how much do you pay for the yellow pages
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
Joined
·
1,415 Posts
Is that for an ad or for just name and #?
Either way I think many have said that it was not worth the money...
Either way I think many have said that it was not worth the money...
i got a half page ad. because i got a half page they gave me another half page ad for free in the landscape contractor section. i was also told that i would be the second ad in the book in both lawn maintenance and landscape contractor.. with listing in four other columns. it seems very expensive but they showed the me the stats on another landscaper who they bought a phone line for and used the number only for the yellow pages. he averaged 145 calls a month...
Joined
·
870 Posts
Our Ad is $1425.00/month.
90% of the calls get weeded out. 10% bring some staple business, but it's those 4 or 5 per year that really pay off big.
90% of the calls get weeded out. 10% bring some staple business, but it's those 4 or 5 per year that really pay off big.
Mine costs me $13.70 a month!
One line, lists my name and phone #
Did the $350.00 thing last year and so far am getting the same results with the new price.
Let people tell you it doesn't work and don't get one. I was skeptical at first myself but the phone hasn't stopped since we got the ad last year.
One line, lists my name and phone #
Did the $350.00 thing last year and so far am getting the same results with the new price.
Let people tell you it doesn't work and don't get one. I was skeptical at first myself but the phone hasn't stopped since we got the ad last year.
Joined
·
1,415 Posts
I agree with Homer I think the name and # will do just fine.
Joined
·
1,415 Posts
Either that or he is established enough that the name sounds familiar with many people...
Joined
·
6,929 Posts
Yellow pages ads are complex. Prices depend on a variety of things. Which book you advertise in (assuming there are multiple books in your area), how large of an ad you place, etc.
If you are going to advertise in the yellow pages you want to make sure and do your homework first. If you have multiple books in your area, you want to look at the top two and sit down with a sales person from each of them and go over the info they give you. Each of them are going to claim that they have the most readership typically. But you want to read between the lines. You want to have that info verified with an outside source (my favorite is the National Yellow Pages Monitor). Whoever REALLY has the most readers, you want to advertise with them. Although you should expect to pay probably twice as much for the ad.
Another giant factor is the size of your ad. Small ads get very few calls. And in my experience, are not worth the money you spend on them. If you are advertising in the "Lawn Care" section, you will want to be in the top 3 as far as size of your ad. Anything less and you'll get lackluster results. Look at the stats. The #1 ad in any given sections of the yellow pages gets like 50-60% of the all of the calls from that section. The #2 ad gets like 25%. The #3 ad gets 10-20%. The remaining goes to the lesser ads. And it aint much.
If you are advertising in the "Landscaping" or "Landscape Contractors section" (assuming you do that kind of work) then you don't necessarily need to be in the top 3. You probably won't be able to handle the calls. You only need to land a few decent sized landscape installations per month and you'll be plenty busy. So you can get away with a smaller ad. Anywhere in the top 10 or so ads will suffice and probably get you enough business to pay for the ad.
Last year we were #1 in the "Lawn Care' section. It worked pretty well but as Kent Lawns said above, you weed out a lot of them. And since we were only advertising for lawn care and maintenance, I think we got just barely enough business to make it worth it. Still, I wouldn't do it again. It wasn't quite the results I was hoping for.
This year we are paying $750 for the #8 position in the "Landscaping" section. I have only received a handfull of calls so far as the book just came out a month ago. But today I got a call for a full front and back install and I bet I'll get the job. So it appears to be working ok. We'll know for sure in about 2-3 months.
All and all, Yellow pages is not the best return for your bucks. Fliers, for the money, are by far the best return on your dollar. I could pay the same $750 for someone to lay a few thousand fliers per month and probably get more results than I am from my Yellow Pages ad. The problem is that I don't have someone do that and I get too busy in the spring and summer to worry about making copies of fliers, sending someone out to do it, etc. I like the fact that the yellow pages demands none of my time after it's placed.
