118118 enhanced listing

[gareth]

A m8 of mine has taken out the enhanced listing on 118118. Have any of you UK blokes invested in this one and if so how are you getting on with it? Just looking at doing it myself, it's a bit pricey so not sure. If anybody could advise it'd be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[horsefeathers]

Crap - 5 calls in a year, maybe 5 from 118500 (free) , maybe 5 from 118212 etc etc

Nationwides (reactfast etc) are always top of the numbers first read out to people as they pay so much to these directories.

Save your money

regards

[Bump]

Interestingly the Rep from 118118 called today to say that they were changing the randomisation process of their listings and are now only going to accept 20 of each category. About 20 lockies on my area of which 7 or 8 are Nationals advertising as local. Guess who is going to get top billing?

He's coming on Monday for a chat but I dont think he's going to get a sale cos I'm a little disenchanted with 118 numbers having signed up for the 118247 service in November and so far I have had only one call. I did better when I had a free listing.

[gareth]

Yeah, I did 118 247 for a year and it was a mega waste of my money. So was YP and yell.com, think different things work in different areas. I have had quite a few calls from the free 118118 listing. Apparently it's 20% of the total locksmiths that will be able to use the enhanced listing.I can;t see how it could go wrong but as I'd b contesting with the large nationals it'll be down to 118's integrity to dole out the work correctly.
Anybody got a heads up?

[EvoRed]

I could have told you 118 247 would be a waste of money in your area Bump! I had 8 calls in 2 years and didn't renew this time.

The last job I had from them, the customer was texted the details of three companies, one of which was Drain Doctor!

[Daniel's]

Last week I had the 118118 people on the phone it was highly priced. I paid up and I am the only one in my area... I've had one job through it so far.

I've also gone into Yellow page's and their 118 24 7. again one job from that.


If you guy's say its a waste of money, how and where else do you Advertise??

I'm only just starting up and going to leave a load of leflets in with Estate Agents and the like.

[Bump]

I could have told you 118 247 would be a waste of money in your area Bump! I had 8 calls in 2 years and didn't renew this time.

The last job I had from them, the customer was texted the details of three companies, one of which was Drain Doctor!

Yep! I listened but they offered me a half price deal as a YP &Yell.com package so I went along with it. It is, so far, working out much as you said. Total B**llocks!

[cybus]

Yell.com (1 call in 5 months)
118 247 (1 call in 5 months)
118 118 (No calls)
Word of mouth, knocking on doors, persistant levelet drops to businesses every month, getting your name known localy, Nag nag nag
( 10-15 calls per week)

Keep turning up on businesses door steps again and again, they might get fed up of seeing you, but that one time they need a locksmith they will remember you first. £££££

[Bump]

I've already writen my business strategy for my advertising budget next year. It comprises of "P**s Off!" to Yell.com, 118 247 and all the rest of the internet hawkers who pester me.

My experience this year has confirmed that customers are either a lazy bunch who won't go much further than the first two pages of a listing or are astute clients who bother to look through the listings but still get suckered by the multiple office listings.

Unless you can afford to get get listed on the first two pages much of your advertising is wasted. Next year I will invest my advertising in the best in yer face splash I can afford and try to get myself noticed in front of the big boys.....some bl**dy hope!

[toomush2drink]

Have you ever thought that it may be your actual advert thats the problem ? Have you ever tried various ads at the same time and tested which one is most effective.Have you ever tried different phone numbers with different ads so you can tell what works and what doesnt ?
It cracks me up seeing all this rubbishing of yellow pages and the big boys being at the front but no one ever thinks its the advert they have written thats the problem.

Have you ever looked at spending money on marketing ? Have you ever had any training on how to write an advert ? You cant listen to the yp rep as hes doesnt care he just wants a sale.The customers do look further than the first 2 pages so im not bothered about where my ads go in the yp as i KNOW they work, can you be this certain with your ads ? If you have never tested your ads properly and i mean properly you cannot say this book or that website doesnt work. When i say test i mean changing a few words can make a massive different between the phone ringing and not ringing.Everyone goes on about lockpicking this and that but how many of you have bothered to get any professional marketing advice or even done any marketing training ?
This is the very reason all these new start ups dont bother me, most dont know anything about even writing an advert so therefore they dont get much work.

Im sorry if it sounds harsh but it the reality between surviving and failing and if you dont believe me how come reactfast do so well ? It not because of their reputation as locksmiths is it ?

