A 12 Step Program to Help Attorneys Make Cost Effective Decisions Regarding Yellow Page Advertising

By Cindy Speaker



Evaluate the return on investment that you are realizing for your yellow page advertising program. Based on 10 years of research regarding the cost per call, cost per case and conversion ratios, most attorney yellow page advertising has a very costly ROI. It is important for you to look at these numbers in your respective firm.
Compare your results to national averages. In 2004 the average cost per call nationally for attorney yellow page advertising was $196.80. The average cost per case was $1849.36 and the average conversion ratio was 19.2%. In 2006 those costs have escalated even higher. My research for 2006 shows a cost per call for yellow pages at $215 and a cost per case of $2189. The conversion ratio is now averaging only 11%. What does this tell us? It tells us that yellow page advertising is becoming less effective each year.
No double truck ads! No double truck ads! No double truck ads! I have yet to see an attorney yellow page program with a cost per case under $2000 if double truck ads are part of the mix.
Conduct a competitive analysis. What are your strongest competitors doing? Are they doing large ads, small ads? Are they in the yellow pages at all? What do their ads look like? Evaluate competing ads and make a list of what appeals to you and what you dislike in other ads.
Be different! If you are determined to have a continued presence in the yellow pages, gather enough information during your competitive analysis to do something different.
Just say no! And insist on a “witness” when the yellow page rep comes to revisit your account. Make sure your “witness” is NOT a soft sell, thereby helping to doom you to yet, another year of overspending on this medium. And don’t be overly swayed by www.yellowpages.com. This relatively new venue has similar limitations to the print directories. If you are able to get primary placement on page 1 – you’re visible, but if you’re on page 6, do you really think that anybody is going to click through 6 pages to get to you? I seriously doubt it.
Don’t let the yellow page company design and create your ad for you. Why do you think they all look so much alike in your existing directory!
Limit any yellow page advertising to ¼ page, dollar bill or in column ads unless you have a small market where a full page is very inexpensive. If you MUST have an expensive ad, back covers tend to outperform full pages and double trucks in terms of ROI.
Make your decisions based on empirical research and independent of any fear of loss of a good position in the directory.
Reduce your overall yellow page budget by at least 5% every year
Track and measure all calls, cases and costs in reference to any existing yellow page program.
Research, reallocate, test and measure relationship driven and technology driven alternative strategies with better ROI.









For more information contact cindy@cindyspeaker.com



Speaker Media and Marketing

1418 Old West Chester Pike

West Chester, PA 19382

610-692-3217

www.cindyspeaker.com