Is it worth it to use the Yellow Pages for Advertising?

[Majestic]

Hi,

I was curious how many people here actually advertise in the Yellow Pages?
I was thinking of advertising there, but considering how expensive it is to advertise there I wanted to know if people have been receiving good returns on their investment?

I had somebody from the Yellow Pages visit me today and they have a 100 year anniversary pricing special.

At the moment I advertise in one magazine, one newspaper (classified ad), I use craigslist and BNI (Business Networking International). I'm wondering if perhaps I should just invest in the Yellow Pages, but I don't want to waste my money. Also considering that any advertising takes about 3 months to see the "fruits" of your investment.. I want to make sure it's worth it.

Please share your experiences (negative or positive) with advertising in the Yellow Pages Directory.

Thanks!

Majestic

 

[tartis]

I advertise in both the AT&T and Yellowbook pages, and I get about half my business from these two publications.

 

[dhrandy]

I advertise in both the AT&T and Yellowbook pages, and I get about half my business from these two publications.

I guess the better question is how much competition do you have in those 2 publications? I'm sure it's great if you don't have much competition in your area or your competition isn't advertising in AT&T and Yellowbook.

 

[Majestic]

I guess the better question is how much competition do you have in those 2 publications? I'm sure it's great if you don't have much competition in your area or your competition isn't advertising in AT&T and Yellowbook.

There are 6 other ads in the Computer Service Category. quite big ads in fact.

Majestic

 

[blackburgpchelp]

I'm getting a very good return from my Yellow Pages Ad. I pay roughly $98/mo for a quarter page color ad. I definitely feel it is worth it. YMMV.

-Rance

 

[Majestic]

I'm getting a very good return from my Yellow Pages Ad. I pay roughly $98/mo for a quarter page color ad. I definitely feel it is worth it. YMMV.

-Rance

I've been quoted about $200 for a quarter.. not page but.. something like a 2x3 ad per month for the Yellow Pages. That's why I want to make sure it's worth my while. I'm paying right now about $200 for other advertising but it took a bit of time for those to really flourish. I believe the rule is 3 month of advertising to get a solid return.

Majestic

 

[TimeCode]

I paid $75 per month for an ad that was 1/2 the size of a business card and it was probably generating $200 per month until the next book came out. If you're going to do it, you have to be in ALL the books for your area. As soon as the new book comes out the old one is trashed along with your ad & money.

To do a large ad here is extremely expensive and there is a TON of competition.

 

[geeksmobileusa]

It all depends on your transaction/customer and how much repeat business you generate. If youre only making $100 bucks a customer and they only call you twice a year, it may not be worth it. If you're converting 1-2 big clients even a YEAR and they're bringing you $1000/month each, then its well worth it to throw away money for half a year. Its all about how you're structured. If you're hoping that by placing a pc repair ad youre going to get a steady flow of 1-shot deal customers, its not going to happen. The business is just not there.

The other thing is, if you start losing money on the ad, those people will sue your pants off. The ads cost enough where its worth it for them to drag you into court. Anything over $2k and they'll hire a lawyer. multiply monthly by a year and you usually have over $2k.

Keep in mind once you've committed its for a year. If you're not absolutely 100% sure your ad is the best looking ad in the book, with the best design/logo/tagline you will lose ALOT of money. Mediocre ads don't do well. Too much competition.