A little know website by the Yellow Pages Association, yellowpagesoptout.com, offers consumers a place to find their local yellow page providers and instructions on how to opt out from receiving yellow page publications. With the universal accessibility of the internet, the growing number of local searches, it is surprising to me how much business owners pay to be in yellow pages.  We highlighted earlier in the year the declining empire that was the yellow pages, and continue help business owners save money by advertising through new mediums.  The majority of Americans are connected to the internet every second of the day, either at home, on their cell phone, or even through their GPS system in their cars. On the go, finding a business online has never been so simple, and so immediate. [Read Full Article]

I know exactly where my yellow pages book is at home: in the back of the cabinet under the TV, under the boxes for my toaster and coffee maker. The last time my yellow pages book saw the light of day was when I swapped the new edition for the old one. In case you hadn't realized, the print yellow pages empire is declining fast, and it's no surprise. With search engines specializing in local business searches, the yellow pages are quickly becoming an aged advertising, marketing, and business tool. Instead, millions of Americans are turning towards the internet to find local businesses instead of flipping pages in an oversized book. There are a few reasons to WHY this is taking place; In fact, this type of decline has been predicted for years. Who Still Uses the Yellow Pages? According to a recent comScore study, yellow pages usage has significantly de... [Read Full Article]

Tips from Thursday, May 7, 2009 The Small Business tips today will cover the elements you need to know in order to make a Yellow Page advertisement work. First determine if Yellow Page advertising is for you. How many repeat customers open the phone book every time to look you up? Know your customers, your category, and what your competition is doing before ever speaking to a YP sales rep! The 1st ad noticed is the 1st ad called over 50% of the time. Have a strong visual presence to draw attention: HIRE an artist. Customers looking at yellow page advertising are already sold. Give them the benefits & the facts so they'll call YOU. Daily Overview: If Yellow Page advertising is for you, make sure you stand out from the commonly designed ads. Be Different! [Read Full Article]

Tips from Wednesday, April 22, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be about print advertising. It’s still a valuable means to promote your business! Newspaper advertisements are a great way to target a local population. Write a letter to your newspaper editor. A personal story or recommendation is your best newspaper advertisement. Direct mail is still effective if you're clear, concise and offer a respectable incentive along with it. Try yellow pages and magazines for promotions planned well in advance.  Daily Overview: Use the old, tried but true methods of print marketing in a way that addresses this instant-results society. [Read Full Article]

Government and Economy Obama Names Clinton Insider to Commodities PostGary Gensler, a former Clinton Treasury official, has been picked by President-elect Obama to regulate the same financial instruments he defended in the nineties, instruments that helped to create the subprime mortgage crisis. Stabilizing the Automotive Industry The text of Treasury Secretary Paulson's statement on stabilizing the automotive industry. President Bush: Automakers to get $17.4BCiting danger to the national economy, the Bush administration came to the resc... [Read Full Article]