Advertising Information

Is Your Yellow Pages Ad Putting Cash in Your Pocket... or Sucking Cash Out?


Any idea? It's a question that more than a few Yellow Page advertisers ponder. If you are currently spending money every month to run an ad in your local directory, you don't want to wrestle with that question. You want to know that your investment is generating a consistent flow of new clients to your business. So what can you do to maximize returns and stop worrying?

First of all, know this-Yellow Pages Advertising has incredible potential. As a business owner, you have few other ways to reach prospects who are as targeted, and ready to buy as these. But naturally? your success depends on the quality of your ad. And when it comes to ad content, far too many advertisers are quite simply? lost.

"The red-hot commodity of the Information Age? Why that would be the Yellow Pages? It's like shooting fish in a barrel."
Fortune July, 2003

There are few places to turn. It makes for an unpleasant situation for the honest businessperson trying to harness the tremendous potential of such a perfectly targeted medium. And so, most advertisers rely on the Yellow Pages design department, who, as it turns out, develop most of the ads in their directory.

It's hard to differentiate your company if that's the case, don't you think?

That situation doesn't need to be one that you find yourself in. While many advertisers fail to develop an ad that draws a strong response, it's not especially difficult to do. In fact, the basic mistakes that "riddle" just about every subject heading provide a fantastic opportunity for the business owner that does his homework. If you're reading this article, you're doing your homework.

"How come we still have the Yellow Pages? They Work. You don't go to the Yellow Pages and look up pizza unless you're planning to order pizza."
Fortune July, 2003

What Yellow Page success boils down to is ad content. Not color. Not professional design. Sure, those things matter too; but they are nowhere near as important as the words you use to fill your ad. People turning to the Yellow Pages have already determined that they need you. They just need to know whether they should call company A, B, or C.

Their choice doesn't depend so much on color or design, as it depends on what you offer that your competitors don't" the policies you hold yourself to that give consumers faith in you and your business.

Here is a point you need to understand? Listing the brand names you carry and the "laundry list" of products or services you offer don't build credibility. They don't set you apart from your competitors who offer the same thing!

Plenty of other things do. And chances are you embrace those policies and those hassle, and risk removing, motivators already. You probably do quite a bit for your clients that make their lives easier, more lucrative, more pleasant, and so on. You probably have credibility boosters that you've never considered including.

And that is because you may not realize the power they have in motivating an eager prospect to act. Iron-clad guarantees? customer testimonials? rock-solid offers for new customers? a headline that goes well beyond your logo and company name; these are things that work wonders in a targeted, ready-to-buy medium such as the Yellow Pages.

Since so many of your competitors are focusing on their company name and their laundry list of products and services, the copy points above will differentiate you! They give you the credibility that your competition likely lacks, and they make a strong case for many a prospect to choose you with confidence. That's what the Yellow Pages are all about, right?!

About The Author

Alan Saltz, the author, teaches Yellow Pages Advertisers how to boost their response and return on investment, using simple, but extremely effective techniques. To learn more about how to improve your own Yellow Pages ad, visit: http://www.YellowPagesProfit.com.

alan@YellowPagesProfit.com


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

BBC News

Google, Zen Master of the Market
New York Times, United States - 56 minutes ago
That helps explain why Microsoft has struggled to catch up with Google in the rich new market for Internet search advertising. Google?s huge, widening lead ...
Cloud Computing Expo - Microsoft, Google & Virtualization SYS-CON Media
Why Microsoft will win Yahoo CNNMoney.com
The Case Against Google-Yahoo BusinessWeek
VNUNet.com - San Jose Mercury News
all 242 news articles


On advertising All things bright and 'bootiful'?
guardian.co.uk, UK - 46 minutes ago
But actually, sometimes advertising is the last thing a dying brand needs - it can do little to help, unless the brand has already begun to help itself. ...


Claire Beale on Advertising
Independent, UK - 52 minutes ago
They know advertising is about persuasion, about a commercial transaction where the information/entertainment/stimulation provided by an ad is (hopefully) ...


Telecoms operators raise the stakes in advertising market
Business Daily Africa, Kenya - 8 hours ago
Celtel?s advertising budget is expected to cross the one billion shilling mark this year from Sh660 million last year. July 7, 2008: The battle for ...


Press the panic button
guardian.co.uk, UK - 46 minutes ago
Chris Tryhorn and Mark Sweney report Advertising is often described as the canary in the economic coal mine, an early warning of bleak times ahead. ...


Niue: An Advertising Free Country
Scoop.co.nz, New Zealand - 3 hours ago
By Jeremy Rose The small Pacific nation's one television and one radio station are both ad free and advertising billboards are conspicuous by their absence. ...


Stephen Glover on The Press
Independent, UK - 52 minutes ago
Then there is a new wave of panic as national newspaper advertising, often a lead indicator for an economic recession, begins to contract quite sharply. ...
Raymond Snoddy on Broadcasting Independent
all 2 news articles


Barrett Richards Advertising is Pleased to Announce the Addition ...
PR-CANADA.net (press release), Montenegro - 9 hours ago
For more information about Colorado Case Company, visit www.ColoradoCaseCompany.com. For more information about Barrett Richards Advertising, visit www. ...


TV companies work hard at targeting their audiences
The Australian, Australia - 9 hours ago
So like Project Canoe, MCN is also investigating numerous forms of addressable advertising. Globally, targeted advertising is being driven by subscription ...


Advertising in race works best if you take your time
Augusta Chronicle, GA - 18 hours ago
By Bill Kirby | Columnist Another great Atlanta Peachtree Road Race is over, and once again I have spread the news for a local cause, proudly displaying my ...

Advertising - Google News

home | site map
© 2007