LP Gas, May 2012

IN THE KNOW Yellow Page Advertising Propane Resources surveyed 784 retail propane marketers across the United States regarding Yellow Page advertising There were 46 retailers who responded Outcomes Seventy two percent of responding propane retailers say they use Yellow Page advertising Survey responses reveal the types of Yellow Page advertising used most often by retailers include Yellow Book 36 percent Yellow Pages 30 percent AT T 30 percent Verizon 24 percent and Dex 24 percent Following these name brand directory listing services propane retailers use local Yellow Page 45 percent directories for listing their companies Seventy three percent of propane retailers who use Yellow Page advertising buy display ads and 49 percent purchase line listings for their company There was a large variance on purchased Yellow Page ad space Sizes ranged from 1 column by 1 inch up to full page ads While 52 percent of responding retailers find value in their Yellow Page advertising 49 percent plan to decrease the amount of money spent in 2012 The current average amount spent on Yellow Pages advertising among the survey respondents is 342 per month Regarding Internet Yellow Page advertising 70 percent of respondents do not invest Write in comments revealed Internet speeds and connectivity issues are too slow or nonexistent in some rural areas making print Yellow Page listings advertising a more viable option for rural propane retailers Of the companies investing in Internet Yellow Page listings 40 percent pay additional premiums for column advertising and 10 percent pay more for pay per click advertising When tracking results for lead generation 27 percent responded their CSRs 1 Do you advertise in the Yellow Pages No Yes Yes 72 No 28 2 If you answered yes to question No 1 please answer the following In which Yellow Page book s do you advertise Respondents chose multiple answers Yellow Book 36 Yellow Pages 30 AT T 30 Dex 24 Verizon 24 Other local directories 45 What size Yellow Page ad do you purchase Respondents chose multiple answers Display ad 73 Line listing 49 Will your Yellow Page advertising budget for 2012 Decrease 49 Increase 33 Stay the same 18 Do you fi nd value in your Yellow Page advertising Yes 52 No 39 Somewhat 9 The current average amount spent on Yellow Pages advertising among the survey respondents is 342 per month ask callers where they found the propane companys name 18 percent set up a specific phone number for tracking purposes and 3 percent include a special offer code on their Yellow Page ad Twelve percent have specific questions included on new customer forms and credit applications and 39 percent of responding retailers who advertise 3 Do you invest in Internet Yellow Page advertising Yes 24 No 70 N A 6 4 If you answered yes to question No 3 do you pay extra for Column advertising Yes 40 No 60 Pay per click Yes 10 No 90 Yes No Yes No 5 How do you track Yellow Page lead generation CSRs ask 27 Special specifi c phone number for tracking calls 18 Special off er code included on ad 3 Other do not track 39 N A 13 6 If you do not advertise through Yellow Pages why not Respondents chose multiple answers Too expensive 70 ROI not worth it not eff ective 31 Other 23 in the Yellow Pages do not track calls Reasons propane retailers gave for not investing in Yellow Page advertising 70 percent say its too expensive 31 percent say its ineffective and the return on investment is not worth it and 23 percent invest their advertising dollars in other ways such as direct mail search engine optimization and websites to increase their customer base and new business In the Know is presented as a partnership between LP Gas Magazine and Propane Resources 14 LPGas May 2012 www LPGasmagazine com