Campbell, Harrington & Brear

July 19th, 2011
Posted By: Mel Campbell, Jr.

Over a year ago, I wrote an article called Beware The Digital Age.  I felt there was so much material written about the good news side of new media – and there is a good side – that people needed to be made aware of the negative side and all the many hidden traps that accompany this new advertising medium.

The major warning I wrote was, “… they are dying industries.  Industries who have felt it coming for years but are now at the Pearly Gates.  For newspapers, the Yellow Pages, many printers, and some publishers, it’s over.  The big danger to you is they are quickly reinventing themselves and now marketing themselves as experts in fields they know nothing about.  Newspapers are web developers, web advertisers, your digital expert source.  Yellow Pages is selling SEO and SEM services.   Even printers are entering the SEO, SEM business.  Desperate industries do desperate things.  They know nothing about these things.  Avoid being a victim in their decline.”

Here are the reasons why phone directory companies should never be your on-line new media communications company.

1. It’s a completely different business.  It is extremely important to know if companies selling “new media” services haven’t been eating, sleeping, breathing and doing new media for the past five years. If not, they have no idea what is going on today.  And they will never catch up!
   Sure they will talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk.
2. They are not interested in providing close one-on-one service.  They are big companies with a big company model … they’re here to tap a money stream by selling a product with no flexibility.
3. They don’t have the proper culture to provide new media services.  They built their directory system on swooping into a region with well trained salespeople to call on clients (always at the last minute to create deadline pressure), go over the new incentives, map out a quick plan, sign it and then move on to the next region.  Wam, Bam, got your money and gone.They will apply this same model to their on-line service, but it won’t work because providing SEO and SEM takes constant one-on-one communication, analysis and reporting.  They are never going to provide that.
4. They don’t have the persona to deliver this new product. They may be able to buy the computer talent to set up the big cookie-cutter system.  But they will never have the temperament to work hand-in-hand with the client on a regular basis which is required for these services.
5. On-line, new media strategy requires a well built website customized to your marketing needs.  They will only supply a cookie-cutter site.  It’ll be free, of course, but remember free is foolish.  This site won’t do anything for your business.
6. It will require an SEO component, and SEO requires constant attention and very deliberate analysis and updating.  Something they have no intention of doing.  SEO is a real science that is constantly on the move and needs an expert to administer.  You think they are going to do that for little old you?  What?
7. Your strategy may require SEM.  Again, like SEO, SEM takes continuous monitoring by an expert.  They are not going to deliver that either.
8. They are only after your SEO and SEM money.  They DON’T CARE about your website, or your social media.  Those are the razors, they want to sell you the razor blades – SEO and SEM.  That’s why they give the website and Facebook portions away.

They DO CARE about collecting your cash for SEO and SEM, because they are perfect money streams they can dip into every year with very little effort while providing a “service.” They know you are unlikely to seek – and they will never have to provide – actual evidence of the effectiveness of their service. As a result, you will never know whether they did anything or if you got results.  Just like the old days with the books!  That’s where the money is!!!

So don’t buy into their new sales pitch that they are an internet communications company.  It is a slick, desperate move by a sinking industry.  Don’t pour your money in their ship.

(Next … Part V: If Not the Yellow Directories, What Should I Do?)