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John G
20-04-2011, 11:21 AM
Its time to renew the yellow pages adverts - not sure whether to bother this year as I don't think anyone uses the yellow pages any more. What do you use to advertise your business?

Yellow pages, Yell.com or your own website

AdamB
20-04-2011, 12:11 PM
Don't forget the other FREE way of advertising John .................... Facebook!

I was never a fan until last year and then I realised that if used well it can be a fantastic way to promote. A local cupcake shop opened a few months ago and she uses facebook regularly with little things like the first 6 people in the shop quacking like a duck get a free cupcake - silly I know but using these methods she has booked up for the next couple of months (for every day) with weddings and events etc.

It's the way ahead!

Kaz
20-04-2011, 12:29 PM
I'm looking into selling on facebook as already got a page for the business, just not got the time to spend learning how to do it right now

smitch6
20-04-2011, 12:54 PM
advertising on FB is really expensive

Kaz
20-04-2011, 01:01 PM
advertising on FB is really expensive

But selling through facebook isn't ;-)

gstk
20-04-2011, 04:41 PM
Yellow Pages - is dead in the water. I gave up three years ago when they tried to sell me the 247247 number. It wasnt proven and 118 118 was the one everyone knew. I looked at the whole package they offered and decided to spend it on other things. Most people use Google instead of yell.com My personal yellow pages sits here and I havent even opened it.

They are no more in my humble opinion.

smitch6
20-04-2011, 07:09 PM
that is very true actually i can't rem the last time i looked through a phone book or the yellow pages lol

i suppose you can have a 1 line advert for free in there (they don't like advertising that feature)
so having that doesn't hurt
and there are still some ppl who will look in there ie those ppl who don't have internet or just prefer the paper
but most of us offer a postal service to ppl all over the country so anything like yellow pages won't help anyway

mrs maggot
20-04-2011, 09:58 PM
own website, facebook, deals with magazines etc, and listings on all free web directory sites

mrs maggot
20-04-2011, 09:59 PM
ha ha ha just noticed the "own website" comes up in YELLOW

John G
21-04-2011, 10:23 AM
This poll is starting to confirm my suspicions - yellow pages and yell.com are rarely used, infact I've never used either lately but have always advertised in Yellow pages since I went self employed 8 years ago.

The prices quoted by their rep were £116 for a small bold ad, £181 for small box ad and Yell.com at £389. There was a package for £320 which included the internet and a medium box ad. I'd like to keep this poll going for a week or so to see what the results are.

Thanks for voting so far!

Paul @ Yell
26-04-2011, 09:32 AM
Hi all - new to the forum but picked up on some of the Yell/Yellow Pages references. Just wanted to give some info on the Yellow Pages/Yell free listing. Anyone who wants one can get one here (http://www.yelldirect.com/yelldirect/viewBasketItemStart.do;jsessionid=aQSHJDfEziHd?bas ketIndex=1).

With regards to the book, it is worth bearing in mind that there are stats around about it still being used very often (some here (http://www.yellgroup.com/english/aboutyell-yelluk-yellukproducts-yellowpages)), and that there are big companies in the book who are in there as they are seeing a positive return on their investment.

John G
26-04-2011, 10:09 AM
Hi Paul,
Thanks for joining in on this thread - tried your link but just leads to a dead or timed out page.

I've had a look at some of the figures quoted by yellow pages (£1 spent on a Yellow pages ad leads to £25 worth of sales) - I still cannot get how they can back these statements up and judging by the poll ran above, the info yellow pages supply seems to be a little flawed.

Paul @ Yell
26-04-2011, 10:14 AM
Hi John - thanks for having me.

Apologies - on the homepage of the marketing.yell.com (http://marketing.yell.com) site there is a link to click to claim a free listing (down the right underneath the login box).

