For those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, this post may look very familiar — it’s a post that I shared with you last March. I was reminded again this past weekend how many churches and non-profits are reviewing their spending habits during the recession, and seeking inventive ways to share their story. Dumping your Yellow Pages ad and using it to bolster your web and/or social media efforts is one simple trick that I’ve found helpful. Enjoy!
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Over the course of the 17-plus years that I’ve been working with faith based and non-profits, I’ve seen many projects fail during the kick-off meeting due to perceived budget constraints. Likewise, I’ve seen projects grow from nothing to multi-million dollar success stories. The success of a project doesn’t hinge on the size of your budget but the amount of passion you pay into it.
The success of a project doesn’t hinge on the size of your budget but the amount of passion you pay into it.
I would be naive to say that you’re not going to incur some nominal costs along the way. One easy way to unearth money from your existing budget is to stop letting your fingers do the walking and dump your Yellow Pages advertisement. I know. I know. That’s the way you’ve always connected with the community and constituents. I’ve heard all the excuses. But here are the facts.
According to a CRM Associates study, a single Yellow Page ad will deliver on average 422 calls at a cost of $10.00 per-call nationally per year. That means that the average church is paying $4,220 per-year for a return of 422 calls.
According the same CRM study, a single White Page listing will deliver on average 365 calls at a cost of $.60 per-call nationally per-year. That adds up to $219.00 a year.
The White Page listing garners about as many phone calls and is significantly cheaper.
If I haven’t made my point yet, here’s some more inspiration. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 28 million Americans have used the Internet to gather religious and spiritual information and connect with others along their faith journey. Of that 28 million, 14 percent have gone online to find a new church – that’s nearly four million people.
To recap, that’s an average of 787 calls per-year for both Yellow and White Page ads. Or you can use the money you’re now spending on phone ads to reach out to the 28 million people who are hurting and seeking a community of faith for answers. Your church could offer that support.
Keep this in mind. You can modify your phone ad once-a-year; your website — 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year. The phone ad has a localized reach; your website reaches the world. Your phone ad has a fixed dimension to share your message; your website can have as many pages as you like. Your phone ad is limited to a single medium; the internet is multi-medium and viral.
Enough said. My suggestion is to keep your White Page ad, but dump the Yellow Page ad opting to use those monies on either a new or retooling of your current church website. Blessings.
I would love to hear how you are rethinking your spending.
UPDATE: “Nearly 70% of adults in the U.S. “rarely or never” use the phone book, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive. Instead, most of them (60%) use the Internet to find contact information, a number that’s certain to continue to rise, especially as smart phone adoption and location-based services both grow.” Read more about this report at http://rww.to/g8tQPr.
