Yellow Pages doesn’t offer full color ads… but your small business website does
Can your small business website actually save you money? Of course it can. But often small business owners are fixated only on the cost of a well designed website, instead of asking the most important question of their potential web designers? “What’s the bottom line of this website, what are the benefits to me?”
Yesterday I had a long conversation with one of our customers about their website, and their overall marketing plan. One of our Prescott based clients has been working with RLC Design for nearly a year now, and they’ve started making major changes in their marketing budget. Why? Because their website is effective in reaching a larger audience than many of the local outlets they’ve been using. For example…..The Yellow Pages.
Yellow Pages Budget Re-allocated
In talking with one of our Prescott clients yesterday I learned so many amazing things. I’m glad our clients stay in touch with us and keep us up to date with how they see their small business website impacting their business. And in the case of this client, they’ve started re-homing their marketing dollars thanks to the work we’ve done.
One specific item cited by our client was her Yellow Pages Budget. For her ad spot in the Yellow Pages she’s spending about $500 per month. For those who are slow on math, that’s $6,000 per year.
A well built website reaches globally, Yellow Pages reaches local only
The Yellow Pages is extremely local. If a person is searching for you outside of your local area, they’ll be using something else. Maybe a Google Search for your business? I mean, who doesn’t Google for businesses these days??? And the cost of $6,000 per year sunk into an advertising method that is losing ground by the day? Yeah, the funds might be better spent on some major improvements to your website.
The small business website designs we do don’t have massive recurring yearly fees. In the case of our clients who want to take on the day to day management of their sites, when we’re done the billing stops. And in the case of our clients who want us to do ongoing maintenance of their websites? The cost is well under the yearly payments to Yellow Pages mentioned above.
Another small business wrote the following regarding their marketing budget changes away from the Yellow Pages:
Life without wasting money is AWESOME. At least, that’s my opinion. Since my company stopped advertising in the Yellow Pages last year (other than our name, number, and website listing) we have saved an average of $2,000 per month. For all math gurus, that $24,000 a year. Do you know how much killer web marketing can be done with $24,000 a year?? Holy cow, the possibilities are through the roof. Jonathan Bennett
Small business website designers can help your bottom line
A good web design company can do a lot. They can help new customers find you. They can help existing customers have a better experience on your website. They can help streamline your online marketing dollars. And they can help you save a ton of money by showing you how to dump the ineffective local marketing you’ve been doing. Like the rest of the directory services out there, the Yellow Pages is operating on the value they used to have, not the value they offer today. Your website can reach a global market, not just a local one. And if you think your website isn’t performing? It probably isn’t, you probably prioritized cost over quality. Time to rethink your small business website!