Our Newest Yellow Page Book

Status
Not open for further replies.
Rhonda

Rhonda

Well-Known Member
Nov 1, 2002
5,925
2,788
113
124
Millinocket
www.millinocketflorist.com
State / Prov
Maine
Got home after a slightly busy day....and found our "new phone company", Fairpoint's very small (can hardly read the lines) yellow book. Less than 1/4" thick, 8 1/2" X 6 1/2"
Florists:
1/2 page Flower.com
1/2 page JustFlowers (same day delivery, Delivery Guaranteed)
1/2 page www.flowerdelivery.com "Florist Arranged Bouquets"
1/3 page Blooms Today "We deliver to all hospitals & funeral homes nationwide" "Same Day Delivery by YOUR Local Florists" "50% OFF ALL Products! Telephone or Online"
1/3 page www.ordersympathyflowers.com "A Flowers Today Inc. Company" (bloomnet and FTD logos) "Dozens of Thoughtful Arrangements Ready For Delivery Today"
1/4 page FTD
1/3 page www.bloomsrewards.com "Save 50% Now - Join Bloom Rewards and save 50% off your floral order at Blooms Today" "Same Day Nationwide & Local Floral Delivery!"

And in the regular line listings JustFlowers has two different phone numbers. Sheesh (glad not many people will be able to read this crap as the print is so small in the line ads that most people will just throw them away)
The one thing I do notice is that almost every category has large ads from NOT local companies. Most with 800, 877, 866 numbers and no local addresses listed in their line ads or large print ads.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TOTO
My YP ads are history...counting down the last months of the contracts. I figure I will save over $800 a month, and redirect that towards an aggressive feedback/customer survey/follow up call/direct mail 1st time customers with Thank You gift cards/ etc. IN HOUSE marketing.

And, STILL have $$$ left over.

- H.

PS - and NO, not doing this blindly! Currently have a 1/2 page full color ad with tracking web url and phone number. A big suburban Philly county book. Last month had ONE traceable sale. December - a paltry 6 sales, with 7 calls. Web URLS getting SOME hits, but not enough to justify the cost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TOTO, CHR and duanermb
Today, they said we HAD to make a decision. I have been wavering on it for some time and just didn't know what to do. There are a lot of options, both in the book and online for the yellowpages.

Took the leap of faith, instead of an ad, now, all we will have is a bolded listing, and our website on there now below. I don't for-see it affecting our business.

I am 34, so I am old enough to have lived through when there was no internet etc. and it is ingrained in me to think that the yellowpages are good, yet I am an internet geek, and would never use them myself. Hmmm.

and, I agree, we are using the extra cash for Brand promotion. $250 bucks for us, will go a long way every month.
 
  • Like
Reactions: strippinrose and TOTO
Simply put Duane
If it works it just don't need fixing !!!!!!!!!!!
If it does'nt ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it goes !

ROCK ON BROTHER !
 
  • Like
Reactions: TOTO and duanermb
Fight the Battles you can WIN!

We've long since given up on advertising in the YELLOW PAGES, regardless of who they are, MEGA or MINI.

DA SKIMMERS took over all of the big ads, and there was just no point in throwing our hard earned dollars away on our smaller efforts to compete.

My only question to Rhonda is: Since DA SKIMMERS have all the BIG ADS in your local book, who is filling their orders?

When they tout same-day-delivery in your local market, even though we all know, those orders are rung through the OG and WS wringers, that can only happen when they have a WILLING FILLING VICTIM!

One of our own HOLIDAY drivers complained that, his kids sent them an anniversary arrangement through 800 and it was both small and terrible. I spoke to his wife, and told her to call the 800 filler, tell him to pick up his garbage, and tell the kids to DEMAND A FULL REFUND.

She, like many other VICTIMS told me that, she felt bad and didn't want the kids to know how terrible the flowers were.

I told her that, DON'T BE A FOOL and don't let your KIDS BE FOOLED!

If you don't tell your kids you got JUNK, they will think that, all went well, and they'll get suckered into using 800 again in the future!

She finally agreed to take my advice, but she didn't feel good about it.

THIS IS THE SAD PART of the d'OG and OG Middleman game.

The sender sends IN GOOD FAITH! The recipient gets JUNK, but doesn't want to complain so as to NOT UPSET THE SENDER, and the whole CYCLE begins again.

Which, and in my UMBLE OPINION, is just what the d'OG's and OG's bank on.

As my real florist friend OZ, put it best:

It's called ROLLING THE DICE, and the players might get caught one in ten times as a LOOSER, but the other nine times, they get away FREE!

While their flowers had the 800 name on them, it also indicated to call a local number if they had any problems. I did a lookup, and low and behold, the number went to a well known SKIMMER FILLER PLAYER in Mount Vernon, and not even to a florist in the city they live in, YONKERS.

