The Stationers Guild

I have long held the view that Google Local  and Yahoo Local and Microsoft Local (now Bing) are far better advertising and promotion solutions for many small businesses than the Yellow Pages – online and in print.  This view was strongly reinforced this week when I received my Google local search results for August and an unsolicited advertising request (fax) to list my business on www.YellowPage-Connecticut.com.

First the good news.  During the month of August, the Therese Saint Clair listing on Google Local was seen 2,172 times with 95 clicks for the website, 22 for more information and 4 clicks for driving instructions.   A click-through rate of close to 5% is far better than the 1% to 3% we get for our Google adwords campaigns.   Make no mistake, this is highly focused search traffic from buyers seeking to make purchases from stores in their neighborhood.   More importantly, your local business listing is free!  Granted, it may take 30 minutes to an hour or more to get your listing configured the way you wish for it to be displayed, but it is hard to argue with the cost/benefit results.

Contrast this with the offer I received last week to advertise on YellowPage-Connecticut.  With a two year contract, I can list my business in the Connecticut Yellow Pages (excuse me, Yellow Page singular) for only $89  a month.  This website is virtually devoid of content but has the familiar Yellow Pages logo.  Is it really the Yellow Pages?   If you read the fine print, it is actually a UK company hoping to do what many other Yellow Pages clones are trying to do:  Namely, part small unsuspecting businesses from their hard-earned cash!   While the Yellow Pages could have become a dominant force in local search, their name has been seriously compromised and their archaic marketing model is little changed from the days of peddling ads for their annual Yellow Pages publication.

The three major search engines have very attractive advertising solutions for local businesses.  Unfortunately, the Yellow Pages needs to do much to clean up its image before it can become a credible resource for local search.

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair

Emi Havas and Deidre Karner, the talented stationers at Paperfolio in Summit, NJ, have taken a very important step to promote their bricks-and-mortar store on the Internet:  They have claimed their business on Google.  Emi reports that “claiming my name (store) on Google was the easiest thing I have done on the computer other than turn it on.  And now we’re even going to add some photos.  It’s easy, fun and free and there is no reason not to do it immediately.”

Experienced stationers like Emi and Deidre have discovered that buyers have migrated from the Yellow Pages to online search for stationery services such as custom wedding invitations, fine business and social stationery and distinctive invitations.  Stores such as Paperfolio have a huge competitive advantage over online resellers.  Unfortunately, online buyers often cannot locate an experienced stationer in their neighborhood to discuss paper options, printing processes and to see a wide array of fine papers and designs that are simply not available on the internet.  As more and more experienced stationers take advantage of the local search capabilities provided by Google, Yahoo and MSN, discerning consumers will soon have an opportunity to reconnect with fine paper and the stunning designs that are simply not available on the internet.

This is a story worth following and I will keep track of their efforts to upgrade Paperfolio’s presence on the internet.