The bottom line is that CRM Associates’ research and analysis of Yellow Pages value can be easily summarized in the following 5 points:

Relevance
Yellow Pages are the most powerful medium for reaching active shoppers: One out of five individuals in an active shopping mode use the Yellow Pages for information — more, on average, than any other advertising medium.

Efficient
Yellow Pages are the most efficient and effective medium for reaching people ready-to-buy: Almost all users of the Yellow Pages (89%) will make a purchase. No other medium is this targeted and no other medium can boast this high of a follow-through.

Decision-Impacting
Yellow Pages ads help shoppers make purchase decisions: The majority (58%) of Yellow Pages users are actively shopping (have not already chosen a business). Even those that open up a directory with a single name in mind get curious and look at other ads — 56% of these users view other ads, and they look at 4 ads on average. In net, close to three quarters of users of Yellow Pages end up being shoppers and view multiple ads when they go to a heading.

Permission-based, Full-engagement, Highly Effective
Users are fully engaged. Users pay attention to ads because users actively seek out the information when they have an immediate shopping need.

Brings in Great Customers

• The majority of customers (54%) received through the Yellow Pages are new customers to a business.
• Roughly one out of five Yellow Pages references are for business purposes.
• Because Yellow Pages ads do a great job of “pre-qualifying” customers, businesses have a strong chance of converting Yellow Pages users that contact them to paying customers.

Source: CRM Associates, Driving Growth Through Better Use of Sales and Marketing, 2009