#73 – The Yellow Book, How to Spy on Your Competitors Pay Per Click Campaigns, a Resource for Researching Domain Names, and a BIG Marketing Lesson from Dell
September 15, 2009Episode #73 – “Marketing Helps Me Make Decisions” 
Websites and resources mentioned in the show:
BoomText Special Offer (Get a FREE 30 Day Trial and a 60 minute consultation)
Domain Typo Tool (Research common mis-typings)
GotBiz WebTV Network (The NEW Place for Unconventional Business Education)
NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)
Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)
Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)
This is an exciting week for me, and hopefully you too. Why?
When was the last time you used a Yellow Book? Personally, I can’t remember. I dusted mine off the shelf for this episode, and I’d love to know if you’re like me, using online tools to search for local suppliers, rather than books like the Yellow Pages.
The question that’s raised is all about how to spy on competitors pay per click campaigns. It is possible, and I’ve got two web resources for you, one of which is free.
Many people mistype words when they type a domain name into a browser. This is for a number of reasons that I’ll explain, some of which might be surprising to you. Fortunately, there’s an excellent free tool that will tell you what the likely mistakes are for any domain name, even one you haven’t registered yet. This is really useful because you might want to register some of those mis-spelled names and register them, in order to forward the visitor to your website.
Finally, the show wraps up with a big marketing lesson from Dell, the computer company. Dell sent me an invitation to their ’signature event’ which caught my attention, and so I’ll explain why ‘event’ based marketing is so effective for ANY business. Yes, including yours.
Let me know your opinion about the show – simply write a comment below.
Enjoy the show!
Regards,
September 15th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Very helpful of you to post information like this for all of us to use.
September 15th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
u`re not a freak. i spend all my time in from of the computer, and yes, i also do everything using the Internet. This is the trend now.. there`s nothing we can do about it. It`s easier to search something online, rather than going through a book. Thank you. Great video.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:37 am
definitely haven’t used a yellow book in a while. It actually pisses me off that they waste all that paper and distribute it to people who have internet connections. It’s yet another thing that ends up in the trash.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:00 am
[...] Visit link: #73 – The Yellow Book, How to Spy on Your Competitors Pay Per … [...]
September 16th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Print Yellow Page advertising will soon be a thing of the past.
I, too, spend most of my time in the office in front of the computer. And, even though I am an arm’s length away from multiple yellow pages (we have 4 serving this area) I always search on-line.
The 87% statistic shows how stats can lie. I would fall into the 87% because I have used the yellow pages at least once in the last year. But probably only 10 or 12 times, but only to get a phone number, never to make a buying decision.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:12 am
I don’t have a yellow book sitting on the shelf because I throw them out as soon as they arrive.
Tried to access your show via the GotBiz.TV website and the link from the main page failed.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Kelsey group released a study recently showing 80% of consumers go online to look for a local business vs. the yellow pages.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Like you, Andrew, I don’t use the hard copy yellow pages anymore either. Even when I’m looking for a new restaurant to visit, I look online. In fact, the new yellow pages book just arrived on my doorstep this week, and I put it straight into the recycle bin.
That’s why I always advise freelance bookkeeping colleague who ask for my advice about marketing to be sure they are listing their website in the local online directories (such as Yahoo’s – it’s free) That’s probably a good idea for all your viewers who have businesses that deal with local clients too!
(Though with technology these days, services like bookkeeping are no longer tied primarily to the local area anymore…)
In any case, great show! Thanks for all the excellent info you give us every week. This show rocks!
Gabrielle
September 16th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Another great show. Thanks Andrew. But what is with those so-called “prizes” for telling you how well we’ve done following your advice? Your hearty congratulations is just fine with me. And I have been following your advice in many, many ways.
I think your show is tops! You are truly an innovator and your show displays that quite admirably. Keep up the great work. Its the highlight of my week – every week.
Blessings,
Ted
September 16th, 2009 at 7:51 am
I thought I was the only freak who doesn’t use the Yellow Pages! LOL I do have to use it to look up the number for our power company to call to report our regular power outages. Can’t log onto to computer without power..
Other than than, I look up EVERYTHING online, even the guy I hired to repair my dryer recently. And, he didn’t even know his biz could be found online, so I assume that the telephone company must have submitted his local listing.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:13 am
I am like you and always turn to the internet to search for goods and services. I have found the phone book works well as an impromptu booster seat when you have little one around, makes for an excellent doorstop and can be used as a weight to flatten out for old pictures and documents.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Hi Andrew, I think your tanning salon guy was the most interesting marketer today. It’s like he took a page right out of GKIC with your coaching knowledge and put together a winning strategy for this economy. he should do very well.
The yellow book is an interesting subject. I do searches online for just about everything now. However, if you want to find something in your local community and that business hasn’t enter the 21st century, you may not find them online and will have to revert to the yellow book once again. Why is it that so many businesses still put their ads in the yellow book?
Thanks for your time and expertise in marketing.
September 16th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Well Andrew, I’d guess that I’m an ‘old fart’ because, while I do search for phone numbers on line, especially in areas other than where I live, I still do use the yellow pages at least once each week.
