The Yellow Pages - worth it or not?

[Beemer]

It makes me wonder why I bother paying a fortune to advertise in the Yellow Pages after the call I've just received!

No mention of who he was, just straight in with: "Hi, I've just been listening to the radio and they were talking about this book on... (I think he said the Boer Wars) written by someone called Hunter and I was wondering if you could tell me where I could get a copy?"

I said I hadn't heard the radio broadcast and I had not heard of the book in question, that I was a journalist. He then said "So, do you know how I could go about getting a copy of this book?"

"Well, I think your best bet would be to try a bookshop, or even ring the radio station concerned and ask them for the details of the book they were talking about. And by the way, how did you get my name and number?"

"Oh, I just looked in the Yellow Pages." Considering I am listed under writers, editors and proofreaders, I can only assume he figured I would know every book published and where to buy them! I think I'll stick with the website after this year, it's much cheaper and I don't get inane questions! Someone rang a few months ago wanting to know if I could recommend a good drama school in Wellington! I couldn't help him either...

[Motu]

I used to hate the yearly Yellow Pages rip off.My wife soon learned not to let me talk to them,as I'd rant and rave about the price and value of the service,tell them they can fucking stick their bloody Yellow Pages and then hang up.Then she'd get back to them,sort it out and pay the bill.$4,000 for one add????? no way! but it is still the best advetising you can do,and if you are in business you have to do it.I think that is what pisses me off...no one tells me what to do,and no way does some pimple face kid sitting on a phone tell me what I have to do,they can go and fuck themselves.

Or so I tell them every year.

[MOTOXXX]

it depends i guess on how much you spend.

my father has used it for his small business for years.

its the only advertising he does and gets a huge response from a half or full page.

[JimO]

yellow pages is the only advertising i do as well but i keep it mall but its still around $600

[Motu]

When my Bro in law started business he took out a full page add,and that was $12,000 15 years ago.We thought he was crazy - just starting out and putting his add up front with the big boys in his game.He's still in business,but runs a smaller add in the 17th page of his section,but his trucks are his billboard now and he's still doing well.

http://www.yellow.co.nz/site/affordablecarriers/

[Virago]

......."Oh, I just looked in the Yellow Pages." Considering I am listed under writers, editors and proofreaders, I can only assume he figured I would know every book published and where to buy them! I think I'll stick with the website after this year, it's much cheaper and I don't get inane questions! Someone rang a few months ago wanting to know if I could recommend a good drama school in Wellington! I couldn't help him either...

I run a Fire Alarm business, listed in the Yellow Pages under "Fire Protection". Some of the odd-ball calls I get are unbelievable.

So far this year I have had a call asking if we can install a multi-fuel burner, and also someone asking for information about the installation of heat pumps.

I've even had calls from people thinking we're the NZ Fire Service. They are looking in the Yellow Pages for the Fire Service?????

Often these people are hard to get rid off, and are quite irritated by the fact that we can't help them.

Still, as others have said, Yellow is a necessary evil.

[The Pastor]

Hi i'd like to order 3 fires and 1/2 an alarm.

[Virago]

Hi i'd like to order 3 fires and 1/2 an alarm.

Certainly Sir - and the delivery address........?

[Toaster]

Is anything from our telco ever be anything but a ripoff? Seems we pay huge prices for bugger all except big exec salaries and average services.

[pixc]

We use yellow pages. It pays for itself within a week or two. No confusion really being a floor layer, although I do get calls about carpet binding etc, but Im more then happy to point them in the right direction.


And yes...Ive heard all the jokes so dont bother.

[Maha]

Hi i'd like to order 3 fires and 1/2 an alarm.

Would you like fries with that???

[The Pastor]

Would you like fries with that???

No im watching my waste line, but could I have half a dozen icecreams plz

[Beemer]

Although the Yellow Pages does work well for some people providing a service, for writers and photographers (apart from wedding photographers) I think it's a bit of a rip-off. I have my own website now and I get contacted a fair bit through that. However, the best money I spend is for advertising on Writerfind, a website dedicated to writers and editors. Costs me the ridiculous sum of $69 per YEAR and virtually ALL of the calls I get say they got my name from there.

The problem with the Yellow Pages is that you have to pay to go in every edition you want - I went for the Wellington one this time as the Manawatu one was a waste of money, but I haven't had that great a response anyway. The online version was good, but you still have to pay to have it in one of the printed editions as well, and it was costing me a fortune every month. In my trade, word of mouth and inside contacts are more important and I even had one client (who hired me through an agency) who said he'd seen my ads in the newspaper but didn't contact me because he felt I obviously wasn't very good if I had to advertise for work! So sometimes you just can't win!