Yellow Pages

One of our attorneys brought a very interesting article to our attention today.  Yahoo has reported that there are some states that are asking phone carriers to discontinue the publishing and distribution of the residential version of the White Pages.  You can read the full article here.  Here are some quick tidbits that may interest you as an advertising attorney:

• Only 11% of households rely on the White Pages for finding phone numbers
• Land lines are being disconnected at a rate of 10% per year
• 15 states have already given permission to phone companies to cease the printing and distribution of the residential form of the White Pages

So, what does this mean for your firm?  First, with so many people disconnecting their land lines, it is important that you have the most up to date contact information for your past clients.  Ask for their contact information in your CRM initiatives.  If you don’t have someone’s contact information, it is awfully difficult to stay in front of them.  And if you don’t have a database or aren’t using CRM to stay in front of your clients, this is a reminder for you to do so.  Keeping in touch with past clients is a great way to get referrals, which are the easiest cases for your firm to handle.  Ignore your past clients at your own peril.

The White Pages suffering and usage statistics also paints an interesting picture of the Yellow Pages by association.  While the Yellow Pages is reporting strong usage according to the article, the fact that the White Pages are getting used less and less makes one think that the consumer is changing.  Now, consumers are going to the Internet to find phone numbers for people and businesses.  So, why wouldn’t they do so when they are trying to find a lawyer?  The fact that only 11% of households rely on a paper book for their phone numbers should give you pause and make you think about your Yellow Pages spend.  Is your message only reaching 11% of the population in the Yellow Pages?  If your law firm is spending a lot of money on Yellow Pages, does it make sense to spend that money on a medium that only reaches a small percentage of the population?  These are issues your firm should be considering going into 2011.

This article also shows that the Internet is whittling away at paper books.  This means that your clients need to be able to find your law firm online.  Does your law firm appear on the first page for a Google search for personal injury law firms in your area?  Is your legal website up to date and helping potential clients out with their legal issues?  If not, you will be digging yourself a deeper hole everyday that goes by.  The consumer is now going online to do their research about people and businesses.  This includes researching your law firm.  Make sure you’re putting your best foot forward on the Internet.  As these paper books end up going the way of the dinosaur, people will have no choice but to find your firm online.  Act now so you can get ahead of the game and ensure your firm is getting the most out of the Internet.

It’s inevitable: as consumer’s habits change and the Internet continues to become more pervasive, books such as the White Pages and Yellow Pages will continue to become extinct.  In 15 states, there are already opportunities for phone companies to stop printing these books when they were once a requirement.  How long will it be before the White Pages aren’t in print anymore anywhere in the USA?  Furthermore, how long will it be before the Yellow Pages aren’t a book anymore at all?  The times are changing.  Contact Network Affiliates today if you are looking to change with the times and get ahead with your legal marketing,