yellow pages

Do you have an ad in the Yellow Pages?

  • Total voters
    42
Russ Spence

Russ Spence

Commercial Pressure Wash Expert
who advertises in them?

I have been forever and we never get any calls from it, we monitor all unsolicited incoming business to see where it is coming from.

The majority of our unsolicited business comes from 2 places 1) website 2)referrals ...... I feel safe saying that is 99.9% of it.

I was going to really upgrade the ad campaign this year with business card style ads in several different cities, I signed the contracts and never got a proof, I called for 3 weeks and then finally recieved an email I couldnt open the link in that said I had until the 8th or they would run it as is (still I have no idea what my ad look like), I then called our sales rep and still no return call, then I get an email thanking me for approving my proof! ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

So I called and finally got someone on the phone and I cancelled the whole thing, now I am getting bombarded with emails from our sales rep, ARRRGGGGGGGHHHHH again, so this will be the first year ever that I have no phone book ad and I actully feel great :thank_you2:
 
I keep a small 1 inch ad in the yellow pages. I think it helps with credibility. I don't get a lot of calls from it but it's well worth what I pay. I think everyone should be in the yellow pages so customers can always find your #. Some customers may remember your name but not your number. If they go to the yellow pages and can't your number they may call someone else. This probably isn't as important if someone's business is mostly commercial, but for residential customers that only call you every year or 2 it is a big help.
 
We ran a 1/2 page ad for $800.00 a month a few years back, it was the biggest waste of advertising money we ever spent.
 
I'm dropping mine here too..Not one single call in 2 years. I thaught it was beacuse I put it in the wrong book(yellow book).. either way I just don't feel it's worth it!!
 
I put a full color business card size ad in for window cleaning. Part of the package included that ad, a line listing in window cleaning, and a 1 inch ad pressure washing.

Turns out they didn't put the add in pressure washing, they put the 1 inch ad in window cleaning. So now I have 3 ads in window cleaning for window cleaning, and nothing in pressure washing. The package also included some video commercials for the internet to help boost SEO ranking. Never heard a word on that. The sales rep. won't return my phone calls, nor will with phone book company.

That's my first and last ad in the yellow pages.
 
Russ Spence said:
who advertises in them?

I have been forever and we never get any calls from it, we monitor all unsolicited incoming business to see where it is coming from.

The majority of our unsolicited business comes from 2 places 1) website 2)referrals ...... I feel safe saying that is 99.9% of it.

I was going to really upgrade the ad campaign this year with business card style ads in several different cities, I signed the contracts and never got a proof, I called for 3 weeks and then finally recieved an email I couldnt open the link in that said I had until the 8th or they would run it as is (still I have no idea what my ad look like), I then called our sales rep and still no return call, then I get an email thanking me for approving my proof! ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

So I called and finally got someone on the phone and I cancelled the whole thing, now I am getting bombarded with emails from our sales rep, ARRRGGGGGGGHHHHH again, so this will be the first year ever that I have no phone book ad and I actully feel great :thank_you2:
Click to expand...
Russ I cant tell you all the problems I've had with AT&T advertising. They worry the piss out of you. Yet they can't get it right on their end. Then you call the person you delt with about the mistakes and he cant help you anymore. I told him if I got a bill for the things that were wrong that he and his boss would be invited to the Tuscalooa County courthouse for some small claims court. It would be worth it to me for them to waste their time.
 
I have been doing the $800 mo. for the last couple of years and I am thinking of dropping them.

Getting sick of it. They told me this year my bill wasn't going to go up so I said ok, then I got looking and they raised it a $100. :(
 
I had the largest ad in the AT&T YP (quarter page) for the first year and got 6 calls resulting in 2 smaller jobs (basically lost my @ss on it) -- I am in the middle of my 2nd year and I dropped the ATT one completely. Instead, I have a dollar bill size ad for $62 a month in the "other" yellow pages called 'The Complete Phone Book' which seems to be the more used one here. I get one residential job every other month from it on average, but it did yield 2 larger jobs -- a condo job and a repetitive Burger King.

I feel the way Mark feels, in that it adds a little credibility to me being around only 18 months in this market. In summary, it pays for itself but not a whole lot more.
 
Went big this year. Should have stayed home. It's generating, but not much. I don't think I will renew. I think I can spend better money in different places. A lot of older people around here that are still using them, though. I do mostly residential. If I was a commercial guy, they would be done.
 
Worst money ever spent on advertising period.

Who actually uses them any more anyway? I throw ours in the trash as soon as they drop them off.

You're right those maybe over 65 still do. Even the older folks who realize they can get photos and email from their grand kids want to figure out the internet eventually.

The Yellow Pages are becoming a dinosaur.
 
Forget the Yellow pages. We just finished our year end numbers and we paid almost $800/month for just about the largest ad in our area. Total cost about $9000/yr and we grossed about $17000. Between paying my two guys to do these jobs I probably didnt make squat. I don't do work just to keep my guys busy. So this year we are going to forget the display ads and probably do lines in both the yellow pages and the yellow book and nothing more. That shouldnt be much more then $200/month at most. Yellow pages is going the ways of the dinasour.(I think someone said that already in this post)
 
Yellow What?
8-Track...
the list goes on
 
We use to do big ads in the YP.....I use to think that it does lend to credibility and it does generate some business but not enought to justify the crazy prices they charge. I dropped it completely this year, no need. We can use the money saved and target the customers we want.

I ask every non-repeat customer call where they heard about us, I hear everything from TV to Radio to Signs but only the yellow pages a few times every year. I alway tell the person that I rarely get calls from the phone book.....twice this year I was told their computer was down and they used the YP.

8 Tracks
Yellow Pages
Phone Booths
 
I just signed up for a new thing that the AT&T yellow pages have. You only get charged if someone calls you from their ad.

The way I was explained is that they put a different phone number in your ad then they forward that number to your regular business line. This way you know if you get a lead from them or from some other form of advertising.

I'm still waiting on the ad proof from them. Nice thing is it's $0 out of pocket to start and they didn't ask me for a SSN number or credit card number.

I'll try it to see how it works for a bit.
 
Mike V said:
We use to do big ads in the YP.....I use to think that it does lend to credibility and it does generate some business but not enought to justify the crazy prices they charge. I dropped it completely this year, no need. We can use the money saved and target the customers we want.

I ask every non-repeat customer call where they heard about us, I hear everything from TV to Radio to Signs but only the yellow pages a few times every year. I alway tell the person that I rarely get calls from the phone book.....twice this year I was told their computer was down and they used the YP.

8 Tracks
Yellow Pages
Phone Booths
Click to expand...
Mike can you tell us some more about your TV and Radio ads?? Where thinking of doing a commercial this year for our business and we have no idea yet what kind of money where talking about. The yellow page ad where going to go back to one line and thats it. There a dying breed in this modern technology.
 
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