You may have seen a recent post about “Who’s using the Yellow Pages” or other recent articles discussing dramatic increases in phone calls to local businesses during and after recent disasters. In a disaster like Hurricane Sandy, one might say, “These communities had no power so they had no choice but to turn to the yellow pages, right?” Certainly lack of electricity was a catalyst for pushing people to the yellow pages, but the underlying driver was that these communities had “needs” created by an “event”. These people needed help, and were “Ready to Buy”. In order to buy, they needed information. Sitting there in their homes 7 days a week 365 days a year were the yellow pages which are rich in content and loaded with convenience and confidence factors that help consumers make buying decisions.
Convenience Factors:
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Confidence Factors
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| Even if you had internet access, finding this kind of rich information can be a challenge. By the way, do your online ads have this kind of information? | |
Keep in mind that consumers experience many kinds of events that create “needs”. They may have a frozen pipe burst, an oven break down, a leaking hot water heater or an air conditioning unit not working on a 105 degree day. Did you know from May to September, call counts for A/C services can increase by over 100%?
Like A/C services, seasonal events drive needs as well. Florists experience seasonal spikes as much as 344% for Valentines day and 122% for Mother’s day. Landscapers experience as much as 122% increases during spring and summer months.
Imagine a family moving to a new city. Real estate businesses see as much as 100% increases during summer as families search for and buy their new homes before the new school year begins. Settling into their home they need to find a doctor, a dentist, schools, auto repair or service, grocery stores, banks, home centers, city and motor vehicle offices, and many, many more. Movers and storage companies see a steady thirty plus percent rise from February to September as families make dozens and dozens of calls for planning and services in the process of moving.
People who use the yellow pages are people who have an event-driven “need”, are ready to buy and are looking for information (content) to help them make a buying decision.
