Can you break down PPC Campaign.????

Thanks Eric,

I think PPC means Picture Post Card.

Fifteen years ago I could keep busy with ONLY a YP ad. It's a whole new world and today the YP is useless in my opinion.

PPC - picture post card

Zach

If the YP were my only option, if I were new in business and had no other thoughts on marketing, then I would use them in preference to doing nothing. However, the YP advertising that I do now (both Magic and non-Magic related business) does little more than break even.

For example, part of my contracting day job is building and installing accessibility hardware (wheelchair ramps, grab bars, etc.). Last year I took out a new display ad to promote this service. The ad has produced zero leads in six months of (costly) adverts. By contrast, the large-format business cards I leave in pharmacies and medical supply stores generate a fairly consistent 5-6 leads per month, and one sale paid for the entire supply of postcards.

With regard to Magic, my YP experience has been similar -- though YMMV. The shows which come in through the ads pay for those ads and create listings in my database, but they produce little direct profit. [I haven't been doing them long enough to generate the long-term interest that others have mentioned.] The more profitable gigs have come from more creative marketing attempts, influenced by numerous Café alumi like Jim Snack and rossmacrae. Except for one or two very deep pocket portions of OC, I won't be renewing my YP ads in 2008.

Leland

My experience is that the only reason anyone does yellow pages is for reasons very simmilar to what you write about here...

"at least I'm doing something..."

or the old...

"you have to be in the yellow pages -- everyone is!"

I have been quite succesful thus far never running a yellow pages ad...

what do the people who want to book me do?

They google me ( and end up finding my postings on this site unfortunatly ) or they look me up under my name in the FREE white pages...

don't waste the cash on yellow pages. Invest that money in business cards, and invest time in perfecting a small selection of material so you do it better than ANYONE else in the business...

Perform every chance you get, drop jaws, and soon enough people will either have your card, or look you up in the white pages...(for free)

I am now of the opinion that the Yellow Pages have almost worn out their usefulness. The new "best solution" hasn't been settled on yet, but your money is best spent elsewhere.

Nonetheless, you will have to spend money and you can't just put up a website and hope they come to you.

Promote your services to your target market...

Weddings - Bridal shows, bridal websites, bridal mags... etc

Kids parties - family fun centers, schools, libraries, retirement centers, community fairs-events, local family papers, childcare cenrters

Corporate events - HR departments, trade fairs, event planners, event mags, shopping malls, business lsitenings, networking groups, etc.

get the idea?
Your website should be used as a enhancement of your advertisement.
Direct people to your site, with your ads, postcards, b-cards and people at parties you meet.

Yellow pages will help, but I find web directories more successful in todays times.

Evanmagic - Don't ask us - ask other magicians in your area. Every YP is different. In my old town, Canberra, the pages were the lifeblood of my business. In Melbourne, my new town, I didn't even cover the cost of the very, very, very expensive advertisment.

Sorry about the confusion.

"PPC" stands for Pay-Per-click advertising, like Google ad-words and such. It's a great to get in front of your prospects when they want you, and nowadays, that's NOW!

Most certainly will replace the Yellow Pages soon. (One magician's prediction)

Eric
I have over 27,000 hits on my web site, and that PPC thing would have taken me to the cleaners.

I got a call last week, then a follow up today from a yellow pages rep who talked my ear off for over 20 minutes. . . Very pushy. . And telling me I could make MILLIONS from him (I do birthday parties right now, so I don't see how that would even be possible unless I was doing 200 shows/week)

He wanted me to pay 179 dollars for a website listing and a Garuntee of 30 clicks/month. Sounds like a huge rip off to me!!

I'd rather invest that in Adwords or the like OR SEO (Thank Al) to get my website a higher organic ranking.

I had an ad in the local parent magazine and the YP rep found me there and tried to tell me that they're better..

I dunno

Well, I am going to go ahead and put my foot in my mouth. Earlier in the thread (late 2007, early 2008) I was speaking very highly of YP because in the past several years it has worked out nicely for me, however thus far, this year, it hasn't. I have been getting a TON of calls/bookings but I can honestly say that only 10% are from YP. Looking through my logs, everyone has been finding me through Google and using Adwords, or the most common way being referral, which is what I am going to turn my attention to next year. I think YP is on its way down and GOOGLE is higher than ever, not to mention other sources. I will continue to put a word ad into the YP, but nothing of the display ad. Other magicians in my area of are the same belief and I truly believe that unless they do something drastically different that YP is going to see a serious decrease in business.

Last year, my numbers from YP was decent and it got me a fair amount of work, and looking at years past it was even better....bottomline is that EVERYONE is switching to the NEW WAVE of internet and not as many people are even considering YP. It used to be "OH, WE NEED TO FIND A MAGICIAN, GO LOOK IN THE YP" now I find if someone asks that question, the response "GOOGLE IT"....everywhere you look, TV, movies etc google is there, they talk about google....to me, its the way to go.

I just came across this thread and found it very interesting because 6 months ago I made the decision to drop all yellow page advertising. Further more, I transferred my business number to my cell phone thus eliminating my entire verizon phone bill.

Being that many people I know will through their yellow page book away the day they receive it, I feel that money can be better spent elsewhere.

Ken, I ditto those remarks. I don't do any YP advertising. Internet, parent mag, and word of mouth--that's it for passive advertising. And frankly, I'm on the fence about the Parent mag as well. I used to have a 2" X 5" ad, but last year I experimented and reduced that to a 2"X 2" ad. The results are the same.

Mailing campaigns with good follow-up produce the best results though.

I keep all my phone books (approx. 3 of them)
because I never know when I need it for any
specific reason.

however, I won't advertise in the yellow pages.

I am pretty active in getting my own shows in
my own way.

Here's the details on the new "internet package". . The service they offered me was an internet package that had a 5 page hosted site (I have my own hosting, so not necessary), an optional video demo (again, can put on my own site for free if needed), and guaranteed "qualified" traffic up to 75 (minimum 30) clicks a month. . . This seemed like a rip off for over 200 dollars/month. .

The rep called me back today. . and was talking my head off. . VERY pushy. .Made me feel like I was stupid if I didn't take out a campaign. I was trying to be very polite, but in the end. . I just had to hang up on him. . I had not choice.

I have still got my last two payments on my 2008 color yellow pages ad.....


I am growing my hair SO I CAN TEAR IT OUT!

I can not trace one client back to YELLOW PAGES!

$5500! for one year!

I have been with the Yellow Pages for many years. It is a big help for me. It is slowing down in some areas because of online Yellow Pages. The areas I still advertise in are the lower income areas. A lot of those people do not have a computer yet, or do not go online.

A good way to find out much you will like to advertise in the Yellow Pages is to first find out how many others are advertising in the heading that fits your style. If it is only a few (1-5) you will not need a special ad. If there are plenty of others, You might want to pay more to have yours be one of the first.

An ad in some areas can be as low as $35-$55 a month. Just one show each month pays it off. I get plenty per month.