Opinions requested (please) on Yellow Page ad size

[AHI in AR]

I'd appreciate knowing what do you guys think. I have always had a small YP ad. Those things always seemed too expensive. However, I notice that the guys with the big ads seem to keep them year in and year out. Logically, I have to conclude that either the big ads do work OR the inspectors with them don't ask clients where they got their phone number or name from. Of course, the YP salesman says they work but there's no money back guarantee! Strangely enough, I won't call my local competitors and ask what they think. I track all my jobs and all the lead sources. YP leads are way down on the list. So far this year, the jobs generated barely exceed the cost of the ad. By the time you add in the risk assumed and the overhead costs, it's absolutely not worth it. So I'm actually considering a bigger ad.

Does that work for anyone? If so, is there a "sweet spot" that anyone has quantified of cost vs. revenue generated?

Thanks in advance.

[chicago]

It all depends on your area.

From the various threads I have read over time , my conclusion is they seem to in general work best in smaller markets.

[Terence McCann]

Spend the money of a good web site and search engine optimization.

[Richard Stanley]

"So far this year, the jobs generated barely exceed the cost of the ad. By the time you add in the risk assumed and the overhead costs, it's absolutely not worth it. So I'm actually considering a bigger ad."

I'm sure there is some logic there somewhere!

Are you, by any chance, an Aggie??

Primarily, the YP ads attract the price shoppers. The initials in your name (AHI) if you list that way, should put you at or near the head of the line already. It doesn't sound like you do do to well with those now. So, lets see. If you spend more on the ad and drop your price, it should work for you. Its the volume, ie; Walmart/Arkansas. More jobs, more money, more referrals, more exposure, more liability, etc.

No offense - I'm just playin'.

[kurt]

I hate YP advertising; it's not where you want to be. Spend you money on a website, first and foremost.

[AHI in AR]

Originally posted by Terence McCann

Spend the money of a good web site and search engine optimization.

I've already done that. My site is my second best lead source behind personal referrals. I'm conflicted regarding the Yellow Pages since it seems that too many of the calls I get off of that are strictly price shoppers who don't care about qualifications or anything else that really matters. My experience has taught me that the better educated client is a better fit for me, and these days, they don't seem to hit the Yellow Pages too often -- at least not when looking for a home inspector.

[AHI in AR]

Originally posted by Richard Stanley

"So far this year, the jobs generated barely exceed the cost of the ad. By the time you add in the risk assumed and the overhead costs, it's absolutely not worth it. So I'm actually considering a bigger ad."

I'm sure there is some logic there somewhere!

Are you, by any chance, an Aggie??

No offense - I'm just playin'.

No offense taken. And no, I'm not an Aggie. As I said in the first post, I have to wonder why the guys with the big ads keep using them if they don't produce. And if you'll see my follow-up post, you'll see that I make the exact same observation about price shoppers. But are they all that way? That's the big question.

[Chad Fabry]

No offense taken. And no, I'm not an Aggie. As I said in the first post, I have to wonder why the guys with the big ads keep using them if they don't produce.

If you don't satisfy your clients you need to keep finding new referral sources.

In my life I've probably spent 200 grand on yellow pages. About ten years ago I quit. Totally.

It had an impact on my bottom line but not as much as it was costing me to advertise. It also eliminated a whole genre of clientèle...the shopper.

Stopping my Yellow pages advertising was one of the best business decisions I ever made.

[Brian G]

I never had anything but a small ad, and it didn't produce a whole lot. At first it was enough to keep the ad, but this year I dropped even that. It's a waste of money these days.

Brian G.

Keeping the Cash [:-thumbu]

[hausdok]

I shared a 3 quarter-column ad with two other guys for five years. It cost between 2 and 3K a year. I think I got less than a half dozen jobs off of that. So, I spent between $10,000 and $15,000 to get about $1500 bucks worth of work. When I dropped it, the other two fellows weren't real happy with me.

Yeah, that was really worth it.

They yellow page guys call me and bug me every year. Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't see where a $9K to 13.5K net loss was doing my business any good.

But, then again, I'm lousy with figures. Can anyone explain where I missed the lesson?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Tim Maxwell]

I only got the shoppers. I quit the YP this year.

I also thought about the fact that I never use the YP myself.

[Jim Morrison]

Unless I was after a hunk of the high volume/ low quality inspection niche, I'd drop the YP ads like 3rd period French. I can't think of a single inspector I know who thought them a worthy investment. Not one.

[SonOfSwamp]

When I first started in the biz, I had a YP listing for a while, then got rid of it. All I got was calls from the dumb and cheap.

Creating an excellent website is a good way to advertise excellence. Bear in mind, though, that any errors, boring content, or things that move or make noises will run customers away.

I say if you're going to buy a print ad, buy an ad in a well-respected local publication that targets an educated, upscale market. The local daily paper probably isn't a good bet. In most places, the daily-paper demographic is old and stingy.

WJ

[AHI in AR]

Thanks to everyone for the input. Your opinions and experiences pretty well parallel mine. Calls from the "dumb and cheap" are what I also got and they are not what I'm after. I have been wrestling with whether to drop the YP ad for the last 2 years. Looks like now's the time to do it.