[Steve CM]

I have signed up for some hefty advertising with yell and yellow pages today and i was wondering if anyone has done the same at any point? was it any good for them? etc etc.

if you could state how much you spent and how much business you gained from it i would appreciate it.

I can still pull the plug on it all if i need to but i'm hoping i get the answers i want

Many Thanks

[russ_clark]

PULL THE PLUG NOW !!

I advertised in the YP last year had a decent box cost me around £400-£500
can count on one hand how many domestic jobs I got.
I now do a free one liner on yell.
Gets a few but nothing too exciting.
Save your money and go for more local advertising.
Just my opinion
Russ

[m baker]

spent £500 last year and it cover the out lay ,only probs is u get lots of calls out of area we cover. spent double this year on buget but still wanting 4phone to ring!!! sign of the times maybe ? still only takes couple of good jobs to come in,hopefully!

[prestigeclean]

spent £350.00 last year and got very little from it , cancel if you can , you would be much better off getting a canvasser or better still knock the doors yourself , seriously cancel while you still can regards alan

[Steve CM]

ok, it seems the domestics are out! but what about a half page full colour concentrating on commercial? anyone gone for it? has anyone spent thousands rather than hundreds to get the results?

[Chris Galloway]

about £500 for yell.com - no resi calls or commercial calls - as someone said maybe a sign of the times.. but if i get no calls by May - as commercial contracts would have been renewed by then, i will pull the plug on any form of advertising of the like of yell.com, and stick with my own delivered flyers, letters etc.

I spend nothing on Google, got good position on the local map - and I get calls that way! Of which 3 have been small commercial.

Considering im not looking for commercial but upper residential, i will take them nicely anyway.

[Moderator David@stives]

I threw away £2k last year ,

[Dave Turley]

sorry to agree but I spent £400ish this year in yp (since june), got 1 decent job and about 6 crap small enquiries, out of area. can't say about yell.com

[Paul Coleman]

I have signed up for some hefty advertising with yell and yellow pages today and i was wondering if anyone has done the same at any point? was it any good for them? etc etc.

if you could state how much you spent and how much business you gained from it i would appreciate it.

I can still pull the plug on it all if i need to but i'm hoping i get the answers i want

Many Thanks

I spent about £500 on YP last year and more than covered the cost with the work I got from it.  It was worth doing but not anything spectacular.  I've gone for a paid one on yell.com as well now (about £320 a year).  Only just gone live so too early to tell yet.  I intend to fund the yell.com ad by reducing to a three liner in YP.

[Kevin R]

I spend about 1.5K a year and it always more than pays for its self. I advertise for commercial only with no mention of the words "domestic" or "residential". I am also the first in the section 

[A K CLEANING]

We have been with the Yellow pages, Yell.com, BT clicks and it has been a complete waste of money and time. They phone you up and promise you the earth and you get sweet F A in return. Also watch out for for some people
acting on behalve of  charities incuding sick kids and  the Police it is a con!
Although some may be geniune the best bet is for you to approach them.

[MJH]

Lot of it depends on where you live!!, i live in west yorkshire and its rammed so therefore its not worth it in my opinion, however if you live in an area with not alot of advertisers it will be more worthwhile, i spent 1k and got £300 of work so all in all a bad loss!!

Alot of it is luck, its a numbers game!! i did generally advertise commercial only due to one off residential calls which in my eyes can be worthless most of the time!!

[Busby]

I have just spent over £5,000.00 on Yell.com alone

2 Sponsored listings & 3 web links.


I decided to take out the sponsored listings (1st and 2nd positions) to be at the top of my areas, and i have backed them up with web links, meaning if a potential customer decides to look past the top listing then i am also below it mixed with the others.


Last year i picked up a few commercials resulting in roughly £5,000.00 worth of work per year for 3 commercial jobs =

£750 x 4 times per year
£50 per month
£120 per month

and also a commercial one off for £6,700.00



I decided with the credit crunch i would invest and take a gamble = it will either work or not.


Nothing gambled - Nothing gained is my motto.

I have took a serious gamble.

if you need more info call me and will help you with anything: 07788 503775 chris. 

[MJH]

I have just spent over £5,000.00 on Yell.com alone

2 Sponsored listings & 3 web links.


I decided to take out the sponsored listings (1st and 2nd positions) to be at the top of my areas, and i have backed them up with web links, meaning if a potential customer decides to look past the top listing then i am also below it mixed with the others.


Last year i picked up a few commercials resulting in roughly £5,000.00 worth of work per year for 3 commercial jobs =

£750 x 4 times per year
£50 per month
£120 per month

and also a commercial one off for £6,700.00



I decided with the credit crunch i would invest and take a gamble = it will either work or not.


Nothing gambled - Nothing gained is my motto.

I have took a serious gamble.

if you need more info call me and will help you with anything: 07788 503775 chris. 

5k with yell, how many listings did you get for that!!!, i totally agree you have to be in it to win it, i have heavily invested in yellow pages and yell.com in the past!!!
Without hugh success, i hope they gave you alot for 5k!!

[Busby]

I just said what i ordered = Totally my choice & i seriously thought about it


2 x Sponsored listing

and 3 x weblink adverts

totalling £5,000

[STEVE-UK]

i just done  the 2nd place sponsored listing for £1600, i just need 1 commercial job at £160 per month to pay for it

theres a firm local to me who has 3, 1st place sponsored listings and has done for the couple of years, their vans seem to be getting newer!  although that doesnt mean that much

[Steve CM]

I have just spent over £5,000.00 on Yell.com alone

2 Sponsored listings & 3 web links.


I decided to take out the sponsored listings (1st and 2nd positions) to be at the top of my areas, and i have backed them up with web links, meaning if a potential customer decides to look past the top listing then i am also below it mixed with the others.


Last year i picked up a few commercials resulting in roughly £5,000.00 worth of work per year for 3 commercial jobs =

£750 x 4 times per year
£50 per month
£120 per month

and also a commercial one off for £6,700.00



I decided with the credit crunch i would invest and take a gamble = it will either work or not.


Nothing gambled - Nothing gained is my motto.

I have took a serious gamble.

if you need more info call me and will help you with anything: 07788 503775 chris. 

thanks archer this is what i'm looking for.  I think i may give you a ring at some point if thats ok

and thanks to all you other guys that are building up a general picture for me!

my overall bill is 6.6k that will include a number 2 sponsored listing on yell and a half page full colour ad in the YP

my aim seems to be similar to yours archer where by i need a 1 or 2 contracts to get over £600 a month to break even. which from what i've got with just my web link in yell should be acheivable.

I don't mind putting my money where my mouth is but i want as much a calculated risk as possible!!

the way i see it is i will be 1 of 2 companys that will have the main coverage out of my areas in the YP and Yell.com

any more advice or experiences from guys that have spent a lot of money would be appreciated. i want to build up enough info before i decide to go with it or not

Thanks guys!!

[MJH]

I just said what i ordered = Totally my choice & i seriously thought about it


2 x Sponsored listing

and 3 x weblink adverts

totalling £5,000

Absolutley your choice, i hope you do well for yourself and it pays!!!

[d s windowcleaning]

id sooner have a well sign written van .

[groundhog]

I spent £1200 a couple of years ago, from that I only picked up about 8 jobs, but they were good jobs!! and it more than paid for itself. You have to make sure that your ad stands out from the others in some way, and i don't mean by calling your business AAAAAA window cleaning so that you are the first on the list! this puts most people off in my opinion!!