With regard to text messaging, I have had Verizon turn mine off as each message cost me an additional fee and I found that most of them came from teen agers who were entering the wrong phone number when they texted! Isn’t technology great – sometimes?
September 16th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Andrew,
1. I really lke your show.
2. I have recommended it to several others.
3. I Have purchesd a couple of your Products and found them very useful as well.
But though I also like Ryan Lee – the new GotBiz.tv site stinks, because it doesn’t work. last week when I got on I watched a couple of episodes – graat as usual. But today when I tried to watch n new episode in Firefox it took over 10 minutes to load and then kept failing and reloading – tried Internt Explorer – same reults. TrafficGeyerser must stink as a product.
Sorrty for the negative stuff.
Still really like Ryan Lee’s and you materilas.
Gus
September 16th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
You nailed it again. Just keeps getting better. Thanks, Jim
September 16th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Andrew, I just went to GotBiz and listened for a while to Travis and his partner, but the buffering was awful, and to listen to a 10 minute spot would have really taken about 30 minutes. I have very fast service on my end, so is this an internet problem or a problem in how the clip was originally made? I’d like to put up something myself soon, and don’t want to have it broken up in buffering. With thanks, RJ
September 16th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Gus and Ruth,
Thanks for your feedback. We’re aware of the video playback issues on GotBiz.tv currently. There are many technical complexities with the new site especially with the large volume of traffic we’re experiencing. The problem doesn’t lie with Traffic Geyser, but we’re working on the issues that are causing the slowness.
Regards
Andrew
September 16th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I was not aware of this before I read about it here. So glad people are working together to solve this problem.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I use the phone pages equally as much as I use the computer. It’s really quicker than turning the computer on and searching.
As for text messages, I answer them more then I read emails because I don’t get dozens of spam text messages. What a nightmare that would be.
The nod to Spyfu site was very useful. I would not have known of this site had you not mentioned it, thanks!
September 16th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Funny, you just reminded me to look and see what’s bellow my LCD monitor. Than it came all back to me… a couple of years back, I threw all yellowpages away and started using computer related books as a lifter base for my LCDs.
So it’s been at least 4 years that haven’t even looked inside yellowpages.
And books like Corel-Gallery, OpenOffice.Org and Programming the 80286 make up a much nicer LCD stand.
LOL
September 16th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
The phone book does not even make it in to the house. It goes straight into the trash like all the other trash that gets left on the front door.
September 16th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
If so many people use Yellow Pages (hard copy) each year, how come they are in bankruptcy at the moment? We have copies delivered each year and I resent your suggestion that they just gather dust, inferring they are useless. In fact they make very good door stops but, from personal observation, I can say they are mainly used to support ld style computer monitors.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I NEVER use the Yellow Pages. I don’t use any telephone books. I go directly online to find any services I need.
I also don’t advertise any of my businesses in the Yellow Pages.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Geez, I did,’t like the part where Mister Boom text and Andrew read out of a script. It sounded so mechanical and unnatural. Other than that, the rest was pretty cool. Oh yeah, the phone book still has its market and is used by a lot of senior citizens. Of course, the younger generation will find it easier to go online and type whatever they’re looking for.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:08 am
This is for the person that wanted to spy. Check this one out PPC Web Spy.
Thank you Andrew for the great shows.
Dan and Deanna “Marketing Unscrambled”
September 17th, 2009 at 4:58 am
I have two offline business – one for commercial cleaning and the other is a residential carpet cleaning biz. We have canceled YP ads for both. Businesses NEVER use the YP. Consumers do somewhat, but they are usually price-shoppers – people we don’t want as customers. Typically, the more affluent, the more they go online to search for services.
September 17th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Phone book is much easier to find local businesses that serve your specific area.
September 17th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I haven’t used a print yellow pages in years either. I throw them away when they come. Great show.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I haven’t used a print edition of Yellow Pages in at least 5 years. I always search online…Google or on a rare occassion Yellow Pages online. When I receive a phone book, I immediately recycle it. I wish there was an opt-out option…save a tree, stop sending them to me!
September 17th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I currently have 4 yellow books sitting on the shelf. I have been trying to figure out what to do with them. I havent used yellow book for years. I use the yellow books to boost my grandchild up in a chair. I wish I could stop them from delivering them to me. The internet is so convienient that I have no plans to every look up information manually.
September 17th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Interestin to read all the comments about your use (or lack of use) of the Yellow book. As I suspected, most Internet users have ditched the book, and what a colossal waste of paper that is on a large scale. It’s scary actually. In our neighborhood we receive directories from 2 or 3 companies, so the waste is multiplied even more.
Andrew
September 18th, 2009 at 5:24 am
I had no idea. Amazing what you can learn by cruising the internet, reading about things that interest you. Thanks for posting about this.
September 18th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Like many others here I seldom if ever use the Yellow pages anymore. We get three different issues in this area and most of them go directly into the recycle bin.
Another great show, Andrew!
