It seems that every month I get a new phone book. Yet, I haven't opened one in the past few years. Of course, if I need to find a local business, I'll go to Google (NASDAQ: GOOG).

I'm definitely not alone. Just look at the carnage in the yellow pages business.

If you're a business owner, it's become necessary to get on board local online marketing. Not only will you find good customers, but you'll be able to measure results (how many clicks you are getting), target segments (you can focus on various demographics), and help build your brand.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Ramp up your customer leads with local web ads

Entrepreneur's Journal: Ramp up your customer leads with local web ads originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 May 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A recent piece in The Wall Street Journal had a grim headline: "Extinction Threatens Yellow Pages Publishers." As should be no surprise, consumers are moving away from traditional yellow-pages and instead using the internet, going to places like Google (NASDAQ: GOOG). In fact, it looks like spending on yellow pages advertising will plunge by 39% over the next four years, according to research from Borrell Associates.

This makes it all the more important that you have a strong web presence.

These days, there are good hosting services, such as Web.com, that help you take care of the basics. But it can be expensive to add dynamic elements to your website. Often, it means hiring a web consultant.

But there are alternatives. Take Caspio, which provides a web-based system that makes it easy to create your own web applications. Its latest offering is called the "Website Marketing Suite." With it, you can add such capabilities as:

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Taking your website to the next level

Entrepreneur's Journal: Taking your website to the next level originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've just returned from the World Money Show in Orlando where more than 10,000 investors gathered to learn about global investing. I had a chance to meet with many of the U.S. and foreign financial experts featured at the show, and over the next week I will share some of their top investment ideas. To view all of the stocks featured in this special global report, click here.

Any investor who owned Canadian income trusts prior to the change in tax law that caused the sector to plummet can well understand the sentiments expressed by Canadian investment expert Gordon Pape who -- after speaking to investors at the World Money Show -- commented, "The Americans are angry. Very angry indeed!"

In an update on the trust situation, the editor The Internet Wealth Builder notes, "The recent Parliamentary Committee hearings into the income trust tax proposal were interesting but, in the end, nothing has changed. The government is going ahead with the plan and the legislation will pass."

"So it you were holding any faint hope that the bill might somehow be defeated, it is time to put those dreams aside and move on. That's what the financial professionals are doing."

In that light, the advisor has been looking at selected income trusts that despite the tax rulings remain buy recommendations. He explains, "We have been recommending that investors start to weed out the weaker trusts from their portfolios, retaining only the cream of the crop.

"I regard Yellow Pages Income Fund (Other OTC:YLWPF) as one of the strongest income trusts. It controls a powerful franchise and, as a result of the acquisition of Super Pages a couple of years ago, has a virtual monopoly position in Canada.

Continue reading Global gains: Income from north of the border

Global gains: Income from north of the border originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 17 Feb 2007 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The spin-off of Verizon Communications, Inc.'s (NYSE:VZ) phone book business has been completed. Idearc (NYSE:IAR), operator of Yellow and White Pages, begins trading today on its own basis.

Idearc's products include Verizon Yellow Pages and smaller-sized portable Verizon Yellow Pages Companion Directories, SuperPages.com, SuperPages Mobile(TM), Solutions At Hand(TM) magazine and Solutions Direct(TM) direct mail packages.

Idearc also provides sales, publishing and other related services for more than 1,200 distinct directory titles in 35 states and in D.C. It lists a total 2006 expected circulation of approximately 136 million copies and is the largest publisher of Hispanic directories in the United States.

Barron's gave this a positive write-up this weekend after Idearc shares traded on a when-issued basis last week for $26.60. A Citigroup analyst who covers the sector noted that Idearc shares could be worth $33.00. The company also has plans to raise some $9 Billion in loans and bonds.

Verizon's Idearc phone book spin-off completed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.