“The SES sessions guaranteed us a date to the dance by providing the opportunity for meaningful dialogue with decision-makers.”
-Tammy Osborne, The Andersen Group
During our annual conference, “Search Starts Here,” April 13-16, 2013 at the Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, there will be plenty of opportunities for local search professionals to network, exchange ideas and discuss the industry’s leading issues. In order to allow for more private discussions to take place, we are once again hosting our Strategic Exchange Sessions (SES). SES’s are a very popular component of our conference – in fact, last year they sold out!
SES’s are held at tables, private cabana tents and executive suites at the hotel and are a great way to get concentrated access to other attendees and companies while at the conference. Once an organization reserves an SES, they are periodically sent an updated list of attendees with contact information. We recommend that companies participating in the SES program schedule appointments prior to the conference in order to make the most of their time.
We are also offering one FREE conference registration for every company that registers for their SES before Thursday, January 31, 2013. Reserve today and take advantage of this opportunity to network with some of the biggest players in traditional and digital local advertising. And for the first time, at registration SES participants will be offered the opportunity to take advantage of complimentary webinars to communicate with attendees in advance of the conference.
We are really fortunate to have secured a phenomenal keynote speaker for our 2013 annual conference, “Search Starts Here”: Jean-Pierre Remy, President and Chief Executive Officer of PagesJaunes.
PagesJaunes is the Yellow Pages publisher in France. Since taking on his role in 2009, Jean-Pierre has led the remarkable transformation of the company from a traditional print publisher into one of the world’s most progressive local search companies.
Recently, MIT’s prestigious Sloan Business School, in association with CapGemini Consulting, conducted a study into digital transformation within large traditional billion-dollar-plus organizations. The purpose was to identify companies from traditional business sectors who had successfully embraced digital technology in order to radically transform their performance. Jean-Pierre’s ability to successfully capitalize on new digital opportunities for PagesJaunes within the directive media-publishing was specifically cited in the report as a model example for the industry.
Today, PagesJaunes reaches 90% of French consumers through its portfolio of print, digital, mobile and social products and ranks as one of the top 10 global companies in terms of online revenues, with 59% of its approximately $1.5 billion annual revenue coming from its digital offerings. In my opinion, PagesJaunes represents one of the greatest transformation stories from traditional to digital media ever.
PagesJaunes’ successful realignment serves as a model for all traditional media companies looking to evolve into forward-looking digital media players. I encourage anyone who is looking to make a similar transition to the digital world to join us in learning how Jean-Pierre led the transformation of his company.
Visit our conference website for more information and to register for “Search Starts Here,” April 13-16, 2013 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. We’ll be posting additional details throughout this week on the exciting things we have planned for this year’s gathering.
How does segmentation increase the salesman’s credibility?
How do we put segmentation into action?
In Europe, everyone is talking about customer segmentation, as well as user segmentation, as key to future success in our business. The two-day event will feature expert speakers discussing a wide variety of relevant topics, including the latest developments and strategies to exploit the small business market directly through Facebook and Google. The event will also discuss the latest changes in the sales process introduced by Pages Jaunes in France.
For more information and to register, visit http://www.yellowsearchtoday.dk/. We’re pleased that Local Search Association members based outside Europe will receive a 35% discount on conference registration. Interested attendees should contact co-organizer and Local Search Association member Peter Buxton at Peter Buxton at mail@yellowsearchtoday.dk or by phone by + 49 172 961 3192.
The “Lightning Round” session at our recent annual conference, “Search Starts Here,” generated very positive feedback. As an extension of the session, we’ve offered the opportunity for its participants to further showcase their companies and offerings here on Local Search Insider. Our first contributor is Ian S. Cruickshank, chief revenue officer of Wishpond Technologies.
You don’t need us to tell you that that consumer behavior has changed, and continues to change.
