Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 11, 1993 TAG: 9302110113
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: C6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BLACK PAGES OFFER ADS AND MORE: A NETWORK
THE DIRECTORIES of black type on white paper do more than advertise; they promote pride, self-help, self-reliance . . . and community\ Forrest E. Irving looks at statistics showing there are 70,000 blacks in the area around Roanoke and he sees an opportunity for niche advertising.
He looks at the $550 million total household income among blacks in Roanoke, Salem, Botetourt County, the New River Valley, Clifton Forge, Covington, Martinsville and Danville and concludes it's a market ripe for a telephone advertising directory aimed at minorities.
Irving is sales manager for the Greater Roanoke edition of Black Pages, USA, a specialty phone book set to debut in April or May. Black Pages' Richmond-based publishers are Gerry McCants, Darrin Thomas and Jesse Frierson.
During the past three years, they've introduced successful editions in Columbia and Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Jacksonville, Fla. Also this year they expect to publish new books covering Lynchburg and Greensboro-Winston-Salem, N.C.
Black Pages, USA directories also are published in 25 other markets. The Yellow Pages Publishers Association in Troy, Mich., estimates there are approximately 70 publications nationwide aimed specifically at blacks.
"Our advertisers are minority business owners and professionals, nonprofit community service organizations and major corporations, institutions and companies that provide services and special needs to the minority community," Irving said.
But the books of black type on white paper include more than advertising. Seeking to promote pride, self-help and self-reliance - tenets that sparked such specialized telephone books about 25 years ago - the directories contain other information about each market's minority community.
"Who's Who" sections profile business owners, professionals, community and civic leaders and other role models. Consumer-oriented features include information about black health issues, black colleges, estimating the cost of a child's education, operating a small business or getting a loan.
"Our general concept is similar to the Yellow Pages," Irving said. "But what sets us apart is the extra information. It's not only advertising. It's a networking resource guide."
Irving is the company's Roanoke-area sales representative. A 26-year-old Roanoke native, he graduated from William Fleming High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in travel management from Concord College, W.Va. His 5 1/2-year stint with the National Guard included service in Desert Storm.
The walls of his office in the Lawson Building on First Street Northwest are lined with charts showing people he has called on and the myriad tasks remaining to be done before his early April ad-closing date.
His strongest sales pitch also is his biggest problem: People have trouble identifying and finding black-owned businesses.
Black Pages, USA's research has found that blacks comprise about 13 percent of the total population in the directory's greater-Roanoke target area. And if it matches readership profiles of the other directories, about 70 percent of the potential users are female and a majority are between 25 and 34 years old.
Also, 82 percent of the readers have attended or graduated from college and more than half earn $25,000 or more per year in professional or managerial jobs.
However, Irving said, he has no formal way to track exactly how many black-owned businesses operate within his market.
He's had some success finding potential advertisers through the recently formed Minority Business Network. He also is relying heavily on the state's minority enterprise business registry, participation in social and fraternal events, help from the staff of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture and word-of-mouth.
Response to the directory generally has been positive, Irving said. But the reality is there are only so many advertising dollars, and they're being selectively spent.
"Always in sales you hear about budgets being tight. The major corporations are being very supportive and they have the budgets for it. Some black business owners and professionals are making sacrifices elsewhere to be in the publication because they realize that this is something specifically for them and it will benefit them," he said.
Irving declined to quote his full rate schedule for advertising in the Some black business owners and professionals are making sacrifices elsewhere to be in the publication because they realize that this is something specifically for them and it will benefit them. Forrest Irving new book but said rates range from $300 for one-eighth of a page to $7,800 for a full page.
In contrast, rates in the Roanoke C&P directory Yellow Pages are $1,140 for a quarter-page to $22,800 for a full-page ad, according to the Yellow Pages Publishers Association.
The final layout is done in-house in Richmond, a recent change that Irving said gives the publishers more control and improves the product.
Irving said the books typically contain about 150 pages. He said the company plans to print 15,000 to 25,000 copies, which will be distributed through racks placed in churches, banks, beauty salons, libraries, the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce office and some advertisers' facilities.
"With the economy in the state that it is, the black community is affected more so than the general population," he said. "We need to try to focus on building our community through these hard times. If we can build our community, we can help create more jobs and more economic stability. Then we can work with others.
"Our company has grown even through the recession. So we have a lot of faith in our product and keep branching out," Irving said. "But the community's acceptance and support is the key to our success."