Yellow Pages Ad?

3rdPlanetPhotography · December 4, 2006

Hello everyone,

Recently YellowPages.com (or At&t) has been on my back about running an ad with them. Claiming it will give me more hits and business than I can handle.

Do any of you have yellowpages.com ads and if so how well does it work for you?

I've called other photographers in other markets and I got these replys...

1. Excellent source
2. So so source
3. Good Place to start.
4. terrible.... just bargain shoppers

Please reply and let me know your experiences... before I commit to $235 per month year bid....

Thanks
Scott
3rd Planet Photography

bham · December 4, 2006

kc7dji wrote:

Hello everyone,

Recently YellowPages.com (or At&t) has been on my back about running an ad with them. Claiming it will give me more hits and business than I can handle.

Do any of you have yellowpages.com ads and if so how well does it work for you?

I've called other photographers in other markets and I got these replys...

1. Excellent source
2. So so source
3. Good Place to start.
4. terrible.... just bargain shoppers

Please reply and let me know your experiences... before I commit to $235 per month year bid....

Thanks
Scott
3rd Planet Photography

I misread your question. I thought it was a physical book, not a online listing. The below is a response for a physical book combined with an online listing that most books do.

What are you getting for the $235 a month? A display ad.

Do you currently just have a listing or nothing at all?

What is the population of the coverage area?

Are their competing directories that cover the same area?

I worked in the yellow page biz for 2 years previously. Jumping from nothing to $235 is a bit much in my opinion. I have a small 1 inch in column that is basically the regularly listing with 3 extra lines of text. I put the basic things I do (weddings, events, parties) and then my website. My goal is for them to visit my website. My cost is such that if I book 1 wedding a year it has more than paid for itself.

Many people will use the yellow pages for looking up photographers for many different things. From what I have seen of brides they research a decent amount but not sure that the ones that are the big weddings ever look at a phone book. They probably go to bridal shows, look in wedding mags, check out local bridal directories with many vendors listed, etc. But this isn't true for all brides. I have had some called me from the phone book. Those who live outside the area but are having the wedding there for some reason, those who live outside the metro area in a small community that may not have a photographer there or want to not use the local one. Also some who maybe planning more last minute and others are booked, etc.

But besides weddings if someone is looking for a photographer for other things I believe this is a more likely place for them to look.

I think my advice would be to do something but not necessarily that much initially. Also start asking all the people you end up booking how they came to you. Did they get a referral from someone then checked out your site then called you, etc. Finding and identifing how your business comes to you is important. Some people have no idea and try many things that don't work.

Sam · December 4, 2006

I don't know anything about yellowPages.com, so I just went and looked for photographers in my area. There are quite a few listed, but from my view point, almost (not quite) worthless. The listing will give a name, address, or PO box, phone number, and little map it is a brick and morter operation, but NO details of any kind.

I am proably used to the printed phone books where you at least get a few words about what the do, or don't do.

I have a hard time believing the people on the list I looked at would pay $235 per month for a simple name and phone number on a list.

What I saw dosn't provide any information that would let me cull the list down or pick the top choices to call. I would need to call every business on the list.

Sam

Shay Stephens · December 4, 2006

And this is better than google how?!?! I don't know of anyone who has tried to find me via any of the "phone book" style websites. They all use a mainstream search engine, or a specialized search engine, like a wedding directory or something.

Angelo · December 5, 2006

kc7dji wrote:

Hello everyone,

Recently YellowPages.com (or At&t) has been on my back about running an ad with them. Claiming it will give me more hits and business than I can handle.

Really? Here's what I do with these type of solicitations...

I agree to place the ad if they agree that it's FREE until I reach that point of "more business than I can handle". If and when that point arrives I'll pay.

Trust me, they stop calling.

Stay away. Save your money!

Sam · December 5, 2006

Angelo wrote:

Really? Here's what I do with these type of solicitations...

I agree to place the ad if they agree that it's FREE until I reach that point of "more business than I can handle". If and when that point arrives I'll pay.

Trust me, they stop calling.

Stay away. Save your money!

Great Answer!

Sam

docwalker · December 5, 2006

I have not used a phone book for anything other than killing a spider in the last 6 months. Ok. I did look up one number for a friend this morning but that was a fluke. All of my other number searches have been using google or some other online database.

Phonebooks are very quickly going away in our area. A lot of folks now use cellphones and none of them are lugging around a book. I can even use google from my cell phone to look numbers up so there is no need to carry one.