Local search businesses have two huge assets: established relationships, and active, talented sales forces. The easiest way for you to continue to provide value to your clients, and grow your revenue, is through an easy-to-use, simple-to-explain suite of digital solutions that are seamless additions to a client’s existing services.
Wishpond is a leading provider of product-based digital media solutions for merchants, brands and malls – with offerings covering mobile, social, and local search. Our mission is to build easy-to-use marketing tools that deliver engagement, insights and returns. With our roots in local product search, including a powerful search API, the marketing solutions we deliver for offline and online retailers provide tight integration with existing inventory systems and boast nimble cross-platform user interfaces.
You have the brand, the reach, and the sales force. We have the digital marketing product suite, self-serve applications, and local product data. Together we can continue to provide outstanding value to your clients.
Good morning from sunny South Florida! Local search industry players from across the country and around the world are now gathering for our 2012 annual conference, ‘Search Starts Here,’ at the beautiful Boca Resort. For the next three days, we will hear directly from industry leaders, engage in lively discussions about the state of our industry and its future, and participate in valuable networking opportunities to meet one another and explore business opportunities.
Highlights for our busy Sunday agenda include:
Currently underway, our annual golf tournament, sponsored by Yellow Pages Group. We started late, but once the monsoon ended, our golfers were underway!
Until 7:00 p.m. today, visit the Camino Foyer for conference registration check-in and information.
From 6:00-7:30 p.m., New and Associate Members are invited to join Neg Norton at the Camino Garden for our President’s Reception.
From 7:30-9:00 p.m., all attendees are invited to join us for the Industry Excellence Awards Reception at the Great South Hall.
Remember to check back here on Local Search Insider throughout the conference for updates and perspective on key takeaways from this important event. We’re looking forward to a great conference!
Watch what happens when we convene a panel to discuss “In 2017: A Retrospective View of the Future of Local Search” featuring BIA/Kelsey‘s Charles Laughlin and Matt Booth, and SuperMedia Chief Marketing Officer Mat Stover. I’ll be there to moderate and I’m really looking forward to what they have to say.
Don’t miss this session or the rest of our speakers and panels at the Local Search Association Annual Conference – “Search Starts Here”, in partnership with BIA/Kelsey, taking place April 21 -24, 2012 at the Boca Resort in Boca Raton, Florida.
The excitement is starting to build and the registrations are flowing in for the 2012 Local Search Association annual conference, “Search Starts Here“ taking place April 21-24 in partnership with BIA/Kelsey! Attendees will be joining us in Boca Raton, Florida from all over the world – including Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Germany, Israel, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates – to hear speakers from across the local search industry.
This morning wraps up a very successful BIA/Kelsey ILM East in Boston, with a final round of A-List speakers from across the country. Opening with a series of interviews, Peter Krasilovsky, vice president and program director at BIA/Kelsey, talked with Merrill Brown, principal at MMB Media, Josh Fenton, cofounder and CEO of GoLocal24 and Zohar Yardeni, CEO of Main Street Connect.
Later in the morning, Ted Leonsis, vice chair of Groupon and an American Express Board Member, delivered a thought-provoking keynote address and answered questions from the floor.
The morning ended with the “SMB SuperForum: Focusing on Local Business Success” session, a great wrap-up of the key takeaways from the past three days. A group of leaders also demoed some of their innovative “top” sites.
Wishing you had been here? Join us in Boca Raton next month for the Local Search Association’s Conference – Search Starts Here, in partnership with BIA/Kelsey, April 21-24. Speakers from Google, SuperMedia, MapQuest, Dex One, Convergent Mobile and many other top local search companies will be there, and there will be plenty of opportunities to network.
Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable, actionable ideas in a beautiful setting. Book your hotel room before April 2 to get our terrific discounted rate! For more information, visit the conference website.
I’m excited to announce that Mary Boysman, vice president of Brand Marketing and Advertising at Aspen Dental, will be a keynote speaker at our 2012 annual conference, Search Starts Here, scheduled for April 21-24 in Boca Raton, Florida.
