Do Golden Pages really work?

al22

I paid for my Golden Pages advertising as I used for the last 15+ years but it is the middle of October now and I did not received the Golden Pages book yet. Usually I had it every June. I asked my neighbours, they did not have it too, I asked a few friends and colleagues in a few other areas? a few received it only recently (two weeks ago) but not everybody.

Contacting the Golden Pages company, starting from August, direct they forwarding me to distribution division? which said it will be at the end of August, then September and last week I was told they have nothing to distribute and waiting for a books to receive from the Golden Pages to distribute.

How I can get customers reading my advertising, if customers did not see the book?
Is it a waste of money to advertise with the Golden Pages?

As I paid for the 12 months advertising, should they credit me 3 month value of my advertising costs back?
Book is for 2012/2013.

Thank you.

TsuDhoNimh

al22 wrote: »

How I can get customers reading my advertising, if customers did not see the book?
Is it a waste of money to advertise with the Golden Pages?

Even if they had seen the book, would many have seen the advertising? I know I received a copy at some stage in the last month, but it went straight to the recycling bin without even being glanced at (I'd normally thumb through it to see which businesses are still using the classifieds, but its gotten to the stage that I don't even do that).

In my opinion, yes, it's a waste.

I'm not talking in relation to where the book is 3 months late being distributed, I mean in general. A couple of years ago I might have attached a caveat to that saying 'depending on your target market and how tech aware they are', but now... it's right across the board.

(Disclosure: I do work in digital marketing, so I have got a vested interest here that potentially sways my thoughts. I don't believe it does though. There are lots of traditional advertising that still works and works well, GP just isn't one of them.

I also have a strong personal dislike for the business team behind it which may also sway my opinion of them. Truvo, the business behind their online offerings which they seem to be focusing on more and more, are one of the most questionable operators in the industry here. The sales team use a combination of half truths and outright lies to oversell and upsell a poor offering to business owners that don't know any better.

If any business gets the sales pitch from them, please ask for a written copy of their claims and the figures they use in the pitch. Put them up here for comment and I, or others, will be happy to prove the inaccuracies and lies that are being used. It wouldn't be the first time for me to do it and I'd happily give my time for free in relation to it.

The ROI on their print advertising has dropped off the radar, even for the 'traditional' businesses that used to benefit. This can even be seen in their own movement towards the digital side of things. Their online offerings are far too expensive, far better returns can be made elsewhere and they oversell it by magnitudes of impact.

So the long and short answer is yes, it's a waste to advertise with them.)

al22

Thanks. Completely agree. Truvo is not a business to enjoy to work with, agree.

The Golden Pages book itself turn me off since they started to squeeze it using a small fonts, more co;umn and advertising of theirself omn nearly every page.

In my case a lot of customers are people without the Internet yet, but how they can find me if they do not have a book?

Internet advertising with the Golden Page is also a question. Feels like they want more and more money for a less of their own work. And both services - on the web and book
are secretive and not offering just a simple visible and understandable rate cards or prices listing.

Thank you.

baalthor

Just got the 04 Golden Pages. It's so slim they could have folded it over and put it through the letter box !

M three

They have an app now but the few times I used it it was useless

TsuDhoNimh

al22 wrote: »

In my case a lot of customers are people without the Internet yet, but how they can find me if they do not have a book?

This is still an issue, especially here in Ireland. I was very disappointed when the 2011 Census figures showed that almost 60% of homes where the head of the household was over 65 had no internet access and was nearer to 80% in cases where that person lived alone.

Obviously that might not be your target demographic, just a statistic that disappointed me and one that I hope does improve with the widespread action being taken to increase training and knowledge to older generations.

If your target market aren't likely to find you using digital inbound marketing, you do need to look at the alternatives and figure out what's right for your market segment. Digital marketing isn't a silver bullet and won't be right for everyone, but that shouldn't push you to an alternative that has a terribly poor ROI either.

The only thing I can suggest without far more detailed information on the target market you're attempting to reach is to get their input. Do market research on what they do use to find your type of service (word of mouth, asking a family member, using the phone book, checking a local paper, etc.), research on which media they do consume and in what way (print media, radio, internet [they might surprise you], etc.) and when you've gathered a large enough sample of data to give you an informed view of the market make a call on where best to invest your time and money.

(e.g. I'm not a fan of radio advertising. I never have been and never will be. I've seen too many campaigns cost a huge amount and not return a meaningful impact. That just isn't sustainable.

On the other hand, radio coverage for a business has provided some fantastic results! The difference between the 'advertising', which people tend to disregard similar to banner blindness online, and editorial coverage is dramatic in my own experience. So rather than investing directly into the advertising, invest into an idea/event/promotion that will lead to the coverage indirectly. You can then leverage that attention into gaining coverage in a variety of different channels [print, radio, online] and get a far greater return hitting a variety of segments in your target market.

Again, anything I say is in complete ignorance of your target market, so don't take it as specific advice. I'm just speaking in general about a topic I've a personal and professional interest in.)

M three wrote: »

They have an app now but the few times I used it it was useless

Surprising. That's something that should be easy to get right given the niche they're serving and would potentially make their offer far more attractive.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there isn't potential there. It's just that it's not a good value proposition (it's hugely overpriced for what it delivers), it's poorly executed (it doesn't half deliver what it could if done 'right') and when compounded with the horrid sales push employed with false claims and inaccurate data (lies) makes the overall offer a disaster.

handlemaster

personally as a consumer I can't remember the last time I used golden pages. Its google for this and google for that now...

al22

Finally the Golden Pages arrived, very thin and of no use exept I checked who are my competitors now. That is using the magnifying glass.

Do they think people will reed it under the microscope?

abbeyrock

I wasn't expecting miracles, but advertising in the GP in my opinion is a waste of time , not even my granny uses it, she asks me to "goggle it" when she wants something.:D

goz83

To echo the above, it's a waste of money. They call me every year....several times until they reach me. I tell to they can keep my free listing, but I won't be paying for a premium listing that might not deliver a single client in the whole year. My free listing got me 1 client in 2011

al22

AGREE with the above , I have no single call since last book appeared. Customers (new) not calling because they saw my ad in the GP People seems not looking in this book at all. For the previous year I had just two calls based on the GP directory.

SimonPRepublic

Did they not include advertising on their website too? That would make more sense. Re you issue re not getting it for a year, presumably you will because the next issue will not be printed until the same time next year, so you will get your year from them.

benbrown

I think what people have to realise is that advertising like the Golden Pages is unfortunately a thing of the past. If you want people to find you these days you have to be easily contactable via Laptops, Desktops, Ipads, Ipods, Iphones and any other hand held devices. So what you should do is to look for a web designer/developer like myself who understands the importance of getting out there online. You need an online presence with a website that is Optimized for Search Engines and is Responsive and easy to use with Mobile Devices. As a business you need to give your potential clients EASY. People like EASY nowadays they don't like to have to root for numbers or addresses they just want to hit buttons on their portable devices and get responses. PM me if you would like any more information. Unfortunately I believe that the GP has had its day and if your business is to survive then you need to move with the times.

on line shoes

Hi there
Correct , yes, it's a waste, of money and time !

now the most important -- ON LINE ONLY !

al22

Agree - waste of money

My first post was about GP Book delivery too late

Just now I realised I did not got 2013/14 edition at all.

scotchy

Mine goes straight into the green bin. Just thinking about it, it must be more than 5 or 6 years since I've used one.

.

makeandcreate

Finally opened last years GP - out of guinea pig bedding - then it went to recycling. Waste of time.