Does anyone still use the Yellow Pages?

[Orks]

I'm talking about the old fashioned brick of a book, not the online site.

I've just bought a caravan park and am debating whether to continue advertising with Yellow Pages. The rates are extortionate and I'm not convinced of their benefit. The park I've bought is in a fairly major tourist town and there are only 2 parks in town so I reckon most people that aren't tech savvy that are coming here would find there way here without the yellow pages anyway.

Thoughts?

 

[Jacque]

My parents are the only ppl I know who actually still keep them....

 

[wylie]

I've put mine straight into the recycling bin for many years. Now I don't even think we get one.

I look everything up on the net.

Maybe do a little poll of people who call up looking for a short stay. If you have a little while before committing to paying for another year, do this first before removing your listing.

 

[bbmick]

Nah.....haven't used for years. It goes straight in the recycle bin if it turns up on my doorstep.

For caravan parks I use this site: http://www.goseeaustralia.com.au/

For any other stuff, I google or use the online yellowpages.

 

[attrill]

I live in a block of 7 units and it saddens me that the phone directory and yellow pages get dropped off each year and no body even picks them up and takes them inside, so a month or so later they just get put in the recycle bin. What a waste.

In this day and age I can use my smart phone and find a number quicker than I could even find the directory.

For me, I would use the money spent on yellow pages to hire a social media consultant, get a good web presence and promote my business that way.

 

[Ideo]

We have an online yellow pages listing, and I think a print listing is included for free.

Our website gets much better results than yellow pages at a lower cost.

 

[Colin Rice]

I think I have a free online listing with them?

Social media such as facebook, twitter, google+ & LinkedIn can work well but like any good relationship it takes time to develop. It's free marketing and if used correctly can add extra layers to your efforts.

Don't sell rather inform and educate your audience.

 

[topcropper]

I've gone to use it a few times. After a minute of not finding what it is I'm looking for I realise what an idiot I am and find it in 15 seconds on google.


See ya's.

 

[cimbom]

I can't believe they still publish it. We used to get a massive stack in front of our apartment building and it would stay there for days until I assume one of the cleaners get rid of them. Such a massive waste of paper - they should just have an "opt in" system at most.

 

[geoffw]

You may need to pay for the paper version in order to be listed in the online version.

Make sure that the park is included in Google and Apple Maps. Do searches on the maps (on your computer as well as smartphone/device) to see if searches for town + "caravan park", town + "accommodation", name of caravan park etc, find you place. Zoom in on the location and see if it's marked. You can generally get a basic business listing which shows up in the maps products for free.

Also check on GPS devices. They tend to use Sensis data, which is linked to the telephone directories.

 

[skater]

Ours goes straight into the recycle bin.

Oh, & when searching online, I don't use the yellow pages either.

 

[Crabnet]

No I wouldn't use the Yellow Pages to search far a caravan park anyway.
When we travelled Australia by car we would mostly use the Motoring Association tourist park guide.
http://www.raa.com.au/travel/guides-and-maps/guides

Also Sensis have a yellow pages optout service.
https://www.directoryselect.com.au/action/home

 

[Ideo]

You may need to pay for the paper version in order to be listed in the online version.

Make sure that the park is included in Google and Apple Maps. Do searches on the maps (on your computer as well as smartphone/device) to see if searches for town + "caravan park", town + "accommodation", name of caravan park etc, find you place. Zoom in on the location and see if it's marked. You can generally get a basic business listing which shows up in the maps products for free.

Also check on GPS devices. They tend to use Sensis data, which is linked to the telephone directories.

Oh yeah, that could be it. Knew we got one free and one paid for.

 

[depreciator]

Our office is in a 23 storey building in the city. When the telephone books (hundreds of them) get delivered downstairs, they are conveniently left beside the big recycling bins. I suspect not one ever makes it upstairs.
Our business hasn't been in the YP book for years.

 

[eXc]

I use the yellow pages and white pages all the time - they prop up my monitors to get them to the right height. That said, they are 1/4 of the size they were a few years back, so the current ones I don't use.

In reality, it's the older generation that will use it. So if your target audience is 50+ year olds, I'd put it in yellow pages, otherwise, don't bother.

Certainly under 35's (probably higher) will search google/expedia/quick beds etc and buy straight there if they are happy. Getting a book, ringing, waiting, making a booking takes too long on the phone, and you have to ring 10 places to compare prices...do it online, 10 minutes and you've compared a heap, with visitors comments, booked and paid.

You could always try a year without it and see if the rentals drop?

 

[chindonly]

No! Pretty well useless these days.

 

[geoffw]

Mind you, you won't get a really representative sample asking a bunch of internet users if they use the paper Yellow Pages.

What happens is that grey nomads travel around Australia with a complete collection of Yellow Pages phone books from every single area they are likely to visit, just to help them find the caravan parks.

 

[bbmick]

Mind you, you won't get a really representative sample asking a bunch of internet users if they use the paper Yellow Pages.

What happens is that grey nomads travel around Australia with a complete collection of Yellow Pages phone books from every single area they are likely to visit, just to help them find the caravan parks.

I'm kinda caught in the middle ground. Just over 50yo, retired, go caravanning part time, but still tech savvy, so I'm not quite a full blown grey nomad (but damn close - I'm fully grey anyways).

Just remembered I use these books too, as well as online for my caravanning.

http://www.campsaustraliawide.com/

 

[lizzie]

I've gone to use it a few times. After a minute of not finding what it is I'm looking for I realise what an idiot I am and find it in 15 seconds on google.

I am in total agreement ... so much easier to go "plumber Cessnock" than plough thru hundreds of irrelevant plumbers trying to find the one.

Hubby still uses the yellow pages, but the print is so small he can barely read it ... then again ... he is older than me

 

[Kinnon Bell]

I still use the yellow pages. It's good kindling in the chiminea....