Insurance Shoppers Check Yellow Pages

The topic heading "insurance' is the twelfth most looked up item by consumers searching the Yellow Pages, according to a research firm survey.

The Yellow Pages Association, based in Berkeley Heights, N.J., said survey data it commissioned showed also that auto coverage is the insurance line that generates the most searches.

YPA said that based on research by the Knowledge Network/SRI (Statistical Research Institute) firm, the "Insurance" Yellow Pages heading generates more than 233 million print look-ups per year, putting it 12th among more than 4,000 headings.

Larry Small, research director in YPA's Denver office, said Knowledge Network obtains its print usage data research through 9,000 interviews it conducts throughout the year, asking people when they last used the Yellow Pages and what they used them for.

Mr. Small said that insurance has been very steady in its ranking. "What we find is that the variation between one year and the next is not really statistically relevant. Once you get in the top-15 headings it is very consistent."

Breaking down the directory usage by insurance category, Mr. Small said 66 percent of look-ups were for auto insurance, 21 percent for homeowners, 9 percent for health, 3 percent for life and 7 percent for other lines such as business liability or boat coverage. Six percent were claims-related.

Mr. Small said that online consumer Internet Yellow Page searches are not nearly as extensive as print, "but insurance shows up in the top ten."

For the paper product in 2004, he said, the directory was referenced by consumers 14.6 billion times for all topic headings. By comparison, for headings in the Internet Yellow Pages there were 1.5 billion references, Mr. Small said.

"But what we're seeing is the Internet product is growing rapidly where the paper product is fairly flat," he said.

The company said that IYP gets more than 19 million insurance references annually, according to Knowledge Networks/SRI.
YPA said also that the research found 83 percent of Americans believe that adequate life insurance is a necessity and most often purchase insurance after having a child, getting married or when a serious health issues occurs.

YPA said the average insurance company Yellow Pages ad generates more than $303,000 in revenue.

"Insurance companies and brokers have historically depended on the print and electronic Yellow Pages to help generate business because of their high return on investment. The average insurance business gains $5 of profit from its display advertising for every Yellow Pages advertising dollar spent, according to independent research by CRM Associates," according to Mr. Small

The 11 most favored listings ahead of insurance are restaurants, physicians-surgeons, auto parts, auto repair-services, pizza, attorneys-lawyers, auto dealers, dentists, hospitals, beauty salons and plumbing contractors, according to YPA.