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Too many options...too much money.
It was a rainy day. Just a good day to get other things done.
The 'popular' phone book in my town is due to come out in January. As of this morning, the advertising rep had yet to contact me about renewing my current ad...so I called them.
Deadline to renew is November 2nd....customer rep is based out of Wichita, some 3 hours away. So instead of meeting in person, I spent a good hour on the phone discussing options; probably better anyhow.
This is what I 'bought' (keep in mind my current ad in their book is a cheesy and minimally effective $39/month in-column black text over yellow ad):
"Sponsored" a "Lawn & Tree Care Guide" to be placed in front of the landscaping/lawn care headings. This is a 3/4 page guide (in color with photo) with a 'dollar bill' sized ad placed underneath which is my space to place my advertisement. $135/month...a deal?
Two in-column text ads, somewhat like what I have now, 2" long with basic information. One paced under "Lawn & Landscape Maintenance" and the other under "Landscaping Contractors." $30 each/month.
Free (pointless) listing under "Landscape Designers & Consultants"
Internet directory (yellowpages.com along with a few other directory sites) in which the rep found a way to bump my listing above the other 'top' company here with minimal expense (all dealt with a point system). Also has a link to place a "free call" to my company, a link to my website, a 'more information page', my logo placed onto heading, etc. Cost $50/month.
All came in at right about my $250/month budget to spend with this particular company. I only hope the pay-off is much larger.
What I don't like about phone directory companies...they waste your time listing the most expensive options first....they really don't know true effecting advertising (though they'll led you to believe they do). $15/month to place my heading on the internet in Red? She said it's very effective, but moreover I'd need the 'upgrade points' to bump my internet ad above all others. Yes, it is true red draws in the human eye.....but as she was blabbering her sales pitch I was online looking at the difference between black and red listings....minimal differences. Spending $180/year (the same cost as listing my company name in red on the internet) for trailer/truck signage, or lawn signs, or even just used to wash the trucks at the car wash on a regular basis would yield much greater results? (com'on, they ought to offer a step below...a listing in Green for $7.50/month since green is the compliment to red....theory says once you see red [which catches your eye over all other colors], your eye then seeks the complimentary color....*soon to be offered MM suggestion*) Need I say phone directories are very wealthy? What is their cost to change a normal black listing over to red? Ahh, oh well, if I wasn't too concerned with exposure I wouldn't have cared too much where my listing was placed. Come next year I'll endure the same sales speal all over again.
P.S. Why did I care about this whole internet deal anywho? The rep spouted off #s of people in my area performing a search for Landscape Contractors on their site last year: 39. For Lawn Maintenance: 25. I only did because this past year I've had a few individuals contact me through a email address specifically linked from my website. And I know google isn't too found of my site. I believe they found my website through another internet listing from the 'other' phone book. Simply put, people are beginning to turn to the internet instead of a cumbersome book to find phone numbers. (or so I'd think)
It was a rainy day. Just a good day to get other things done.
The 'popular' phone book in my town is due to come out in January. As of this morning, the advertising rep had yet to contact me about renewing my current ad...so I called them.
Deadline to renew is November 2nd....customer rep is based out of Wichita, some 3 hours away. So instead of meeting in person, I spent a good hour on the phone discussing options; probably better anyhow.
This is what I 'bought' (keep in mind my current ad in their book is a cheesy and minimally effective $39/month in-column black text over yellow ad):
"Sponsored" a "Lawn & Tree Care Guide" to be placed in front of the landscaping/lawn care headings. This is a 3/4 page guide (in color with photo) with a 'dollar bill' sized ad placed underneath which is my space to place my advertisement. $135/month...a deal?
Two in-column text ads, somewhat like what I have now, 2" long with basic information. One paced under "Lawn & Landscape Maintenance" and the other under "Landscaping Contractors." $30 each/month.
Free (pointless) listing under "Landscape Designers & Consultants"
Internet directory (yellowpages.com along with a few other directory sites) in which the rep found a way to bump my listing above the other 'top' company here with minimal expense (all dealt with a point system). Also has a link to place a "free call" to my company, a link to my website, a 'more information page', my logo placed onto heading, etc. Cost $50/month.
All came in at right about my $250/month budget to spend with this particular company. I only hope the pay-off is much larger.
What I don't like about phone directory companies...they waste your time listing the most expensive options first....they really don't know true effecting advertising (though they'll led you to believe they do). $15/month to place my heading on the internet in Red? She said it's very effective, but moreover I'd need the 'upgrade points' to bump my internet ad above all others. Yes, it is true red draws in the human eye.....but as she was blabbering her sales pitch I was online looking at the difference between black and red listings....minimal differences. Spending $180/year (the same cost as listing my company name in red on the internet) for trailer/truck signage, or lawn signs, or even just used to wash the trucks at the car wash on a regular basis would yield much greater results? (com'on, they ought to offer a step below...a listing in Green for $7.50/month since green is the compliment to red....theory says once you see red [which catches your eye over all other colors], your eye then seeks the complimentary color....*soon to be offered MM suggestion*) Need I say phone directories are very wealthy? What is their cost to change a normal black listing over to red? Ahh, oh well, if I wasn't too concerned with exposure I wouldn't have cared too much where my listing was placed. Come next year I'll endure the same sales speal all over again.
P.S. Why did I care about this whole internet deal anywho? The rep spouted off #s of people in my area performing a search for Landscape Contractors on their site last year: 39. For Lawn Maintenance: 25. I only did because this past year I've had a few individuals contact me through a email address specifically linked from my website. And I know google isn't too found of my site. I believe they found my website through another internet listing from the 'other' phone book. Simply put, people are beginning to turn to the internet instead of a cumbersome book to find phone numbers. (or so I'd think)
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