If you are going to advertise in the yellow pages you want to make sure and do your homework first. If you have multiple books in your area, you want to look at the top two and sit down with a sales person from each of them and go over the info they give you. Each of them are going to claim that they have the most readership typically. But you want to read between the lines. You want to have that info verified with an outside source (my favorite is the National Yellow Pages Monitor). Whoever REALLY has the most readers, you want to advertise with them. Although you should expect to pay probably twice as much for the ad.
Another giant factor is the size of your ad. Small ads get very few calls. And in my experience, are not worth the money you spend on them. If you are advertising in the "Lawn Care" section, you will want to be in the top 3 as far as size of your ad. Anything less and you'll get lackluster results. Look at the stats. The #1 ad in any given sections of the yellow pages gets like 50-60% of the all of the calls from that section. The #2 ad gets like 25%. The #3 ad gets 10-20%. The remaining goes to the lesser ads. And it aint much.
If you are advertising in the "Landscaping" or "Landscape Contractors section" (assuming you do that kind of work) then you don't necessarily need to be in the top 3. You probably won't be able to handle the calls. You only need to land a few decent sized landscape installations per month and you'll be plenty busy. So you can get away with a smaller ad. Anywhere in the top 10 or so ads will suffice and probably get you enough business to pay for the ad.
Last year we were #1 in the "Lawn Care' section. It worked pretty well but as Kent Lawns said above, you weed out a lot of them. And since we were only advertising for lawn care and maintenance, I think we got just barely enough business to make it worth it. Still, I wouldn't do it again. It wasn't quite the results I was hoping for.
This year we are paying $750 for the #8 position in the "Landscaping" section. I have only received a handfull of calls so far as the book just came out a month ago. But today I got a call for a full front and back install and I bet I'll get the job. So it appears to be working ok. We'll know for sure in about 2-3 months.
All and all, Yellow pages is not the best return for your bucks. Fliers, for the money, are by far the best return on your dollar. I could pay the same $750 for someone to lay a few thousand fliers per month and probably get more results than I am from my Yellow Pages ad. The problem is that I don't have someone do that and I get too busy in the spring and summer to worry about making copies of fliers, sending someone out to do it, etc. I like the fact that the yellow pages demands none of my time after it's placed.
I get a bold listing with two lines for 13.50 a month. I've had bigger ones and I agree its not worth the extra money. How do you guys handle your calls? My wife works and owner and operator I have a answering machine that answers the calls from the add wiyh my cell phone number on it if they need to get a hold of me right away. Somedays I feel I get so swamped with calls I lose alot of time on my jobs. Any of you been in this situation? I've found out the phone book people don't always deliver new ones to every household at least thats what happens here.
I pay 79.00 a month for a in column display ad that is 1.5" tall by 1.80" wide that includes my logo.
I use to pay 54.00 per month for a 3/4" tall ad that just had company name in bold type, could not get logo option.
No business line required for display ads.
I use to pay 54.00 per month for a 3/4" tall ad that just had company name in bold type, could not get logo option.
No business line required for display ads.
Joined
·
336 Posts
First year and still wating for them to come out. I will be paying 450.00 and that pretty much covers the greater sacamento area.
Joined
·
147 Posts
I am paying $68 per month, for a display add 1.75"X 2.5" plus had to get a biz line. Placed 21st of all the landscape contractors, on a page by myself. There are 2 other display adds on the same page, One for a equipment dealer and a soil-mulch dealer. They are at the top and I am at the bottom of the page. Only calls I get from that add are people trying to sell me stuff. So that was $1200 down the drain. Yellow pages are a sore subject for me. I really had high hopes for the add. I find the best is flyers then comes the weekly local papers.
Joined
·
1,910 Posts
use to have the big add $$ when started but just have the one liner now ...... with so much compettion the word of mouth and signage does good (put a small sign up on your premium accounts if the manager will let you do it)
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
Join the discussion
