So about every so often I get some letter to add my business info to be listed in the yellow section of the *** phone book (***insert whatever brand of phone book).

The pricing seems to be pretty high, and thus far I have recycled all the mailings.

But my curiosity has peaked, how many fellow OSP'ers actually are listed in their local yellow pages?

If you are, is it worth the expense? Do you get many inquires from it?

I can honestly tell you that I have NEVER used the printed yellow pages in my entire life... in fact, I am pretty sure that I don't even have a phone book anymore.

Even if they throw in an online yellow pages ad, I'd still say not worth it... at least not for most US markets (the online yellow pages can be effective, but is an exception, not the rule... also, if anyone from Europe is reading this, many European countries have much wider adoption of the online yellow pages than we do, in fact, in some nations, their respective yellow pages sites rank in the top-5 most visited websites, so consider where you are from before you discount the yellow pages entirely).

I was for a while, but you have to have a business phone line, which means that you pay twice as much for the same service as a residential line. That gets you a one line black listing. I had that and a business card size ad and it ran me about $280/month. If you do that the trick is to drop your ad after 2 years, for a year. People keep those old books. I still get calls from those ads, and I haven't had one for 4 years or so. I never got enough from them to justify the costs. I got a LOT of "How much is your big 8x10's?".

Do you even know where your phone book IS?

I don't.

What's a phone book and how do i google it?

They're in the cabinet next to the phone in the kitchen. The 2 edition yellow pages, residential book, Rotary Club county book, and the last 2 church directories. Duh.

Hahaha....this is me too! I google everything and I haven't used a phone book in quite a while.

I'm really not sure why they still kill the trees to print those things, nobody uses them.

I know... I haven't used a phone book in who knows how long. But... I am moving from a large metropolitan city to a small town in Alabama...

Maybe they use phonebooks more often?

Don't spend that much money on a "maybe." Find out if anybody actually uses phone books in Alabama. I'm betting not. I really don't think it's worth the money. SO many better ways to spend that money. That's a better question than "are you listed in the yellow pages" anyway. "How can I get started in a new community?" You need to start there, not with advertising in useless books.

Yeah, the landfill. Or whatever the recycling bin equivalent is... maybe it's been turned into other, different paper waste by now.

Thanks Jules, I do have a plan. Just wondering about the phonebook listing.

I would like to offer an opinion that varies from the prevailing opinions above.....

It completely depends on your market. And your community and how many phonebooks are there and what clients you are targeting.

I market to higher end clients with a lot of money. They tend to be older. Usually MUCH older....mother of the brides, grandmas getting family portraits, and high end commercial clients. My latest client has a $4.9 Million Dollar Second Home. (It still boggles my mind!) These clients tend NOT to look things up on their blackberries, but in the old fashioned phonebook!

I spend about $500 a year on a Dex Yellow Pages ad and it gives me an online component and it pays back about 10 fold every year.........usually more....

But it's not right for everyone! We're a big resort community, so many folks are coming in from out of town, in a hotel, and looking for info. All my local competitors have similar listings too, so it seems to be well worth it here!

bump

no. 9 x out of 10, a bride is going to do a google search or use word of mouth.

we have online yellow pages and maybe i would consider it if it were cost effective, but i just dont see someone wanting a photographer and gonig to the yellow pages...