[horsefeathers]

Yellow pages works well for me - and the BT book. Maybe that's because i happen to be right at the front of both. With YP, the rep told me that annual spend with YP nationally determines ad placing, so RF etc get the front spots. However with BT, it is ad size that determines placing (which obviously means that the bigger the ad, the more it costs), but it is only applicable to your particular edition of the book. That is why I am well ahead of the nationals in the BT book, as are one or two other independent lockies near me who spent a bit of dough. Generally speaking though, the bigger the ad (therefore cost) then the nearer the front you get placed.

Many customers i see when doing work for RF etc all mention that they thought they were getting a 'local' locksmith. Their ads are filled with telephone numbers for main towns across the county and when a customer is faced with the choice of calling a locksmith from 'their town' or one who comes 20 miles away who are they gonna call? This is certainly the case in my County with a widespread rural population. The thought of a locksmith living in 'their village' is too good an opportunity to turn down in their view.

Make your ad appeal to those people and you stand more chance of success.

regards

[Bump]

The answer to Too Mush is "YES YES and YES!" I have no problem with YP and the other paper listing books; you pay for what you get. But its the feeble offerings from Yell.com etc that seem to be the biggest waste of money.

My daughter is a graduate in Marketing and she designed my advertising, I also pay to have my artwork done by these companies, who I am entitled to believe know what they are doing. "Testing" the water and getting feedback is always a worthwhile process but it doesnt defend against the lazy punter who wants a solution now and will only sift through the first two pages.

I have invested in the 118 118 preferred listing scheme this year to test the water and look forward to getting the promised responses....maybe!

Like Horsefeathers, I am continually being told by customers who I am attending as a Subbie that they thought they were getting a local firm and are suprised that I have driven 20 miles to get to them.

Truth is I don't believe most of us get value for money from these people, especially the internet listings, Yell.com scalped me for a prefential listing and then introduced sponsored listings that are permenently at the top of the page for +£900. Who are you going to phone when youre in a bind; usually the guy at the top of the page.

[toomush2drink]

The answer to Too Mush is "YES YES and YES!" I have no problem with YP and the other paper listing books; you pay for what you get. But its the feeble offerings from Yell.com etc that seem to be the biggest waste of money.

My daughter is a graduate in Marketing and she designed my advertising, I also pay to have my artwork done by these companies, who I am entitled to believe know what they are doing. "Testing" the water and getting feedback is always a worthwhile process but it doesnt defend against the lazy punter who wants a solution now and will only sift through the first two pages.

I have invested in the 118 118 preferred listing scheme this year to test the water and look forward to getting the promised responses....maybe!

Like Horsefeathers, I am continually being told by customers who I am attending as a Subbie that they thought they were getting a local firm and are suprised that I have driven 20 miles to get to them.

Truth is I don't believe most of us get value for money from these people, especially the internet listings, Yell.com scalped me for a prefential listing and then introduced sponsored listings that are permenently at the top of the page for +£900. Who are you going to phone when youre in a bind; usually the guy at the top of the page.

What i mean by testing is to actually get hard figures so you actuall know what works and doesnt work, how many people here keep a record of every single call they get and how the customer found them ? Yell.com is what is its only a web directory and nothing else. If you look at the figures for the locksmith section ie how many entries you will see its swamped.Mine has over 400 listings so i went in another section but only after doing a deal and getting 2 years for the price of one. To date in 4 months ive had 15 clicks to my site from it.Ok not brilliant but i know exactly how many visited my site not what some rep tells me.

Remember with yp it doesnt matter how much you spend you you wont beat the nationals for placements.It doesnt matter if your not at the front its where on the page your advert goes and also how good it is. The marketing forum (sorry only available to paid up course members) i belong to is full of people who paid so called designers to design their ads and most are complaining that now they have really learnt the truth about marketing that their adverts are actually not very good.Sure they may look good but the purpose is to get people to ring you, more than looking good. My best ad to date is 4 lines of text without any pictures,areas or multiple numbers.
Sure you may think lazy people only start from the front but surely if they were lazy and opened the locksmith section anywhere then its those 2 pages they look at ? If they are lazy its then the first appealing advert they see that they then ring.

Whether anyone takes notice of this or not doesnt bother me as most dont listen to these things and carry wasting money on useless advertising, i know as its something i used to do when i started up.Now ive seen the light im very busy and all because i gained the right skills for promoting my business.

[invicta]

too much is right!! its the ad that gets the calls. I love yellow pages in fact I have committed to spending about 20 grand with them this year.

[lutonlocksmith]

i to advrtise on 118 118 and 118 247
i admitcall levels havent been great on averarige 3 calls each per mounth will not advertise with bt they treated me like****