Ms. Boysman will provide a national advertiser’s perspective on digital media planning: how choices are made, how media performance is evaluated and how the media mix works together. She will also address the role of the print Yellow Pages in this media mix
I’m excited to hear Ms. Boysman’s remarks for two reasons. First, I’m interested in the process used by a sophisticated national advertiser and their agency in determining which media is most effective in communicating their messages to their key audiences, as well as their formula for allocating budget across that media mix. For the publishers in the audience, this will provide some terrific insight into what is necessary to increase and/or maintain their share of wallet. Second, this presentation gets to the essence of why we rebranded as the Local Search Association almost a year ago. That is, how local media can work together synergistically to help marketers succeed and how that success is measured.
I’m really looking forward to Ms. Boysman’s presentation. I think it’s going to provide some great insights we can all learn from. I hope to see you there.
We’re just over two months away from our 2012 annual conference, Search Starts Here, scheduled for April 21-24 in Boca Raton, Florida. Over the coming weeks, we’ll highlight the exciting sessions on our agenda so you’re fully aware of what’s in store!
An important aspect of our conference each year is our Industry Research Update session (April 19, 9:15 a.m.), during which we unveil preliminary results from our annual Local Media Tracking Study.
The study, which is conducted by Burke Research and analyzed by our research team led by Natalie Wuchenich, provides a comprehensive look at the habits of consumers searching for local business information across various local media. The results prove instrumental in helping our industry better understand and adapt to consumer behaviors. At the session, Natalie will be joined by Burke’s Stacy McWhorter to give attendees a first-hand look at the data and answer questions.
Additionally, by bringing on BIA/Kelsey as producers of this year’s conference, we’ll also benefit from a new research session: BIA/Kelsey’s Global Yellow Pages Outlook and Forecast (April 19, 8:30 a.m.). The outlook and forecast, which are regularly updated (most recently this past December), provide valuable insight on the projected path for revenues and margin in the global directories and local search industry. BIA/Kelsey’s Charles Laughlin and Matt Booth will lead this session. For more information, see BIA/Kelsey’s press release here.
Don’t miss out on these important research sessions! Register today for the conference so that you can have an inside look at where our industry is heading.
Our president, Neg Norton, announced plans for the Local Search Association’s 2012 annual conference, “Search Starts Here,” scheduled for April 21-24 in Boca Raton, Florida, at BIA/Kelsey’s ILM West today.
For years, our annual conference has been known as one of the most important industry gatherings of the year. So we’re excited that in 2012, we will build on expertise with the help of BIA/Kelsey, which will help produce this year’s conference. By combining our experience in creating memorable industry meetings with BIA/Kelsey’s well-known reputation for developing dynamic, content-rich agendas, attendees will benefit by getting the best of both worlds.
Speakers from around the world will be on hand to discuss industry trends, lessons learned, success stories, new technology applications, and useful innovations in the local search industry. We will be leveraging the knowledge and experience of our talented teams to ensure that the program exceeds your expectations and that networking opportunities – both formal and informal, yield positive results for your business.
So plan to join members of the local search industry, including international CEOs and other influencers, for an unforgettable meeting. Schedule an SES, consider a sponsorship and bring your team for three days of information, discussion and networking. This is a meeting you won’t want to miss.
At our Search Starts Here conference earlier this week, I listened in on the panel discussion with Rich Razgaitis of Reach Deals and Martin Tobias of Tipper to hear more about the raipdly growing daily deal business model.
With more than 500 daily deal sites out there, it’s clear that the model is driving people in the doors of small- and medium-sized businesses. While advertisers discount their product/services and share profits with the daily deal provider, they’re not being asked to pay anything up front – a very attractive model to some small businesses looking for new customers. Different than coupons, the daily deal model incentivizes quick purchases and promotes engagement with purchasers networks. When asked to explain the difference between the daily deal and coupon model, Tobias cited the extremely high and fast redemption rate as compared to coupons (around 70% are used in the first 30 days of purchase). But do businesses win long term?
