Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Computer Service Yellow Book Advertising

Posted by Anonymous on 4/30/2009 at 4:41 PM ET 25 Points
I have had my own IT services / Computer Repair Shop for the past three years. I now would like to expand and have more clients. I have a repair shop that people can walk into for repairs. A lot of what we do is Small businesses IT servers that happens onstie, but the shop is there for people to bring the computers for repair.

I was contacted by the Yellow Book (not yellow pages) and was offered two half pages adds for $800 a month or two dollar size adds for $406 a month (about $5000per year). Has any one done this the past year with yellow book? I have never done any advertising that I have paid for before, but the add would pay for itself if I got tow or 3 customers per month from it.

The other thing is that I am not sure if I now should look into the Yellow Pages which is by ATT (I think) vs the one that I am being offered is by Yellow Book. I am in Gaithersburg MD (DC area) and the book goes for the entire county ( Montgomery County).

To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by michael on 4/30/2009 at 5:08 PM Accepted
    Putting aside my prejudice against most yellow page ads, you have to ask this question:

    If a server goes down, do people really look in the yellow pages? I might if I was out of town in a hotel room and needed help and my IT dept was not open.

    I would bet that there would be craigslist and chamber of commerce website and things like that.

    Just seems like Yellow pages is passive. For $800/month you can hire a sales rep to pound the pavement looking for business and MEASUREABLE business.

    Michael
  • Posted by marketbase on 4/30/2009 at 9:54 PM Accepted
    Never been a big fan of yellow pages (or book) advertising. For your type of business, you might be better off looking at regular placements in local, community weekly newspapers (such as the ones that are free, make their $ on ad revenue; tout local businesses, etc); dailies (check website/advt rep for when local businesses are planned for a 'special focus' edition, check to see if/when they are planning to do an IT focus and offer to write an article with a by-line; chamber of commerce printings (some print calendars, business lists, etc.). Don't forget hanging well designed, printed 'flyers' in local businesses, library, chamber offices, municipal offices, etc--anywhere potential customers may pass through.

    jag
    MarketBase
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 5/2/2009 at 10:15 AM Accepted
    If you want to get business, you need for agressive plans than YP. You need to get from behind the desk, behind the computer and actively search for business.

    YP will give you wonderful figures and success stories. But as my dad says, "Figures don't lie, but liars often figure". I'm not calling them liars, but their claims are like the Jenny Craig ads, in small print they say "results not typical".
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Advertising/PR)