Yellow Pages Print

worth the cost?

[LostOne]

Hi Folks:

I've been toying with the idea of selling in my local market to increase sales. We do 95% of our business over the web. We have a showroom and do absolutely no local advertising. I'm wondering if the Yellow Pages have suffered any kind of declines with the inception of the web?

I can't think of the last time I used the Yellow Page book.

[adamnichols45]

Interesting post hope someone can offer the experience. Im also using there website! Not the book though!

Everyone I know uses the web!

[LifeinAsia]

It depends on a lot of factors- target demographics, location, type of business.

There are still a lot of people who don't use the Internet (or still have dialupm so would rather grab the Yellow Pages instead of turn on the computer, wait for it to boot, try to dial in...). If those types of people are in your target market, then look into it.

Even though I live on the Internet, I'll still drag out the Yellow Pages to find a local restaurant or some other type of businesses that tends to be offline.

[LostOne]

I found this..

[scobleizer.com...]

I agree with the comments of finding a business in a smaller market on the web. Hard to do. Now if it were Silicon Valley, NYC, or the demograhpics showed more potential buyers in their 20's and 30's I wouldn't be as interested in the print version.

I'm almost 50 and know of many in my age group that don't know how to search the web..let alone do a local search.

[edited by: LostOne at 4:51 pm (utc) on Feb. 13, 2007]

[ecommerceprofit]

Yes, I have been advertising for the past several years in the yellow pages - they do work - very small amount but any advertising that can work you should follow. It is no longer the web vs print vs tv, etc. - it is all just advertising...

[jsinger]

We are brick/mortar and web. Our fairly large yellow page display ads mention our web address. And our site has a coupon for use in our store. Neither does much to help the other.

I certainly wouldn't run a YP ad JUST to try to help web sales.

Your mileage may vary. YP rates differ around the country quite a bit. Response would vary with the product, of course.

In general, I think YPs "page views" are diminishing. They've been a golden goose for Bells for far too long.

[LostOne]

I look at it this way. For a half page ad in two surroundung counties with a total population of 850,000 it's gonna run an additional $ 312.00 a week in expenses. If I get two sales each week it makes up for it. Anything over and above is pure profit.

I don't think that should bomb.