Should Chiropractors Advertise in the Yellow Pages?

Here’s a question that has come in to this blog: “Should chiropractors advertise in the yellow pages?”

Twenty years ago, this wasn’t an issue.  There was but a single version of the Yellow Pages and being excluded from the sacred book was unthinkable.

Then came multiple VERSIONS of “the” yellow pages.  It seems every other month a new Yellow Page directory is being released.  One even calls itself the “real” Yellow Pages - can you remember which one?

In some marketing, being listed in each and every yellow pages can easily eat up your entire advertising budget.  That wouldn’t be a problem if yellow page advertising were powerful enough to stand alone.

Unfortunately, it’s not.  If you don’t believe me, believe the Yellow Pages themselves.  When the Yellow Page reps come to your town to sell advertising, they buy advertising in other media.  Suddenly, the various media in town are flooded with ads for the Yellow Pages.   Many yellow page directories advertise their resource using every media possible: radio, television, billboards and newspapers just to name a few.

It makes me laugh - it really does!  Once a year, you will be assaulted with a barrage of testimonials from business owners who “tell their story” of how the yellow pages increased business for them - and this message will be delivered in every way EXCEPT via the Yellow Pages.

So I’d LIKE to tell you that chiropractors can SKIP advertising in the Yellow Pages.  I’d LOVE to give you that good news - unfortunately I can’t do that.  Listing your business in the yellow page is ESSENTIAL.

However, the good news is that a display ad in the yellow pages is DEFINITELY optional!  You can definitely pass on the display ads - if you’ve got other forms of marketing in the mix!

One thing every chiropractor should be doing is to list your website URL in your yellow page ad.  Let prospective patients learn more about you on your chiropractic website instead of paying by the inch in the Yellow Pages.