At the YPA Conference, Neal Polochek is speaking with the CEO of BIA Financial Network, the company that acquired the Kelsey Group 6 moths ago.  During their presentation he reported that the 4th, 5th, and 6th phone books in a market will be eliminated.  I agree, this is too many books for a market anyway.  User’s don’t like it and, frankly, it is not a good situation for advertisers. It fragments the market as advertisers decide which books to be in and which books to not advertise in.  The result is the user doesn’t have one or two complete books to use to find advertisers.  This has an impact on the move to internet.

In his report, he also stated that the future looks good for incumbent publishers versus independent publishers.  Yellow Assistance is trying to change this, but it is up to those independent publishers to get together on a national platform to compete.  A small independent who operates a local IYP will struggle in the future to compete with incumbents who are making it obvious that there growth is going to come from smaller markets and their margins are going to improve by eliminating competition.  Yellow Assistance FREE offer to independent publishers is an answer to this problem.  We provide the publisher a local IYP platform and at no charge put their advertisers into a national platform.  If independents will come together, we can have one of the top sites in terms of traffic, which translates into value for their advertisers.

The next threat to the independent publishers are the states who are pushing for telco only books to decrease the number of books being delivered in their markets.  This is a huge threat, so how do independent publishers combat this.   I don’t have the answer, I hope that both associations are working diligently on this, and I believe they are.  My suggestion is to make yourself matter in the market.  Get on board by educating your advertisers about the benefits of print, iyp, search engine marketing, and search engine optimization.

It was said that many are putting their heads under the sheets and saying, “wake me up when it is over.” Don’t be one of those publishers. Change is difficult and retraining a sales staff is not easy, but the relationships that independents have are extremely valuable, make sure you continue to have those relationships, by offering your advertisers a full cross-platform solution.

Today’s meeting started in style. Rarely does a meeting like this begin with the presentation of the colors, and the singing of the National Anthem. Well done YPA.

Today we will be learning what is changing in the yellow pages industry and what will be in the future. The industry is changing. Some are very bullish that the print side is dying and the internet side is taking over. I would argue that while the print side is shrinking, I don’t believe it is dead, only changing its landscape. Once the change is over, I believe the industry will remain strong.

Internet will be a major player in shaping the new landscape. The publishers who get on board and begin to offer the value of both will be the industry leaders who emerge out of this recession. The Internet is not the enemy, it is simply another piece of the local media bundle and must be embraced by publishers.

– Post From My iPhone

In our recent work with small- and medium-sized businesses, the recession and how to get through it is a common subject of conversation.  We’ve found that business owners are becoming more receptive to exploring online solutions to market their companies.  In our current economy, it is imperative for businesses to find more cost effective alternatives to traditional media, and search engine marketing is certainly at the top of the list.

Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Yellow Pages Facing Extinction” where reporter Emily Steel painted a pretty grim picture of the Yellow Pages industry. However, for the most part, she presented a very one-sided view of the industry.

While I concede that there are some publishers bleeding, especially in a down economy, there are many, many more that are doing very well and continue to drive fantastic value to their advertisers.

The big question in the industry revolves around the future of print directories versus the Internet. Publishers are turning to online solutions as people migrate steadily away from print directories. In the WSJ article, Emily writes, “The audience for online yellow pages remains relatively small, and traffic growth is slowing. So many directory services are vying for the ad dollars of local businesses that no single site has an authoritative roster.” I would heartily disagree with the contention that traffic growth is slowing. I am aware of many Internet Yellow Pages sites, including Yellow Assistance, that are experiencing rapid growth.

The issue with fragmentation among online yellow pages will continue as long as individual publishers continue to stand alone on local online directory platforms that have limited reach, no national scope, and little search engine exposure.  They will have trouble convincing local advertiser of the value their online offering brings versus search engine marketing.

We believe that if publishers can come together on a national internet yellow pages platform, they can generate an exponentially greater flow of traffic, which will in turn increase the value of their online ads, driving revenue. Yellow Assistance offers a platform that allows Directory Publishers to maintain their identity, but at the same time overcome fragmentation and deliver tremendous value to their advertisers through the collaboration of network traffic.

Through our Yellow Assistance Publisher Partner Program (YAP3), we provide publishers with a fully integrated Internet Yellow Pages site that is customized to their look, using their own domain name.  The platform includes a nationwide search engine of 19 million+ business listings.

