Article : March 2003, Business in Calgary

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Getting the BEST RESULTS from advertising in directories

The Tradition is changing.

It used to be the rule in business that you had to be listed in a printed directory. No questions asked, that was the way you did it.

The latest news from independent research organizations, however, is that online directories are becoming more used and more influential in the purchase decision.

For example, the Print Measurement Bureau found in a 1999 survey that 31 per cent of Canadian respondents did not use a printed directory at home. Many did not even know where to find their printed directory.

By way of contrast, online directories are growing at an estimated 25 per cent per year, according to a March 2002 report from the research firm Comscore. A prior report by NFO CF Group Inc. indicated that about 30 per cent of online directory users do not use a printed directory.

Clearly, the world of advertising in directories is changing. And how that impacts your business is one of those key strategic decisions every business owner and manager faces today.

Darby Sieben, president of KS2 Solutions of Calgary, understands that dilemma well. KS2 is neither a publisher of print directories nor owner of a web portal. KS2 Solutions specializes in helping Calgary business form a balanced portfolio between print and online directory advertising.

"The data we are looking at suggest that print-only directories currently reach only 70 per cent of the potential market," says Darby. "That means for every seven new business calls you're receiving from your print ad, your business is leaving three other calls on the table for the competition."

The senior partners of KS2 Solutions have over 20 years of combined experience in Internet and directory advertising. The Calgary company has expertise in a number of areas and offers a full suite of web hosting, design and marketing services to help clients. One of its main strengths is being an independent distributor of YellowPages.ca products.

KS2 Solutions customers can get their business name out on the No. 1 online directory in Canada, in terms of unique visits, territory reach and number of customers. This includes having a profile on web sites that are popular with Calgarians, such as CFCNPlus.ca, CalgaryPlus.ca, Canada.com, NationalPost.com, GlobeandMail.com, AOL.ca, and Sympatico.ca. It can also be accesses on Telus Mobility, Fido and Bell Mobility to reach the growing mobile phone market.

The power of YellowPages.ca is enormous, registering over 3.6 million "Find a Business" visits during last November alone. The automotive headings delivered more than 12.5 million page views in 2002.

"The concept of directories on the Internet and what it does is exactly the same as when the directory businesses started about one hundred years ago," says Darby.

"It is a buyer looking for the seller. Only the delivery mechanism is different. Instead of flipping pages ... or tearing your house apart to even find the print directory .. you are tapping keys on a computer. But the principles behind it are absolutely identical."

Darby acknowledges that the book - the printed directory - is still a dominant force.

"You have to be there is you rely on directories for your business," says Darby. "However, you can no longer ignore the Internet side because of the numbers, the usage and the flexibility. By combing print and Internet advertising, you essentially get full market coverage."

He also points out that even more people in the workplace are using online directories.

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

As an independent distributor of YellowPages.ca products, KS2 Solutions is uniquely positioned to provide Calgary businesses with a balanced portfolio of directory advertising.

"Our one-two punch of print and Internet advertising is about as close as you can get to 100 per cent coverage in directory advertising as you can get," says Darby.

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