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3 Things Every Yellow Pages Advertiser Needs To Know |
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Written by Alan Saltz
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Most 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
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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 power.
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 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 website at the end 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 it often doesn't earn the phone call.
Good ad copy, on the other hand, 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.
A graphic designer knows graphic design, not plumbing, dentistry,
appliance sales, or whatever it is that 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.
A newspaper ad? That's a distraction. People are reading to get the news.
This is a huge difference! 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,
the brands you carry, and your business name does little 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!"
Your prospects are a skeptical bunch. Make contacting you and
giving your business a shot a risk-free, value-filled, proposition for
them - when done correctly this will give any business a tremendous
edge over the competition.
Care to learn a little more?
Alan Saltz, the author, teaches Yellow Pages Advertisers how to boost
their response and return on investment, using simple, but extremely
effective techniques. His website offers unbiased Yellow Pages
Advertising advice and tricks that anyone can implement.
For more information visit: http://YellowPageProfits.com
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