Understand Yellow Pages Ads Before You Buy
Yellow pages advertising is like no other kind of advertising. When people look at your yellow pages ad, they most likely already know what product they're interested in. The main purpose of your ad isn't to convince them to buy a product. Your goal is to convince them to buy the product from your company.
Plan Your Ad
If you've read any other sections of this web site, you know by now that I'm a planning proponent. The end result of any advertising effort is so much better if you've taken the time to think through the contents of your ad. If you just start throwing elements together, your end product will show it. To start your yellow pages ad, write down the following:
- Your target audience and Unique Selling Proposition. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, visit the
marketing plan
section of this site.)
- Benefits you're offering the customer.
- Products and services.
- One sentence description of your type of business. For example: Cleaning experts serving the Ashton area.
- Contact information such as phone number, email, web site and fax.
- Office locations with a map if you're hard to find.
- Hours of operation if applicable.
- Forms of payment you accept.
- Any other information to influence a buying decision -- such as years in business.
You now have possible content for your directory ad. Notice I say possible. As a small business, you may have to sacrifice some ad size due to cost. If that's the case, you'll have to use only the very most important information, such as phone number and location. You might imply the benefit to your target audience in the ad headline, but you might not have space for a full explanation of benefits.
Buy Yellow Pages Advertising
Buying yellow pages advertising once a year tops my list of those job duties I dread. The reason? Directory sales reps have been some of the most skilled at convincing me to buy more than I intended. If they still confuse me, I can only imagine how they must confuse someone with less experience.
To arm yourself, keep these tips in mind:
- Yellow pages reps usually quote the cost of ad space in terms of dollars per day, week or month. When they do this, it can sound very inexpensive. Ask them what your cost commitment is for the year. Remember, with yellow pages ads, you're locked in for a year, so be certain of what you're agreeing to pay!
- Keep in mind that you don't have to buy anything to be in the phone book. A basic one-line listing comes with your business telephone service.
- If you choose to, you can upgrade your basic listing so it stands out more, without having to buy a full display ad. For example, you might pay to simply make your listing bold. Or you could pay for your listing to be boxed within the basic listings column. You might even add a logo within the boxed listing.
- If you're a new company, and want a display ad, go light the first year. Place one ad under your main category. If it works, consider a larger ad or going under multiple categories the following year. Get some experience with yellow pages advertising before you go all out.
- Research shows color ads don't necessarily generate greater response than black and white. In fact, depending on what business you're in, placing a full-page, color ad can actually send the message that you have higher prices.
- Placement of yellow pages ads is by seniority. They're placed biggest to smallest. If the ads are the same size, the person who has had the ad the longest is placed first. It may not matter who is first though. How many people are going to start at the beginning of the listing and take the first company they see? Really consider whether the additional cost of placing a full page ad in order to be first is worth it.
Design Your Display Ad
So you've decided to run a display ad. This is a year-long commitment, so it has to look good! How do you design an effective ad? You have several options.
- Whatever you do, don't hand the rep a business card and say "run it." Remember, a yellow pages ad is meant to convince the reader to pick your company. If your ad, no matter how small it is, lacks professionalism you'll probably lose out to the competition.
- If you don't have graphic design skills yourself, hire a
freelancer.
As I've suggested elsewhere in this web site, check into hiring a graphic design student from a local university. Another option is to let the yellow pages people design your ad. I've taken this approach before, with pretty decent results.
- Before you sign off on your ad, proofread and have someone else proofread. You'll be stuck with any mistakes for a year.
Some advertisiers feel paying anything beyond your free listing is a waste of money. Others feel you've made a major marketing mistake if you haven't invested time and money to make your listing stand out.
I believe yellow pages advertising (no matter how aggravating it is) is important to a business. When a person looks for a provider of a certain product or service, where do they usually go? When a newcomer to an area looks for a certain service, where do they typically go? The yellow pages. If your competitors are there, and you aren't, you're losing business.
