subject: How Directory Assistants Helped A Senior Living Community Save On Yellow Pages Advertising [print this page] Yellow Pages advertising is often seen as a necessary evil for businesses, a costly necessary evil. One senior living community was able to save nearly $1,500 a month on Yellow Pages advertising by hiring specialized consultants called directory assistants. The senior living community found these phone directory consultants in the midst of an internal mess.
The senior living community was juggling three different DBAs' listings with 22 managers weighing in on Yellow Pages advertising decisions. It had become a confused and costly mess according to one of the managers. This manager reached out to the directory assistants and quickly discovered that these consultants were experts on Yellow Pages advertising. She even called them "phone directory advertising gurus."
The directory assistants guided the senior living community's manager through the entire process of their statewide phone directory campaign. The consultants showed the manager what does and does not work with Yellow Pages advertising and pointed out where money was being wasted. They evaluated which phone books had the greatest usage in the target markets for each of the the senior living communities. With the savings from smarter, less expensive replacements a client like the senior living community could then put those dollars toward more impactful listings in books that were performing for the business or toward other marketing initiatives.
Strategic and logical techniques employed by the phone directory consultants added up to significant savings for the senior living community. The Wall Street Journal described Yellow Pages as phone companies' "cash cow" that reaps publishers "profits as fat as the directories themselves." The directory assistants shared their expertise on how the phone directories get additional money from advertisers like the senior living community.
By looking at the style of the listing and headings of the Yellow Pages advertising in years past, directory assistants could quickly recommend a way for the community to save. Significant savings could be found by understanding publisher coding techniques and consumer usage. They evaluated which phone books had the greatest usage in the target markets for each of the the senior living communities. Phone directories often have complex pricing structures for style changes that can cost advertisers thousands of dollars each year. Directory assistants were able to guide the senior living community through those complicated and complex pricing structures.
While the financial savings was significant for the senior living community, the manager also valued the time that was saved by hiring the phone directory consultants. The manager did not have the time to worry about Yellow Pages advertising with the necessary turbo-multitasking brought on by downsizing. The manager found peace of mind in knowing that the directory assistants were fully managing the overwhelming task of the Yellow Pages advertising.
The directory assistants took over all communication with the Yellow Pages sales representatives for the senior living community. They managed all of the community's listings statewide, leaving the manager to worry about absolutely nothing in regards to Yellow Pages advertising.
Yellow Pages advertising sales representative can be known to employ sales techniques that can add up unnecessary dollars spent by advertisers. The directory assistants acted as the front-line defense against these tactics for the senior living community.
Ultimately, the senior living community saved $18,000 annually by hiring the specialized directory consultants. Along with the significant financial savings, the manager found peace of mind and time savings by working with the directory assistants. The senior community was able to turn a messy Yellow Pages advertising situation into thousands of dollars saved each month.
