Yellow Pages will survive the shift but some immediate changes must be made. On January 10, the analyst firm Kelsey Group released a report that identified what they termed as “Key Local Media Trends” to watch out for in the year ahead. The report touched on local search, interactive local media, vertical directories, classified media markets, and, most importantly, the immediate future of the Yellow Pages.

With many economists predicting a slowdown in the general economy, the Kelsey Group analysts believe 2008 will be a pivotal year for the global Yellow Pages industry. A few excerpts from the glaring report:

* Major Metro Markets Lead the Revolution
More publishers operating in large metro markets will proactively institute opt-out plans for consumers to reduce distribution to the ones who really want the print directory, something publishers have historically resisted. Also look for initiatives to radically rescope major metro books or introduce new formats.

* Expanding Online-Only Expansion
In the coming year, we expect to see more publishers using their Internet offerings to expand into new markets. In some cases this will lead to new print directories, but more often we expect to see publishers establishing a sales presence outside their home markets or franchise territory with no intention of launching a print book.

According to The Kelsey Report managing editor, Charles Laughlin, “the key question is whether the print product will emerge as healthily as it has after previous downturns. In the past, small and medium-sized businesses have protected their print Yellow Pages investment at the expense of other media. Given the structural changes in the local ad market, we believe the next downturn will favor media choices that are more flexible and provide a lower cost per lead than print directories, which would signal a profound shift.”

Peter Krasilovsky, program director of The Kelsey Group, also added that “the accelerated rate of attrition from ’07 should be a wake-up call to Yellow Pages publishers. While industry-changing developments don’t typically happen in such a short time frame, publishers will need to give up their “sense of complacency” to avoid being blindsided by the impact of their rapidly diminishing share of voice in ’08.”

It is hard to deny that there is a lot of talk about ad dollars going from traditional to new media. But, in my view, the industry is still attempting to adapt to the changing consumer. And I’m confident that the Yellow Pages will succeed in this process of adaptation.
In Canada, there are already new competitors in the directory landscape, such as CanPages and CanWest. At the moment, CanPages is the main competitor to YPG, with approximately 80 directories in Canada, some of which have become the directory of choice in a market.

I believe that innovation, more than anything else, is what is needed in Canada, and in the entire Yellow Pages industry in general. When I say innovation,  I am referring to new products, sales approaches, and management styles. That, and good old-fashioned marketing and promotion that must come from the heart.

The Kelsey analysts may have their opinions, but the Yellow Pages directories have fared well in recent economic downturns as they themselves stated and I am confident that we will continue to do so. AT&T and Yellow Book, for example, are faring quite well as they surf the new media wave.

In my view, the Kelsey analysts are basing their bold forecasts on what is merely temporary, momentary shift. Understanding the new needs of the changing consumer is no walk in the park, so to speak, and there will be a few potholes to dodge in this easily-mendable road to adaptation. Innovation is the key, and the temporary lack of it can be swiftly rectified. The wake-up call is well underway.

Listen up, real estate agents, a new web-based product is about to make your job a whole lot easier, and hassle-free.

RealBird (www.RealBird.com), a leading provider of Internet marketing tools for the real estate industry, announced last December 17 the release of a groundbreaking new version of its RealBird Listing Publisher an innovative, fully web-based product to help Realtors market their listings and generate leads.

It works by publishing on the major classifieds portals single property websites of homes for sale, while also showing potential home buyers all the surrounding listings for sale from the MLS (Multiple Listing Service).

Agents and brokers can increase their lead generation efficacy by embedding their branded MLS Search tools directly in every published single property website which are syndicated to more than 10 classifieds portals. Compared to “traditional” single property website marketing tools, this increases customer response by a very significant factor.

With the new RealBird Listing Publisher, agents can now create dedicated property websites for every listing within minutes for free. It also enables agents to create draft presentations for listing interviews. They can also create stand-alone websites with maps, photos, slideshows, videos, external virtual tours and any other information pertaining to the property and its community. These single property websites work because they are syndicated to major classifieds portals, the very places where homebuyers are searching.

But perhaps the most novel feature in the RealBird product is the ability to embed in Single Property Publisher websites. Exposing the MLS search where homebuyers are searching effectively makes the agent’s branded MLS search accessible through multiple websites (even after the published listings are sold), instead of just on their own website. (Check out http://www.58NorthGate.com and click on the Map Search tab.)

A real estate website is only as good as the traffic it gets, and in today’s competitive world it is hard to gain online visibility and differentiation without a huge marketing expense. Based on their offerings, the new RealBird Publisher may provide an effective solution.

