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Yellow Pages anyone?

I write about strategies to turn fans into customers and customers into fans. I also share ways to use real-time strategies to spread ideas, influence minds, and build business.

Search Engine Marketing  |  Worst Practices  |  Advertising

I have a small office in the Boston area. Ages ago when I lived in Tokyo I tried the home office thing and it just doesn't work for me — I need to separate work and home.

Yesterday, I heard thumping outside the office door and when I went out to investigate, there was a Yellow Book sitting there neatly packaged in a yellow plastic bag. Each office had one delivered.

As a wired sort of guy, I don’t recall having used the yellow pages in years. Google is my first place when I need to find something, so I put my copy of Yellow Book on the table in the office hallway expecting that maybe someone could use an extra.

Ybpost

I was amazed that this morning a pile of Yellow Books was now on the table. One larger office still had its two copies sitting forlornly in front of the door.

In my office building are several small law firms, an accountant, an architectural firm, several psychologists, and an executive recruiter. From the looks of the stack of Yellow Books, nobody wanted their copy!

What a waste of resources to print and distribute tens of millions of these things that go unused!

But worst of all, what a shame for the companies still paying to be listed in a directory that very few people use. The larger ads can cost several thousand dollars a month.