September 18th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
thanks andrew i like your ideas and will love to follow it sincerely. Now a days around 70% people go online for local business instead of viewing hardcore copies.
September 18th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
I would be out of business with out the yellow pages. Although I do fall into the plumber, contractor field that you did mention, I must disagree with your opinion with the use of aaa for positioning. obviously from my web address aaa-superior.com I find if you do use this type of directory, positioning is 90% of the battle. I have used AAA for exactly that reason.
More over there is a whole lot of people who do not know the difference between micro soft windows and the windows they look though or Apple and what grows on a tree. However I agree for sure that the trend is undeniable and if your Ideal customer is between the age of 18-45, and you are not in a service industry. yellow pages would be a waste of resources.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I can not remember when was the last time i use the yellow book. I even cancelled the phone service in Home and then add cable internet with MagicJack ($30 per year) for home phone number and works great. I’ve recycled my phone book for few years now.. what about you?
September 19th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Hi,
I would like to become an advertiser on your site. I am looking to place a small text link ad. Do you allow those types of ads and if so would you be ok with a do-follow link?
I usually ask for one line with just a few words. I prefer them at the top, middle, or bottom of the main content area of the site. However, I am sure we can work out placement.
The keywords the ad would be targeting would be “link building” related. If you accept this type of advertising please let me know what you would charge me to place a link ad on your site. Feel free to call me if you have any questions
Thanks
Paul White
Inventory Manager
inventory.pwhite@gmail.com
(661)754-6089
September 19th, 2009 at 4:48 am
This is really a wonderful video! Its really cool and gives us the right idea where to find the right thing we want and its the best and the easiest way to do it. Great advertisement really worth seeing it. Its really a great idea for business.
September 19th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Andrew –
Spyfu.com is only of limited usefulness — since it doesn’t report on many websites. I was able to “spy” on yours, but it returned “no results found” on mine and several of my clients.
My rating: very iffy — marginal, at best. Makes me wonder about whether the data they report is just as reliable. Great hubris, though.
Just shows you that if you offer a global capacity, deliver it or your credibility crashes.
Spyfu would do well to remember that “Marketing is everything — and everything is marketing.”
Love the show!
Art@AGRitter.com
September 20th, 2009 at 6:04 am
great and interesting video, very informative specially the list of possible search engine to use. i don’t use yellow pages too as for me, its only a waste of time checking and looking those company. I just simply go online to check the phone or address of the company, less time to search and more information listed for me to check on. goodluck
September 20th, 2009 at 10:32 am
This video has given very valuable information about all the possible search engine, which can be used to collect all the relevant information about any companies. All the tips given in this video are very helpful and practical.
September 20th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Hi,
I use PPC WEB SPY to spy on the keyword of my competitor
you can downloaded here
http://www.ppcwebspy.com/downloads/?xc3082
September 20th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I have a Yellow Book and there’s money in those pages if you know how to use it, especially for internet marketers looking for buyers and not ‘freebie seekers’.
Somebody in your area spent good money to get listed in a book no one uses….Ha! I love it when buyers raise their hand with bills in it and want to give it to me:)
September 21st, 2009 at 8:11 am
I loved your video! Very funny and extremely true.
I used to work for a yellow pages company and I can tell you that NO ONE really benefits from being in these books anymore. It was so stressful trying to convince business owners to buy ads in our books when I knew the books were useless too. In fact, most of the business owners seem to realize how useless these books are as well. It is all about the internet now and if your business is not on the web, it may not survive.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:49 am
Hello,
I watched your video and it was really an eye opener for me in many ways. I am not a marketer by profession but have a keen eye for marketing techniques employed by Companies. Regarding yellow pages books, I am using less and less of them as websites do the same function for me in a lesser time. About BoomText I agree that mobile messages are more read than email messages since they dont contain a subject line and so receivers tend to open and read mobile marketing messages. I intend to follow your show since its very interesting, well presented and full of innovative marketing information.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Hi Andrew!I found very good marketing lesson from Puma check this out
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/puma-application-tracks-stocks-stripping-models/story?id=8611482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNLpKPL6Eo&feature=player_embedded#t=60
September 21st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Hi Andrew.
New to the show and I loved it! Short, fun and to the point – yet very informative. I am a small business owner that is always on the look out for new and exciting ways to bring our energy efficient lighting solutions to more and more customers. I’ll be sure to check back often so I don’t miss out on upcoming episodes.
Your tip on SpyFu is very promising.
BTW – Yellow Book? A major dust collector around here. : )
September 21st, 2009 at 9:56 pm
This video explains very good marketing techniques and is very useful for small and medium enterprises. This provides good ways to expand business through internet.
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:35 am
great video and Its really a great idea for business. Thanks for sharing this info.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
This blog has very good information. I learned a lot from reading here.
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Very helpful, and interesting. I do have a dusty yellow book on my shelf haha and I am one of the 13%! I believe that this show keeps my attention, and makes me want to keep watching, it is also very informative. I think that anyone who wants to make a business, or just want to know some random facts about business’ should watch this video.