According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 U.S. Internet users conducted by web metrics firm comScore (together with the Kelsey Group), online reviews have a big impact on consumers when it comes to offline spending.

The study, which was carried out last October, examined the impact of online reviews on offline spending at restaurants and hotels, as well as for travel, legal, medical, automotive, and home services:

-24% of respondents said they had checked online reviews before paying for an offline service.
-41% of those who consulted restaurant reviews subsequently went to a restaurant
-40% who read hotels reviews went to a hotel.
-8% of those who read reviews subsequently purchased legal services and 19% home services.

More than three in four respondents in all but one category said online reviews had a significant influence on their purchase, with hotels ranking highest at 87%. The one exception was home services, with only 73% saying reviews had a significant impact on buying decisions. 97% of those who made a purchase based on an online review said they found the review had been accurate.

The survey also discovered that consumers are willing to pay significantly more for services that are highly rated. Respondents said they would be willing to pay 20% more for a home service rated excellent over one rated good, and 99% more for a top-rated legal service, with the lift in other categories ranging from 22% to 49%.

Brian Jurutka, senior director of comScore Marketing Solutions, said in a statement: This study underscores the importance of providing not just good, but excellent, service if a business hopes to generate positive consumer reviews which will result in greater sales.
Such data shows the importance of local service review sites in a consumer’s purchase process. With such a large percentage of review users subsequently purchasing, it is extremely vital that local service providers have a positive presence on review sites. The impact, after all, is enormous.

A recent press release from AT&T (Yellow Pages) revealed some interesting information for local businesses, the Local Advertising Journal reported last December 18. Here are some interesting statistics from the survey they conducted using 1,000 small businesses across the U.S.:

* twice as many small businesses use the Yellow Pages as opposed to other forms of local advertising.

*Of the 1,000 businesses (with under 25 employees) surveyed, only 23% are involved in online advertising, though 53% plan to purchase online ads in the next few years. That means that the competition level for local businesses online is still fairly low.

*Two thirds of small businesses, according to the study, have websites, but a surprising number of them only rely on search engine marketing to bring them traffic.

*the Yellow Pages 2007 Facts and Media Guide, an annual research publication of the Yellow Pages Publishers Association, indicates that 88% of U.S. adults refer to the Yellow Pages (hard copy), while the online version is rapidly picking up as more and more people become used to searching online.

*Though search engines are still high on the list, the Yellow Pages are still very popular with local businesses and consumers alike.

“It’s the next generation of the mobile Internet,” says mobile pioneer Nihal Mehta, in a recent article published in the Chicago-based Advertising Age magazine (www.adage.com).

Mehtawho was named an M-Commerce Baron by Newsweek in 2006, and the founder of ipsh!, one of the first full-service mobile marketing agencies is referring to his new local-search/networking service, BuzzD.

BuzzD (www.BuzzD.com) is an innovative mobile local-search service, providing real-time information on bars, clubs and restaurants on mobile devices. Faithful to their tagline (“Your city, in real-time”), BuzzD allows consumers to know what’s happening at any venue in any given time. They may also rate events and drinks, as well as connect with friends and peers from their area.

BuzzD was launched a few weeks ago in partnership with Flavorpill (a website that lists cultural events in major cities) and leading city and travel guide publisher Time Out (www.timeout.com). Flavorpill Mobile will initially be available in six cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and London.

Although there are plans to make BuzzD available on all major carriers, Helio is expected to be the first carrier of the new service. According to Mehta, BuzzD works without information about a user’s location but eventually will add a GPS.

While there is evidence that popular location-based services, such as mapping applications, are generating good revenue for carriers, it’s still unclear whether location-based mobile social networks will do the same, wrote Advertising Age reporter Alice Cuneo in the article.

The Walt Disney Co. shut down its branded phone that allowed parents to locate their children. Boost Mobile said 171,402 subscribers use its Loopt service, which allows young adults to locate friends. Sprint Nextel Corp., provider of the network for the Disney and Boost Mobile phones, has a similar location service, but a spokesman said Sprint Nextel does not share information about the number of subscribers using that service.

Although the service is promising, there already have been some doubts over it’s perceived functionality in a nocturnal or after-hours setting.

“If I’m having a bad time, I might take the time (to write a review or critique the scene), but if I’m having a good time, probably not, said Roger Entner, senior VP of the communications sector for IAG Research. That sounds like serious work at a time when I’m having fun.”

But according to the BuzzD founder, the concept has already proven itself with Dodgeball, another mobile social network offering similar services. “If you’re having a good time, he says, you want to connect with your friends.