You have to look at it from the numbers. Yes, it's true the majority of yellow page users are at least 65 if not 70 and up. And it's true that listings are virtually worthless.
BUT, it's really inexpensive to have a large display ad these days, and guess what...the competition is almost zero there because all the shop owners are saying the same thing..."Nobody uses the yellow pages any more." So here's the thing, if it's only people that are say 70+, and you have no competition, then with the right ad, designed for THAT specific demographic, guess who's going to get those car owners looking for service? The way the yellow pages are selling ads now is usually in a bundle with their online programs, which can be very effective at driving traffic to your website. It makes the cost almost nothing to have a good size display ad in the phone book in some of those programs.
One of our oldest clients (25+ yrs) runs a full page ad under Auto Repair, and one under Transmission Repair, in four YP phone books in San Diego. Why would he do that if it didn't work, or give him a positive ROI? I can tell you why...the ads are tracked, and the numbers prove it.
Now this is a guy that has 3 locations, just getting ready to open a 4th. He's one of the most successful shop owners in the country. What does he know about branding and marketing that you don't? If your shop is doing healthy 7 figures than maybe you already have the branding and advertising formula down. If you you're not doing those kinds of numbers, maybe there's some things to learn that can help you get there.
A few of the ads are shown below. Notice the branding consistency, and the focus on the demographic. He gets calls from that older group every month, month in and month out.
So there ya have it. A different perspective. Hope it helps.
Robert Gould