How To Turn Yellow Pages Ads Into Pure Gold
As a veteran Yellow Pages rep, I've counseled small businesses and mid sized companies regarding their advertising for years. I get many calls from people who are recommended to me when they're starting up new businesses.
The question I hear most often about advertising is "What kind of advertising should I do; should I do Yellow Pages?" My answer is usually "Would you look for your business in a directory if you needed the product or service?" The responses are usually very interesting.
So I'll pose the same question to you in a different way. Can you say with confidence that most people would look for your product or service in a local directory? If you were a lawyer, plumber, or storage facility; that would be a definite YES. If you were a word processing or graphic design company, the chances would be a little more slender.
Look in your local directory and see who is listed in all your categories. Are there actual ads or just listings? What size are the ads? How competitive is the main heading? How many pages of ads and listings are there in the directory? If you are a new business in a market that depends heavily on Yellow Pages advertising, you'll have to join the club.
Here are 10 Golden Rules for digging gold out of Yellow Page advertising.
- Yellow Pages ads are all about service. The loudest part of your ad must scream how much service you offer to the consumer. It's all about the benefits. That means you need to know what problems your customers are looking to solve, and let them know that you know.
- Always include the human touch in display ads. You want to draw empathy with your customers. Don't push features to them connect benefits to your pictures.
- Use clear concise information and pretend that the customer has only 20 seconds to find out all about how you can solve their problem. Make it easy to read - leave plenty of white space for the eyes and the brain to absorb the information properly.
- Whenever possible, use bullets. Please remember that this is not the time to tell your whole story, just what is necessary for the customer to absorb the fact that you know what he or she needs and you can supply the solution.
- Don't forget that you must include the RASCIL components in your display ad. If you don't know what those are, you'll need to check with your directory rep or my other articles on Yellow Pages.
- Convince your prospects that you can provide complete service by featuring all of your products and service information in a clear concise format. Include your credentials, medals, honors, associations, ect.
- Don't let anyone tell you that your brand is the most prominent thing in Yellow Pages ads. The most prominent thing should be your main headline. Your main headline should always display your most important benefit to the reader. If you sell tires to truckers, then the biggest thing on you ad should let truckers know that you offer the "Safest, best rated, lowest priced, longest lasting tires for the hard working men and women on the road".
- Always position the value of your service or product over and above your price. You'll get a better response if you promote the value of your business first.
- Don't forget to include any licenses, accreditations or other information that is mandatory or standard for your industry.
- If you really want to make your ad do double duty, offer a free benefit if they go to your website. Perhaps a free e-book or report on how to solve their associated problem (not the specific problem you will be solving for them). They can learn more about your industry or get a free coupon. Let them sign up with their name and email address to receive their gift. You now have a prospect that you can send regular information to regarding the benefits of your service or products.
So there you have it. You now know how to craft a Yellow Page ad that will beat out your competitor as long as you keep a competitive size and stay as close to the front of your primary heading as possible. It makes no sense to pay for a display ad if you're on the 12th page of your heading. Most people find what they're looking for by the fourth page of the directory heading. If possible, place a smaller ad in your secondary headings to cover those who favor flipping past the larger display ads. Some segments of the population think that display ads mean expensive prices and you can't talk them out of their beliefs. Keep these ads simple and directed to the focus of the subhead.
Ok, I remind you of what the acronym RASCIL means:
Reliability - Display your street cred; your years of service, qualifications, medals ect.
Authorized Products and Services - The quality brands you serve or service.
Special Features/Safety and Protection Features - Open all night, senior discounts, ect.
Completeness of Lines and Services - List a complete roster of services, and benefits.
Illustration - A picture is worth a thousand words. Keep it human and show your brand.
Location and Area Served - A big readable phone number and address (if applicable).
That should hold you for awhile until your local representative shows up. One last thing; define your area of commerce. Don't buy more scope than your business service. If the majority of your business comes from a 15-mile radius, you really don't need to buy the entire state directory. Shop around. Remember to justify your investment with a Return on Investment spreadsheet and track your results.
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