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Old 08-14-2012, 08:41 PM
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Phone book advertising?

How many of you still use the phone book to advertise your biz?
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Old 08-14-2012, 08:48 PM
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We have what's called a large print phone book that goes out and I get alot of residential calls from it.
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Old 08-14-2012, 08:48 PM
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It's a complete waste of money to do that in my neck of the woods. I'm in the 3rd largest market area in the country.
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Old 08-14-2012, 08:53 PM
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The phone book I'm talking about is only for a local area of 25000 people.
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Old 08-15-2012, 03:55 AM
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I do a local phone that is printed for my town. It's like a bible for old people.I do get calls from it for small commercial places,
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Old 08-15-2012, 07:58 AM
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No.

We are after mostly medium to large commercial properties (or small properties next to those)....they aren't picking up the phone book looking for someone to call, they are inundated with incoming calls.
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Old 08-15-2012, 11:52 AM
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I've never used the phone book to advertise. Now that many people use computer, phone books are usually discarded when we get them at our doorstep! Thats just how it is in my town.

I'd love to try advertising there, but I'd be aggravated when I find out that what I pay for goes to the trash.
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Old 08-15-2012, 02:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick76 View Post
How many of you still use the phone book to advertise your biz?
I hate writing a check for the phonebook but i did it anyway
Quote:
Originally Posted by MIDTOWNPC View Post
I get alot of residential calls from it.
Thats MY problem with the phonebook...I dont want resis (nothing wrong with them, they're just not in my business model) Darn phone rings off the hook with the resis' and one timers (complete waste of my time)

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Originally Posted by grandview View Post
I do a local phone that is printed for my town. It's like a bible for old people.I do get calls from it for small commercial places,
I personally havnt got one call for a commercial application from the phone book in over 10 years of being in it......I just do it for "brand recognization".... I think my lettered trucks and lettered equipment get the most attention anyway....

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Originally Posted by Longae29 View Post
No.

We are after mostly medium to large commercial properties (or small properties next to those)....they aren't picking up the phone book looking for someone to call, they are inundated with incoming calls.
Same here.... I think this will be my last year for the jolly "old" phonebook.....

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitdhir View Post
I've never used the phone book to advertise. Now that many people use computer, phone books are usually discarded when we get them at our doorstep! Thats just how it is in my town.

I'd love to try advertising there, but I'd be aggravated when I find out that what I pay for goes to the trash.
I do get calls from them (we actually have two in our town) just not the RIGHT type of calls


Anyone else like to share their opinions?
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Old 08-15-2012, 02:40 PM
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I use it to get people to my website. I hate paying all year for an ad that only get action 2/3 months of the year.
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Old 08-15-2012, 02:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Meezer View Post
It's a complete waste of money to do that in my neck of the woods. I'm in the 3rd largest market area in the country.
I assume its Chicagoland? I am in the phone book for my full time business. Not for plowing though. I still have a lot of old customers that use the phone books. But we have been tracking the calls and we get less and less every year. Thats why our phone book ads get smaller and smaller every year. But I wouldn't be able to do without them completely. There is still a small market for the book. You just have to weigh out the payoff.
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Old 08-15-2012, 03:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SullivanSeptic View Post
I assume its Chicagoland?

Yes, Chicagoland & NW Indiana, that is correct.


Quote:
I am in the phone book for my full time business. Not for plowing though. I still have a lot of old customers that use the phone books. But we have been tracking the calls and we get less and less every year.

We used to be in the phone books here in NWI & the adjacent areas across the border in "The Peoples Republik of Illinois"

The ROI totally sucked. There's too many other contractors advertising in the same pages that we were. When you are 1 of over 50 contractors listed, the phones weren't ringing off the hook.

Last edited by Meezer; 08-15-2012 at 04:33 PM..
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