Article : February 6, 2003, Business Edge

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Do you know the facts about advertising in directories?

One in three Canadians can't find their printed directory - so you'd better put your ad online.

So you've got an All Points Bulletin out to locate your printed directory? Don't fret. You're not alone. You've got company. Boy, do you have company!

The fact is that about one in three Canadians don't have the foggiest idea of the whereabouts of their printed directory.

That's according to Print Measurement Bureau '99, which found that 31 per cent of English Canadian adults don't use a printed directory in their home or don't know where it is.

They either lost it, filed it away or simply don't use it. Or maybe your dog walked away with it.

Times are changin' alright as more and more folks are turning the page - to online directories.

Online directory are experiencing explosive growth - a rate of more than 25 per cent per year, according to Comscore (March 2002 issue).

And about 30 per cent of online directory users do not user the print directory, according to the NFO CFGroup Inc. (December 2001). So listen up, Calgary businesses.

If your business is currently advertising in only the print directory, you're only reaching an estimated 70 per cent of its potential market.

For every seven new business calls you're receiving from your print ad, your business is leaving three other calls on the table for another business.

However, there is a surefire way for your business to receive close to 100-per-cent coverage in directories advertising - by combining the one-two punch of print and Internet advertising in your media mix.

To that end, KS2 Solutions Inc. will work with your Calgary business to form a balanced portfolio between print and online directories advertising.

By advertising with YellowPages.ca, your business can enjoy double-barrelled penetration into your target market.

"When we work with clients in balancing their portfolio of directories advertising, we acknowledge that the book is the dominant force and you have to there if you rely on directories for your business," says Darby Sieben, President of KS2 Solutions. "However, you can no longer afford not to look at the Internet side of it because of the numbers, the usage and the flexibility. By combing print and Internet advertising, you essentially get full market coverage."

How powerful is the YellowPages.ca advertising vehicle?

Check out these facts:

• YellowPages.ca is the No. 1 online directory in Canada in terms of unique visits, territory reach and number of customers.

• There were over 3.6 million "Find a Business" unique visits on YellowPages.ca and Canada411.ca in November 2002 alone.

• YellowPages.ca has a profile on several key Calgary websites, including CFCNPlus.ca, CalgaryPlus.ca, Canada.com, NationalPost.com™, GlobeandMail.com™, Aol.ca and Sympatico.ca™.

• YellowPages.ca can also be accessed on Telus Mobility™, Fido™ and Bell Mobility™ phones.

• YellowPages.ca automotive headings delivered more than 9.4 million page views from January through August of 2002, ranking as one of the most used headings on YellowPages.ca

• With YellowPages.ca, your ad, and, more importantly, your business, won't end up in the doghouse.

"The concept of directories on the Internet and what it does is exactly the same as when the directories business started about a hundred years ago," says Sieben.

"It is the buyer looking for the seller. Only the delivery mechanism is different. Instead of flipping pages, you're tapping keys on a keyboard. But the principals are absolutely identical."

Sieben says that even more people in the workplace than at home are relying on online directories.

"What we've found is that in 2001 for the first time in an office environment, more people used online directories than the printed book," adds Sieben.

Businesses who want to experience the power of an ad on YellowPages.ca should check out the screen shot, above left, taken from the heading of 'Automobile Dealers New Cars.".

The shot includes the YellowPages print ad, a website URL link, an email link and three lines of text.

KS2 prides itself in being able to present all facts and details to customers with unbiased approach because the Calgary-based company is not a publisher, and its specialty is the Internet.

Besides balancing directories advertising for clients, KS2 also provides a full suite of web hosting, design and marketing services to help any business use the Internet.

For further information, contact KS2 at 403.228.1800 or email sales@ks2.ca. You can also visit www.yellowpages.ca and click on the "advertise with us" icon.

KS2 Solutions Inc. is an independent distributor of YellowPages.ca products.

YellowPages, YellowPages.ca and the walking fingers logo are registered trade-marks of Yellow Pages Group Co. in Canada. Canada411 is a trade-mark of Stentor Resource Centre Inc. used under license. All other trade-marks and names belong to their respective owners.