Yodle CEO Court Cunningham is one of the co-authors of the forthcoming Local Online Advertising for Dummies. I haven’t seen/read the book, although the WSJ says that it promotes Yodle services:
The 384-page book, written in part by Yodle executives, isn’t shy about promoting the company. A note on the cover says, “Inside – find out how to get a $100 advertising credit from Yodle!” With that type of blatant self-promotion, a reader can’t help but wonder how much bias is in the book.
While Cunningham is a very smart guy and I think Yodle is doing good work, I question this approach by publisher Wiley (if what the WSJ says is correct). Nonetheless, this could be the biggest branding gift and vehicle that Yodle has yet undertaken.
The paradox could be that the DIYers who buy the book might not be the best prospects for a service like Yodle, although I could be completely wrong.
What do you think about Yodle writing the book in the first place? And how do you think it could affect the market or their position in the market?
Screenwerk 
April 7, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Hi Greg I think a “Dummies” book is a natural progression for anything new that becomes more mainstream. The thing about this book is that small business owners don’t seek them out. They don’t know what they don’t know. And they are not trying to find answers to these new advertising questions. A Yellow Pages exec once said to me that “Yellow Pages ads are sold, not bought.” While that might be the outgoing model I don’t think the target audience’s attention span or ability to market is moving at the same speed.
April 7, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Yes, ads are sold not bought . . . but that wisdom is less true than it once was. Don’t think this will start a wave of DIY but it’s part of a larger trend toward online marketing for SMBs.
My estimate is that 10% to 15% of the addressable market will “self-provision.”
April 8, 2010 at 1:15 am
“10-15% will self-provision”, but when? And, how many would you estimate self-provision now?
My guess is something in the range of 3-5% currently self-provision – and in most cases it’s only a Google LBL. Very few SMBs have the time or knowledge to fully provision and manage their entire online visibility, including maps, local listings, databases, IYP’s, PPC, Social Networking, review sites, SEO, etc.
Will the marketplace continue to evolve and fragment? And if so, will it continue to become more challanging to self-provision?
April 8, 2010 at 6:51 am
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April 9, 2010 at 2:21 am
10-15% is a longer term number. Right now, depending on how we define
“self-provisioning” it’s probably about 5%.