Is the future of dental marketing online?

This week, Mashable reported that analyst firm eMarketer predicts spending on online advertising will hit $50 billion in 2015.  In 2010 U.S. online ad spending hit $26 billion.  The report also predicts that video will be the fastest-growing format in online advertising.

Another factor mentioned in this is the shift in local advertising from newspapers and Yellow Pages to online ads.

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey asking dentists if they advertised in the Yellow Pages.  61% of dentists responded that they advertise in the Yellow Pages.

But one-third of those with ads said they were dropping them, and another third said they were reducing their yellow pages marketing because of the growing online marketing trend.

But is it really smart to abandon the Yellow Pages altogether?

To hear more of what dentists had to say about Yellow Page advertising, please click play and watch the following survey video -

The Local Search Association (www.localsearchassociation.org) conducted a Local Media Tracking Study through Burke and found the following -

As local search habits evolve, a comprehensive study of consumer preferences on local media shows that an integrated approach to local advertising incorporating both print directories and online search media is the best path for businesses hoping to ring up sales.

The “Local Media Tracking Study,” using an online panel (80 percent of respondents) and offline/telephone survey (20 percent), found that 84 percent of respondents used either print or Internet Yellow Pages to find a local business in the last year and more than three-quarters (76 percent) used a search engine. The study found that 74 percent of U.S. adults used a print Yellow Pages directory to find a local business in the past year. Search engines reached 76 percent of consumer through the year, and 67% monthly.

While usage of print Yellow Pages has declined as local media information has become available in more places, the number of times U.S. consumers look up information in a print directory continues to be in the billions. In 2010, consumers generated 11 billion references to print Yellow pages. comScore found that Internet Yellow Pages generated 5.6 billion searches in 2010.

Are you still advertising in the Yellow Pages?