After years of riding on a sinking ship the yellow pages have finally decided it's time for an update.
The Yellow Pages along with their competitors are beginning to offer online videos, allowing advertisers to post versions of their TV commercials in addition to their Web ads. These companies are even offering to produce new videos for businesses, which run as long as two minutes on some sites.
Why The Yellow Pages have decided to wait so long is anyone's guess. It is obvious that they are getting pummeled by the Internet and other new technology. The oversized bulky books that once dominated local advertising, have been facing increasing competition from search engines that have become more locally focused.
In an attempt to stay on the vanguard of new technology some directories have been selling mobile search services to local businesses. Users who wish to download special software to their cell phones can get the addresses and phone numbers for stores, restaurants and other merchants while they're on the go.
Although this business model may vary from directory to directory, most will list your business name and phone number free of charge. They generate their revenue by charging for extras like boldface type, color print or large display ads, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars depending on the size of the market where the business is advertising. Video fits well into this business model as it gives the directories another feature to sell, either charging flat fees for the video ads or small fees per click.
Newspapers are other markets who have been finding themselves at a do or die point. Newspapers have been suffering from the widespread availability of free Internet ads like those offered on sites such as Craigslist. Video classifieds are the future hands down.
Now that over 50 percent of U.S. households have broadband, it's the right time to march forward.
According to recent research data online video is extremely effective with restaurants and hotel advertisers. I would expect this recent marriage between telephone directories and video to begin to grow by leaps and bounds.
Along with this new genre, you can expect to see a ton of new business and services to spring up. I'm talking about services such as video shoots, ad creations, copy writing, and a host of others. Statistics show that with this new business model that the web design business will be hotter than ever.
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