To be a win-win for SMBs and consumers, daily deal companies should encourage relationships with merchants over time, as opposed to selling as many as they can in one day. This will allow for a particular business to repeat this model in a month, three months, or even quarterly.
It’ll be interesting to see how this model expands in 2011. I’ve heard about a few examples of BtoB-type daily deals in the past month. Will niche companies come up to target these particular audiences, or will bigger players like Groupon set aside a specialized sales force for this audience? There are companies out there that can help with different components of the model (admin and customer account management, software, deal sourcing, etc.). Tobias said, “everyone in this room should try to have the deal businesses be part of their business.”
Chris Borrink, vice president interactive for Allied Van Lines / NorthAmerican Van Lines, kicked off this morning’s general assembly with a 360-degree view of the local search industry.
“The world I live in is lead generation,” Borrink said. “We have a strong channel focus … we pay attention to every media that deliver leads.”
Borrink showed that a multichannel approach is important to his organization’s leads generation. How people find a mover? According to the company’s statistics, 31% of Allied’s leads come through a search engine, 19% through print Yellow Pages, 17% through local search sites, 9% through Internet Yellow Pages, 8% through the company website, and 5% through local newspaper or magazine.
But what are the major challenges to this approach? Borrink says that more ads need to be measured. According to Borrink, the cost of metered ads is not an issue. It’s the cultural challenge of changing an agent’s phone number – one he’s had for 30 years.
Borrink says that Google is an important part of driving leads.
“Google is a beautiful model for creating competition and for getting new business … There is no question in our minds about organic placement as it relates to volume. We need to keep our agents aware of that.”
Borrink cautioned that using paid Google listings to outbid competitors’ pricing, will at some point not be a profitable.
“They are trying to outbid the other guy to get more volume. At some point, that is not profitable.”
To coincide with our new brand, our blog is now called Local Search Insider – update your bookmarks to www.localsearchinsider.com.
In the past decade, we’ve seen the Yellow Pages industry evolve from a focus on publishing print directories to today serving as integrated local search provider via print, online, mobile and social media. And as the view of Yellow Pages companies has expanded, so has the view of the entire industry. Now our “local search” industry involves all sorts of companies and media – large and small – that help local businesses connect with consumers. Today Yellow Pages companies, search engines, local business sites, vertical sites, deal of the day providers, and many other companies are competing and partnering to help small businesses succeed.
These new members face many of the same opportunities and challenges as our traditional member base and the Local Search Association will work together to find integrated marketing and local search solutions for our customers. This collective group represents the best local search marketers in the world. We will continue to serve our long-time Yellow Pages members as well as the ever-expanding universe of companies connecting local buyers and sellers through digital advertising, social networking and mobile platforms.
The goal of the Local Search Association is to deliver time-tested and cutting-edge solutions spanning digital, print, mobile and social media. Combined with strong local sales forces, I believe we will become the most trusted marketing advisors to local businesses and position them for success in the broader local search space.
It’s finally here! Members from across the country and around the world are now gathering for the start of our 36th annual conference, ‘Search Starts Here,’ at Caesers Palace in Las Vegas.
Over the next few days, we’ll hear directly from our industry’s leaders and analysts, as well as other important figures with strong knowledge of the issues facing our business, about the pivotal trends driving change in the local search industry.
For both those in attendance and others who are unable to join us, we’ll be live blogging here throughout the conference on the speakers, panels and other notable events taking place at this leading industry gathering. We hope you will utilize our blog as a resource and join the conversation by leaving comments on discussion that interest you.
SES’s are held at tables, private cabana tents and executive suites at the hotel and are a great way to get concentrated access to other attendees and companies while at the conference. Once an organization reserves an SES, they are periodically sent an updated list of attendees with contact information. We recommend that companies participating in the SES program schedule appointments prior to the conference in order to make the most of their time.
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