The real power comes in the combination of directories that form the YAP3 network, which will enable participating Directory Publishers to combine their individuals sites into a national collaboration, leveraging network traffic, search engine visibility and revenue potential.

We believe so strongly in this platform’s ability to revolutionize the Yellow Pages Directory industry, we are offering it at no charge to Independent Directory Publishers. To learn more about YAP3, go to partner.yellowassistance.com and watch the features and benefits.

InDevX, Inc. has enjoyed strong growth by building innovative, creative and cost-effective digital marketing solutions for our clients in the Tulsa area and across the United States. Our management team has over 30 years of combined digital marketing experience and we are committed to providing our clients with outstanding service and exceptional applications/products.

As an employer, we are equally committed to recruiting and retaining the most talented professionals in our industry and rewarding those who excel in their roles. We seek people who believe in helping our customers transform the way they do business, and have the drive, determination and creativity to make it happen. We seek people who value a team environment, are motivated by individual and team success, are loyal and desire a long term employment relationship.

We are currently seeking Account Executives to join our sales team. This sales role will be focused on our portfolio of web based applications, including YellowAssistance and Sitendex, targeting businesses and other key markets. We are looking for high-energy individuals who are able to reach decision makers and establish relationships quickly. This position requires heavy outbound phone calls to executives, locally as well as across the US. Qualified candidates will be assertive, self-driven and outgoing individuals who have the ability to work well with others. We offer a ground-floor opportunity for the right candidates to excel in a professional working environment where daily, weekly, and monthly goals are expected to be met. We offer a base commensurate with candidate experience plus the ability to earn huge residual commissions. This is an outstanding opportunity for individuals who are driven to succeed.

Responsibilities:
• Pre-qualifying sales leads
• Presenting and explaining package application(s)
• Achieving sales objectives
• Contract negotiation and limited deployment support
• Recommending strategies based on awareness of competitive conditions
• Recommending product enhancements and modifications based on client and prospect feedback
• Maintain up-to-date customer and prospect records and participate in development of sales forecasts
• Punctual and consistent attendance

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• A passion for positive results
• Related sales experience required (3 to 5 Years)
• Proven track record of sales success
• Associate Degree (Bachelors Degree preferred)
• Ability to manage and effectively grow a sales territory; results oriented
• Polished presentation and communication skills
• Strong time management and multi-tasking skill set
• Exceptional follow through
• Proficient with computer software and technology
• Knowledge of web, software and social networking applications (Facebook/MySpace/LinkedIn etc.) preferred

Please e-mail your resume, salary requirements, and references to: sam.bein@indevx.com

At the Association of Directory Publishers’ Mid-Year Convention this week, the overriding theme was finding an answer to this question: “How do we continue to compete as more and more people move online for their local information?”  The concern is how to maintain their core printed product, which, although slowly declining, still remains the first source by 30% of consumers according to a study conducted by TMP Directional Marketing, while becoming profitable in the growing online markets.  I believe it was Jacqui Ponkey of Genesis Publisher Services who said, “It’s not about being in print or online, but about being in print AND online.”

The difficulty seems to be in devoting the extensive resources in time, money and staff to develop a viable and competitive online presence, then further effort to get consumers to use.  That’s why we have spent considerable resources developing our Yellow Assistance Publisher Partner Program (YAP3).

Through YAP3, we offering Independent Directory Publishers the ability to get online quickly with a privately-labled Internet Yellow Pages product at no cost to them.  That may seem crazy or too good to be true, but let me expound a bit on the thinking behind YAP3.

We know know the majority of print publishers either don’t have an online presence or have a poor representation on the web.  We also know that most online directories are not optimized for search engines, which means consumers aren’t using them.  We had the idea of developing a network of publisher sites built on the solid Yellow Assistance search platform, that would enable publishers to offer their own online advertising solution that complements their print product.  Through this network, publishers can broaden their advertisers’ exposure outside their market, benefiting everyone.

The reason we can offer this at no cost to publishers is simple.  We are looking at this network of publisher sites from a holistic vantage point.  The traffic generated from this network will create great momentum for future partnerships and exposure that a single site could not muster.  It allows a network of smaller publishers to compete in a jungle of 800-pound gorillas.

Learn more about YAP3 at Partner.YellowAssistance.com.  It’s risk free and a great way to give online a try.