or not.
- →"The Yellow Pages rep says the book still produces tons of calls." Maybe. The tracking number will tell you the truth. Insist on one.
- →"I do not understand the web stuff." The whole point of measurement and a phased shift is that you do not have to commit on faith. You commit on data.
The High Point roofer above ran the phased shift across 14 months. By the end, their cost per qualified lead had dropped from $187 to $61, total monthly lead volume was up 80 percent, and the Yellow Pages line item was zero.
Read the companion pieces on replacing print ads with a website redesign and building your first email list from existing customers, or have our digital marketing agency design and run a phased budget shift for your business.