It’s a real question — one I hope you’ll answer in a comment. I’m asking because I found myself irritated this morning. It happens about once a year.
I live in a 24 unit condo. Every year, about this time, a man with a dolly and 24 yellow-bagged copies of the Yellow Pages makes a visit to the 
building. He leaves the books in a stack by the mailboxes. Every year I find more and more of the bagged books (mine included) in the recycle bin in the garage. Last year, probably 18 of 24 were never taken into the home. That’s what irritates me: the incredible waste of natural resources involved in printing the thing for no reason then to recycle it.
I know I’m abnormal (in so many ways), but I haven’t used YP in years. If I want to find something locally I usually Google the name of my city and the service I seek and then review a few websites. Is this true for you?
So tell me: do you use the Yellow Pages to advertise your business? Do you have a line ad or a display ad? Does it produce leads for you? Just click ‘Leave a comment’ above to respond.
I agree with you, James. I find the Yellow Pages and all paper phonebooks to be a nuisance now that I have the Internet. I even use the Internet for looking up pizza places, etc. I think the paperbooks are a waste of resources; however, there are still people out there without computers and access, so I guess there’s a need. I think yellow pages, etc., should be something that people ask for and not automatically get. Just like newspapers and other paper media, subscribers dictate what they want. More and more media is going online and making the traditional products smaller or limited.
Once again, great blog!
They delivered two copies to my house this week, on two different days. Makes a great fire started for the coal bbq.
I dont think I have used the yellow pages since i was stuck at a phone booth (This was before I had a cell phone) and needed to call a tow truck.
rs
I can’t help but think newspapers are not far behind. I still keep a phone book but only as a back up.
About a year ago — it was October 2008,I think — the LA Times quit publishing a real estate section. They’d been doing it continuously for 105 years. I think that says a whole lot about our industry and today’s consumer.
When I opened my franchise in 2004, I was contacted by the publisher of the yellow pages. Their statistics impressed me and I signed an agreeement to a 1/4 page, professionally designed ad in the yellow pages. Since I track the source of all incoming calls, I can state that I did not receive ONE LEAD after spending about $5000. The next year, I changed the ad to the free one offered by the publisher so that anyone looking for my company or me can find me in the yellow pages-and they do.