That's the SCAM and the SHAM, and it's up to us to educate DA PUBLIC and DA MEDIA TOO!

http://shopping.yahoo.com/merchrating/user_rv.html?merchant_id=1034413

http://shopping.yahoo.com/merchrati...t2JStDjZDKLYyRJ6eSMJDmmYB?merchant_id=1046551

http://shopping.yahoo.com/merchrati...t2JStDjZDKLYyRJ6eSMJDmmYB?merchant_id=1034533

http://shopping.yahoo.com/merchrati...t2JStDjZDKLYyRJ6eSMJDmmYB?merchant_id=1034456
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chezbloom and duanermb
duanermb said:
Today, they said we HAD to make a decision. I have been wavering on it for some time and just didn't know what to do. There are a lot of options, both in the book and online for the yellowpages.

Took the leap of faith, instead of an ad, now, all we will have is a bolded listing, and our website on there now below. I don't for-see it affecting our business.

I am 34, so I am old enough to have lived through when there was no internet etc. and it is ingrained in me to think that the yellowpages are good, yet I am an internet geek, and would never use them myself. Hmmm.

and, I agree, we are using the extra cash for Brand promotion. $250 bucks for us, will go a long way every month.
Click to expand...
if we use the monies we pay in fee ti the wire service no telling what we could come up with perhaps a bill board?
 
Dex Knows Squat

We have never advertised in any phone book and never will. Toto is correct, the OG's rule the phone books with giant ads. Most folks I know and I am over 40, have not picked up a phone book in years. I would say it is one of the biggests wastes of money (for our shop) that I can think of.
 
  • Like
Reactions: strippinrose and duanermb
PhillyPhlorist said:
My YP ads are history...counting down the last months of the contracts. I figure I will save over $800 a month, and redirect that towards an aggressive feedback/customer survey/follow up call/direct mail 1st time customers with Thank You gift cards/ etc. IN HOUSE marketing.

And, STILL have $$$ left over.

- H.

PS - and NO, not doing this blindly! Currently have a 1/2 page full color ad with tracking web url and phone number. A big suburban Philly county book. Last month had ONE traceable sale. December - a paltry 6 sales, with 7 calls. Web URLS getting SOME hits, but not enough to justify the cost.
Click to expand...

Herb, take the $800 a month, print out a bunch of $10 gift cards and start handing them out to every business or residence in the area. I'll be you get a much better return.
 
  • Like
Reactions: duanermb
Fear NOT, the YP rhetoric......you WILL NOT "die" if you get out.....
Almost EVERYONE, has been duped into "believing" the stats from the local YP reps, PROVING to YOU, that's it's ESSENTIAL, that YOU be with the REST of the sheep....and you MUST pay the "shepherd".....to watch over you!
We FIRED the shepherd, and lo, and behold, we discovered once and for all, YP print ads are DEAD!!
 
tough times all around, it seems.





Yellow Pages publisher won't make interest payment due today
Click to expand...
By David Ranii - Staff Writer
Published: Wed, Apr. 15, 2009 10:14AM

Yellow pages publisher R.H. Donnelley, a company that some believe could end up in bankruptcy because of its heavy debt, announced this morning that it isn’t making a $55 million interest payment due today.
Instead, the Cary-based company said it would exercise a 30-day grace period on the payment while it continues working on its previously announced plan to restructure its debt.
Donnelley said the missed interest payment doesn’t mean it has defaulted on its debt. Rather, it won’t be in default unless it "fails to make the payment within 30 days of the due date, absent an extension," the company stated in its announcement.

"The company will have no further comment at this time about this matter beyond what is contained in this press release," Donnelley stated.
Last month Donnelley hired an investment adviser, Lazard Ltd., to help it restructure its $9.4 billion in debt, including $1.4 billion due next year. Lazard has been involved in several high-profile corporate bankruptcies, raising speculation – which Donnelley has denied – that retaining the firm signaled the company’s intent to file for bankruptcy.
Donnelley publishes yellow pages directories in 28 states and has about 4,000 employees, including 570 in the Triangle.
Like many media companies that rely on advertising revenue, the recession has hurt Donnelley’s business. Ad sales dropped 8 percent last year, including a 12 percent decline in the fourth quarter, compared with a year earlier.
The company has been slashing costs, including eliminating 950 jobs – about 20 percent of its workforce – last year.
Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Donnelley’s debt in February, saying that it is concerned that the company could end up filing for bankruptcy.
Donnelley shares were trading at 18 cents, down 1.5 cents, this morning. Shares traded as high as $33 last year.
Click to expand...
 
Last month Donnelley hired an investment adviser, Lazard Ltd., to help it restructure its $9.4 billion in debt, including $1.4 billion due next year.
Click to expand...

With Gm like debt, and declining advertising revenues, does anyone see how they have a hope of repaying this amount of debt?

I know I'm NOT renewing this year when they come around next month...anyone got any numbers for Ameritech Publishing?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back