Yellow Page Advertising Prices

[corndogg]

It's time here to renew yellow page ads. Just wondering how effective you all find advertising in the big books is? What rates are you guys paying for what size ads? Color? Graphics? Do you advertise in all books if there are mulltiples or suburb books? Are there ways of nogotiating prices down? Now they like to charge more to "list you on the internet" also.

There are three big books here in Minneapolis. I want to have a presence in all three which sucks. Last year I paid 140 a month m for a 1 inch text only. I want to go to a 2inch with color and logo which will run 250 a month per book roughly. This gets crazy! I have a friend who has a 1/16 page ad with color and graphics for 750 a month! He only has a dump trailer! But claims he is the busiest guy on the planet.

What are some of your advertising budgets per month for what size crew?

 

[John464]

I dont know what I pay per book off hand, but I am paying for 2 books... half page in one and a quarter page in the other...one magazine...one direct mailer. Approx $2600 per month. I budget $33,000 a year for advertising alone. This includes website, truck signs, yards signs. We run 2 crews in the winter. 3 crews in spring, summer, & fall. 5-6 days a week all year long. We are one of the larger companies in the area.

 

[911crash]

i pay around 650 a month for a half page full color ad, did my own art work i only advertise in verizon yellow pages. i hate the yellow book. its hard to advertise in something i throw out as soon as i get it.

 

[corndogg]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not excited about having to spend so much on advertising. Do you find that even as as your business ages the same level of advertising is still required. I'd like to think after some time you'd develop a lot of repeat business. Or is costly advertising just a necessary part of operating a succesful business?

 

[Crazy Canuck]

How expensive advertising is, is all relative. If you could spend $500/ month on advertising and double your gross would it be worth it? I guess it all depends on what your gross is.

 

[911crash]

after years of continuous work and a consistent following your advertising budget should go down. i know several tree companies who advertise moderately and still stay busy. you still need new customers to increase your base so that you will continue to be profitable. question is how big do you want to be. many companies say they made more money when they were small and had less overhead. my goal is not to be the biggest but one of the best.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

My goal is to be the most profitable

 

[John464]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not excited about having to spend so much on advertising. Do you find that even as as your business ages the same level of advertising is still required. I'd like to think after some time you'd develop a lot of repeat business. Or is costly advertising just a necessary part of operating a succesful business?

when we first started we were the first tree service in our county, est 1960. We didn't advertise at all except for the signs on our trucks, everyone knew who to call to have their trees worked on. Today there is approx 60 companies in one county listed. I have trippled the budget for advertising in the past decade. Advertising is part of the fight to stay on top. It works, but I don't forsee being able to spend anymore on adverts than I do. Customers move, die, forget who they used 10 years ago, new homes are built, new generations form, etc. Many reasons why no matter how big you get and how large of a customer base you have. There is always a need to advertise, especially in this day and age with so much competition.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Amen brother , I spent the whole budget on fuel , doing free estimates !

 

[Gunsmoke]

My wife and I had this yellow page discussion the other night. She was @ work and one of the girls was looking for a plumber. One lady said that she would grab the phone book. (she is 48 yrs. old) The girl looking for the plumber (25 yrs. old) laughed and said that she would Google a plumber in the Akron, OH area. Then another lady said "hey I know a good plumber". In the end the girl went w/ the "word of mouth" plumber. I just thought it was interesting that the older lady went w/ the old stand-by. The younger girl went w/ the "high tech" way. But as my pop's always said "word o' mouth is the best adv.!"
In the end w/ just stump grinding like I do. I will still prob. do something in the yellow pages in the coming year. Just to hit the less "techy" people and those w/ out internet.

In passing I love here about businesses that have been around for 40 yrs and they are still out there getting after it!!! Keep it up!