He Said, She Said: Dueling Survey Data and Print Yellow Pages Usage
Print yellow pages advocates have seized upon newly released survey data from Forrester Research to argue that traditional yellow pages are still on top in terms of consumer usage for local business information.
However two equally recent and methodologically sound surveys from TMP Directional Marketing-comScore and WebVisible-Nielsen show something very different. They show the ascendancy of search at the expense of traditional yellow pages.
The Forrester data, presented in its recent report “Is Hyperlocal Hype or Happening?,” argue print yellow pages are still in command of local consumer usage:
These findings are based on an online survey fielded in July 2008. The sample size is roughly 5,400 US and Canadian adults. Respondents were allowed to answer “yes” to multiple categories.
What these data contend is that print yellow pages are currently used by twice as many people as search engines. They also suggest that Internet yellow pages and search engines enjoy roughly equivalent usage in terms of local business searches.
Now let’s take a look at the opposing findings from TMP-comScore and WebVisible-Nielsen.
The most recent TMP-comScore data, based on a 2008 online survey of 3,000 US adults, report that search engines are now the top/primary resource used by consumers to find local business information.
“First” resources used by consumers for local business information:
An almost identical survey conducted the previous year (2007) by TMP-comScore found that print yellow pages were the leading local information resource (33%) followed by search engines (30%), although the Internet as a whole, including Internet yellow pages, was used 2-to-1 over print directories.
Accordingly, the trend is toward adoption of search and a decline in print yellow pages usage.
Local search marketing firm WebVisible and Nielsen conducted nearly parallel research in 2007 and 2008. The 2007 survey contained a respondent sample of roughly 2,000; the 2008 survey was almost double that number. Here are the 2008 findings:
Most commonly used local business information resources:
Regarding “primary” resources, here’s what the data showed:
The following chart shows the two-year trend for local media usage according to the Nielsen-WebVisible data:
Source: Nielsen-WebVisible n=2,000 (2007); n=4,000 (2008) US Internet users
Both the TMP-comScore and Nielsen-WebVisible data are in directional agreement with one another: clearly trending toward search and, to a lesser degree, Internet yellow pages and away from print directories.
But wait, there’s more.
A fourth survey from Knowledge Networks (based on a sample of 3,573 respondents) released at the end of 2008 presented findings largely in accord with the Forrester data. In this survey print yellow pages are again the single “most often” used resource for local business information:
Source: Knowledge Networks (2008), n=3,573 US Internet users
All of these surveys were conducted using online survey instruments with large sample sizes, though Knowledge Networks argues that only its panel is statistically representative of the US population as a whole.
So how do we reconcile these opposing findings? Are print yellow pages holding their own or are they fading as consumers turn to the Internet instead?
In each of these surveys the questions were slightly different. For example, responses to “which of the following do you use?” might yields somewhat different answers from “what is your primary resource?” Both questions are represented in the 2008 Nielsen-WebVisible data, however, with search engines leading each category.
Regional differences and broadband penetration are probably also factors here. The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that roughly 40% of the US still doesn’t have broadband at home. In such cases, traditional media usage is likely to be higher or somewhat higher.
In the end, there’s no obvious way to reconcile these conflicting data. All collected by reputable firms, they show the limits of survey research.
If you’re a local business or a firm doing marketing on behalf of local businesses, the only thing that effectively matters is whether leads are being generated by the chosen medium or media. To determine this, marketers need to use call tracking and other available methodologies to see where the best leads and ROI are coming from.
Online isn’t a complete substitute for traditional media. But traditional medias are certainly not as effective as once upon a time. Print yellow pages, newspapers and direct mail may be working more or less effectively depending on variables such as geography, audience segment and industry.
We’re now in a much more fragmented and complex media and consumer universe. And, as these contradictory survey results prove, you can’t assume anything – or take anything for granted
The left of the page displays three videos.These are intended to be instructional and testimonial videos displaying to users how they can take advantage of Google Maps, therefore making their lives easier. 
Small business owners are generally a frugal lot.