I would advise you to develop your online presence if that is the market you are shooting for. I would not get involved in $2,820 a year in advertising if you feel that it will not generate the business required to support it.

Also, I have seen so many phonebook ads get screwed up. The sad thing is once it is printed, there is no way to fix it. And getting a refund is near impossible. They will usually give you a small credit if any.

Good luck.

3rdPlanetPhotography · December 5, 2006

Thanks for all the great feedback. Yes this one is yellowpages.com. It's the online ad and doesn't get me into the printed book. They are telling me that I will be on top of the list of all the photography firms in the St. Louis area. They have their listings broken up into tiers that decide how much is on your ad and the placement with the other companies. I would be in 8 zone which covers all of the St. Louis area and surrounding cities.

I think the price is too much for such a thing. They want a 1 year contract and I told them that if this is really that good then there would be no need for a contract because if it is that good I'd never leave thus never needing a contract.

Do you all think I'm better off saving that money and attending bridal shows?

Thanks!
Scott

Vivid Visions · December 5, 2006

kc7dji wrote:

Do you all think I'm better off saving that money and attending bridal shows?

Thanks!
Scott

Yes, you are better attending bridal shows, or doing anything that better targets your audience. No one looking for a wedding photographer shops in the phone book anymore, do they? They are on The Knot, or on special bridal web listings.

I had an ad in the yellow book, which is similar to the yellow pages, but more concentrated to your community, and an ad on yellowbook.com, and I had one, yes that's right, one inquiry that never even turned into a booking. I was told the same thing they are telling you...priority listing, no too many others in the category, etc. The ad cost me $375 for the year. I also spent $375 for an annual listing, with a weblink, on a Weddings service site, and got countless hits to the site, plus 15 bookings.

Yellow pages are good for plumbers, trash disposal, cleaning services, etc., but for a service as specialized as wedding photography, it's not an efficient, or effective, use of advertising budgets.

bham · December 5, 2006

Vivid Visions wrote:

Yes, you are better attending bridal shows, or doing anything that better targets your audience. No one looking for a wedding photographer shops in the phone book anymore, do they? They are on The Knot, or on special bridal web listings.

I had an ad in the yellow book, which is similar to the yellow pages, but more concentrated to your community, and an ad on yellowbook.com, and I had one, yes that's right, one inquiry that never even turned into a booking. I was told the same thing they are telling you...priority listing, no too many others in the category, etc. The ad cost me $375 for the year. I also spent $375 for an annual listing, with a weblink, on a Weddings service site, and got countless hits to the site, plus 15 bookings.

Yellow pages are good for plumbers, trash disposal, cleaning services, etc., but for a service as specialized as wedding photography, it's not an efficient, or effective, use of advertising budgets.

I agree for weddings you will get very little from a physical yellow page book, but those without good internet connections you may get some of those. You may get looks for other types of photography. I get calls here and there about various photography things and they come from the phone book. Not a ton, but I spend like $400 a year and get a decent return on my investment.

Picking up a phone book takes me about 3 seconds to get to what I want. Depending on if I am going to do a ton of research on an item, etc I will use it alot. For other things the internet is better. But then again not everybody has a computer, has internet, uses it enough to find everything they want there. For some searches I have tried the internet, etc and got so frustrated that I went to a phone book. Its a similar argument as radio/tv as a medium. Each has their niche and effectiveness to convey info vs cost.

Sam · December 5, 2006

Here's a random thought. Go to this yellowbook.com. Look up a few photographer's close to your area, but far enough away you won't be considered a competitor, and just flat out ask them if it's worh while.

Sam

Scott_Quier · December 6, 2006

As a test, I just went to YellowBook.com and entered "wedding photography" in the search box and my city (Newport News, VA) in the area. The search returned a lot of listings, a couple of hotels, Glamor Shots, a tux rental place, about 1/2 dozen photographers, a commercial photographer, and about 3 pages of stuff for which I still haven't figured out the relationship to wedding photography. If you're one of a few photogs listed this might be useful, but the prospective client is still going to have to wade through 4 pages of cr*p to find you.

JimM · December 6, 2006

I work with a company that specializes in Search Engine Optimization. In our experience, the yellow pages does't do a good job of helping online and the Internet can generate a ton of business.

Let me know if I can help.

Yellow Pages Ad?

Comments