Who uses yellow pages

[Crossroads]

A friend of mine told me that when he started a tree service business a few years back, he paid for one add in the yellow Pages and his phone is still ringing from that add. I have a website and use Craigslist and Facebook, but since I’ve moved to Idaho my phone has been dead quiet. What are your thoughts? Have you used the yellow Pages and did it work for you?

[Jeff]

When is the last time you personally looked in the yellow pages for anything? Or even a phonebook?  We treat phone books around here like junk mail now. File 13.

[DWyatt]

My boss who's ~65 will be sitting at his computer in his office and holler for the secretary to bring him the phone book to look someone up (also does the same with the dictionary and thesaurus ). Even with the amount of technology today, there are some that still use the phone book.

I am not one of them, internet all the way.

[YellowHammer]

I bet it’s been 10 years since I’ve even looked at a paper phone book.  

Many years ago I placed an add in the local electronic Yellow Pages, which is the same as the paper version, but I don’t think it did anything.  I would have starved if I had relied on it.  In contrast, we get many thousand web hits a week, about half from first time visitors to the site.  If even 1% of those hits turn into new customers, it’s a good day.  

So, in my experience, much more productive are web sites, FB, CL, etc, places where high volume electronic searches can find you. If you have an on line version of the Yellow Pages, then Google would find it.  

[terrifictimbersllc]

Early on I talked with YP callers several times.  They wanted a couple hundred per month then to list me.  

Now I tell callers that my budget for advertising is $15 per month. I haven't yet had anyone with a good comeback for that line.  

Seriously I think the most effective and least expensive avenue is to optimize the keyword attributes on your web pages to make sure that your website comes up in the top half of the first internet search page for someone searching in your area. Maybe some here can tell you how to do it yourself. I would try some of this for you but since I'm not in your area I wouldn't trust the results.

Something I also did for a while and suggest you might consider is  enrolling with Google in their pay per click advertising.  It is not that expensive and you can easily control how much you spend.

When I was doing it, that program lets you deposit some money (say $100), then choose how much you are willing to spend each day, for example $1-$2 per day, and they charge you per click for those who click on your ad. You make a little 4 line ad for this program which will appear at the top of the search page each day until the daily budget is exhausted.  You can choose your area of advertising by different methods such as your state, etc, AND you can also draw a map to define where the searchers must come from.   This keeps people from the rest of the world from clicking  on it and costing you 35 or whatever cents.  

[FloridaMike]

....
Seriously I think the most effective and least expensive avenue is to optimize the keyword attributes on your web pages to make sure that your website comes up in the top half of the first internet search page for someone searching in your area.

Something I also did for a while and suggest you might consider is  enrolling with Google in their pay per click advertising.  It is not that expensive and you can easily control how much you spend.
....

This is the best advice available! 
Do a search from someone else's computer ("sawmills in YOUR TOWN & STATE"), if you are not in the first 2 pages of results... your web site is not working for you.

[Magicman]

Absolutely internet search.  25 years ago Yellow Pages was the go-to way to search but not in today's world.

[Raider Bill]

I still run a YP ad every year although it's toned down a bunch. Reason is here in Florida many of the older population still reach for it and it still has a positive return for us.
I am not in the sawmill or wood business.

[Resonator]

Fewer and fewer do use it, many new houses don't even have land lines to be listed. The first phone book was only one page. Ahoy, Ahoy! Alexander Graham Bell here... no, no my number is 1, you must want 2. Two I say!

[Magicman]

Phone books are as scarce as pay phones but they both served well during their time. 

[thecfarm]

Superman has no place to change now.  

[terrifictimbersllc]

In Maine he can change wherever he wants . 

[thecfarm]

He better do it quick in January.   

[Crossroads]

Hmmm. I never even thought to mention that I was talking about the electronic version. I hadn’t thought of my friends story until last night when I was trying to do a search for my business and the electronic YP came up. Thank you for the input

[Magicman]

I searched for a portable sawmill in Idaho and quickly found you.  Maybe this time of year folks are more concerned with getting their firewood than having logs sawn into lumber.

Are you listed on Wood-Mizer's Pro Sawyer Network?

[Percy]

Phone books are as scarce as pay phones but they both served well during their time.  

I think  the muscle guys tore them all in half.....

[terrifictimbersllc]

Google searches

"portable sawmill idaho".  you're in the top few hits
"mobile sawmill idaho" ditto
"portable sawmill plummer idaho". first hit
"logs to lumber idaho". don't see you anywhere

When I try these searches I think of a lot of different words , also I ask customers how they found me or ask others what words they would use, this gives more ideas. I put such keywords into the appropriate place on my website, at a place which search engines search, it's been a while

[KirkD]

Hmmm. I never even thought to mention that I was talking about the electronic version. I hadn’t thought of my friends story until last night when I was trying to do a search for my business and the electronic YP came up. Thank you for the input

Yes yp.com is alive and well and works good if your looking for something local or regional. Will they let you do an ad in just the electronic version?

[Crossroads]

You could very well be right MM. I am listed in the Woodmizer pro Sawyers page. Thank you and Denise also, for taking the time to run those searches. It’s very much appreciated.....

[Crossroads]

Hmmm. I never even thought to mention that I was talking about the electronic version. I hadn’t thought of my friends story until last night when I was trying to do a search for my business and the electronic YP came up. Thank you for the input

Yes yp.com is alive and well and works good if your looking for something local or regional. Will they let you do an ad in just the electronic version?

I believe so