Community Directories: Good or Bad Investment?

Sometimes community directories can offer a good return on investment. It depends on where the books are distributed, who publishes them, how large of an area the “greater metro” area is, who publishes the primary book, how long the community books have been published, and local use habits. What it really all boils down to is: do people use these community books?

The publisher will have all sorts of charts and surveys that “prove” people actually prefer the community directories to the phone company’s telephone book. Don’t believe the surveys; they are often misleading and the methodology to create the information is seldom very scientific. (I saw one survey that demonstrated that more than 98 percent of the community used the directory. Astonishing for a brand new directory. How was the survey data collected? Inside the front cover of each book was a postage paid survey card. It asked the reader to check the box that said “Yes, I use the XXX phonebook” and then to send the card in to qualify to win a $1,000 shopping spree. The only people who would have seen the card were the people who opened, and presumably, used, the phone book.)

It takes years for a telephone book to establish itself in a community. Newly-published directories seldom get a “go ahead” from me when I am spending my clients’ money. Also, community directories tend to work better for neighborhood businesses. The reason people open them is because they want to go to a business that is close to home, a restaurant, hardware store, pizza delivery, video store, library, etc. For more important decisions, such as choosing a dentist or hiring a lawyer, people want more choices. “Close to home” is not a primary consideration; lots-of-choices is a primary motivator. So the greater metro area directory is almost always used when people are making important vendor decisions, want choices, and don’t plan on making regular trips to the vendor’s office or store.

I would recommend that you save your money for other marketing investments.