I would say it is worth keping in mind that the poll will only reach so many people, and those who like to contribute to/surf forums etc (thinking of Yellow Pages in particular).

gstk
26-04-2011, 12:00 PM
Like a lot of things, things have moved on. I am sure there is a place for Yellow pages and Yell but I dont think the prices reflect that change. Yell needs to lose the arrogance I have experienced (This is over a 20 year period I am not talking the last few years) They arent the market leader. If the ads were more reasonable a price I would consider. The last time I got a quote the guy wanted me to spend over £3k - for my little business its just not viable.

My opinion.

mrs maggot
26-04-2011, 11:24 PM
I would say it is worth keping in mind that the poll will only reach so many people

but thats the whole point, he is asking a question on a community website for people in the same business as him which is probably a lot more accurate than figures from industry wide.

gstk
26-04-2011, 11:40 PM
and also remember "Statistics - lies, lies and more lies"

Kaz
26-04-2011, 11:56 PM
I remember the last time the yellow pages came out, the amount I saw in the recycling bags the week after could've saved a small rain forest.

Next one due here in June/July and if I'm quick enough, I'll be giving it back, have no incline to use the book, though I have on occasion, used the website, if I can't find what I'm looking for on google

mrs maggot
27-04-2011, 07:47 AM
yes we normally have one of their distribution centres (40ft curtain side lorry) parked up in small car park - all that paper and as you say most destined to the re-cycle bin. we took ours back to the lorry, as did some other locals, and asked if there was a way of coming off the list - but there is not, which seems odd, between a few of us we could save a few 100's of trees, and chemicals

John G
04-05-2011, 11:06 PM
A big thanks to the 10 people who voted - I've declined to advertise in Yellow pages and yell this year. I cannot see the point if nobody actually picks up the book and google is a far better way to get info than yell.

mrs maggot
11-05-2011, 09:54 PM
John, i came up with (at least i belive it to be original from my head)


people want to click not flick

when i turned down advertising in a published directory today - made me laugh and the man at the end of the phone did not know what to say

John G
11-05-2011, 10:03 PM
Cracking - i'll get that printed out and keep it beside the phone, I get those telephone calls all the time and they're a right pain.

mrs maggot
12-05-2011, 07:59 AM
lol, glad you like it, i thought i would post it on here - seems to sum the poll up nicely

Matt Quinn
17-05-2011, 12:19 PM
H
I would say it is worth keping in mind that the poll will only reach so many people, and those who like to contribute to/surf forums etc (thinking of Yellow Pages in particular).

Yeah right :rolleyes:

1988 ; a fast-talking American 'supervisor' (he said) for Yellow Pages basically 'conned' me into taking an 1/8th page ad in the Glasgow YP... Our trading name was Clydeside Television Productions... And out logo a nicely-drawn inage of the Finnieston Crane; an iconic Glasgow landmark...

He LIED when he told me how much business this listing would bring. He also LIED when he was handed a 5x4 neg of our logo and told me it would have to be re-drawn by one of THEIR graphics people (at a cost!) because of union rules...

£1200 was the total bill (remember this was 1988!) and the logo that appeared in the Glasgow YP that year made the ad a laughing stock - very amateurish - it hung around like a bad smell for years, and must have COST me thousands in lost business... Luckily it only covered half the city!

We monitored enquiry sources carefully - And not a SINGLE caller cited that ad! In fact the only time people raised it with me was in the local pub - to take the P!$$!

- EVERY ****ing year since I've had some slimeball from YP or (latterly) Yell back on the 'phone trying to flog me space in their half-baked, half-a$$ed SHAMBLES of a directory/website... EVERY ****ing year since they've referred to our 'previous successful advertising with Yellow Pages'...

Successful? An ad 23 years ago that actually DAMAGED my business at the time???

IMHO you'd actually be better off buying some magic beans from a giant space-bunny than paying good money to be listed in Yell! - Either that or just take a pile of cash, some lighter fluid and a match... :rolleyes:

...And you CAN quote me on that!

John G
17-05-2011, 01:09 PM
Bought the beans Matt - a hell of a lot cheaper than YP :biggrin: