Too many business owners and marketers know that Yellow Pages advertising has an incredible amount of potential… but they don’t know how to take advantage of it.
Fortunately, it’s a mystery that’s solved pretty easily once an advertiser knows where to turn for advice. There are fundamental truths about Yellow Page advertising that so many businesses fail to recognize, but once they do they find themselves “on top” of a medium with an incredible amount of business generating potential.
It’s a medium, that handled correctly, will generate new business month after month like clockwork. That said… let’s try to understand it a bit better, shall we?
1. Common Yellow Page advertising mistakes are simple to fix.
Very simple. You don’t have to be a graphic designer or marketing expert to drastically improve your ad either – you just need to know your customers.
You see, most Yellow Page ads make the very same mistakes… year after year …directory after directory …category after category. Some of the ads I see from professional design firms are riddled with the same mistakes too… the ad only looks much nicer.
That won’t cut it in the Yellow Pages. While a professionally designed ad can certainly help grab attention, there is no substitute for ad content (read: words) if your goal is to generate a phone call. And when it comes to Yellow Pages advertising, that’s all that really matters.
By learning what makes a good headline, good body copy, and how to develop a strong offer your Yellow Pages ad will run circles around an ad that just “looks great,” but makes the same mistakes most others are making.
An example? Using your name and logo as the headline. It’s disastrous and yet more advertisers do it than not. No one cares what you call yourself until they’ve decided to pick up the phone and actually call you. Your company name does not win you business.
So if your name and logo is at the top of your ad… it it’s big and bold and takes up space… if it takes the place of an attention grabbing, hard-hitting headline… you’ve made a big mistake.
Of course, like most common mistakes, it’s a pretty easy mistake to fix. (No design skills necessary, right?) You just need to know what makes a good headline. That’s beyond the scope of this article, but you’ll find a resource at the end of this article that will pick up where this leaves off.
First, here’s fundamental truth number 2…
2. Most Yellow Page ads are developed by the directory publisher.
That’s right – the directory itself develops most of the ads you see. What happens if they design your ad and 4 of your competitors’ ads? Can you expect your Yellow Page ad to receive more time and attention than another? Can you expect it to be any better or stand out more?
When it comes to Yellow Pages advertising those that know how to set themselves apart from the pack fare well. Nice design might get you noticed, but good ad copy grabs attention like a magnet and doesn’t let it go.
Don’t just hand the reins to someone else and let them develop your ad for you. Learn what it takes to generate response and play a role in developing that winning ad for your business.
Because no one knows what makes your customers “tick” like you do.
3. Yellow Pages Advertising is different from just about EVERY other medium you use.
You might want to re-read that.
Yellow Pages advertising is different because people see your ad when they are ready to buy.
This is huge! Almost every Yellow Page ad I see takes the approach: “This is who I am and this is what I offer.”
Guess what – that’s dead wrong!
All that matters in Yellow Page advertising are “the reasons someone should choose you over your competition.” Telling them what you offer does no good. They know what you offer. They’re looking at your ad because their tooth hurts and they turned to the Dentist category. Focus on “why, with all of these options, they should choose you!”
Reasons a prospect should choose you are called “benefits” and they’re the driving force behind an ad that works.
Ads that focus on features… things like brand names and bulleted lists of what’s offered, for example, don’g give a prospect an incentive to choose your business.
Your prospects are a skeptical bunch. Make contacting you and giving your business a shot more risk-free, easier, faster, a better value – and finally, make them an offer (known as a call to action) they can’t refuse.
When done correctly this will give any business a tremendous edge over the competition.
Alan Saltz, the author, graduated with honors from Wharton – the top
business school in the United States. He’s now the President of Guaranteed
Marketing, Inc. As a Professional Yellow Pages Consultant and Direct
Marketing Coach, he designs and critiques ads for business owners all over
the world. He also reveals the secrets of high response Yellow Pages
advertising through his website. For more information visit:
http://www.YellowPagesProfit.com
