| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Yellow Pages Ads - Buying Secrets
Yellow Pages Ads - Buying Secrets OK- let's agree that many businesses can benefit greatly from Yellow Pages advertising. Let's also agree that few businesses enjoy paying for this "necessary evil". So how do you decide if it is right for you, what books to use, how much to spend and how to build a successful program? It's really easy if you understand some basic concepts. Do you need yellow pages ads? How important is the telephone as a "door to your business"? Does a large percentage of your customer base call you before they buy? Is your business one that gets customers that are area newcomers (I don't know anyone), emergency buyers (I need someone now!), dissatisfied customers (I want a new supplier), infrequent buyers (I don't know now who can do this) or comparison shoppers (I want to check with everyone)? If so, then yellow pages are probably a good idea for your business. Do not ignore Internet yellow pages that may serve you better than, or support, a print ad. Both reach customers when they are ready to buy. White Pages Listings White Pages Listings are valuable for companies due to their convenience for people that know your company name and have decided to call only you. Finding you by name keeps your customers out of the yellow pages where they may be tempted by the ads of your competitors. Most directories offer white pages bold listings and sometimes even small in-column ads. If you're in business then you need white page listings - period. Which book is best? Determine the key criteria Possession, Preference and Usage. Every rep will have great statistics to show. However the local phone company is usually regulated by a State agency and is held to strict accuracy on claims. Additionally the YPA (Yellow Pages Association) is the industry association that provides validation on much of the industry facts and figures. Local market facts ad relevance so be certain to consider this over "industry figures". The local phone company book is almost always the best Value Purchase. Secondary books can be of benefit but your cost per customer may be much higher than the primary book. Consider the following: Book "A" ad costs $100 and Book "B" ad costs $50. Book "A" has 80% Possession, Preference and Usage AND Book "B" has 20% Possession, Preference and Usage. Book "A" could deliver 8 of 10 shoppers and Book "B" could deliver 2 of 10. So Book "A" customers cost you $12.50 each while Book "B" customers cost you $25.00 each. Thus the value is in the "more expensive" ad space. It's really about return on investment. Buy smart. And again, the Internet yellow pages are a distinct advantage that the phone companies have to offer. How much do I spend? In short, no more than you have to. Don't get caught up in being under every heading or buying a bigger ad every year. Look at your chosen directory, your headings and decide what it takes to be competitive enough to generate the amount of business that you need. If everyone has an in-column space listing then a small display ad is quite dominant. If you are a small business and a full page delivers more than you can handle then it is a waste of money. Inversely, if you buy an ad size that is too small then your call counts could be horrible. I refer to people with these ads as making a donation to the publisher. In every heading the people with the most prominent ads "love yellow pages" and those with tiny ads or only listings always complain, "I don't get any calls from the yellow pages". Have your rep explain in detail how their company prices ads. The large publishers typically have a set rate for each item and a formal marketing plan with discounts. Many of the independent books place you in the position of needing to be a master negotiator in order to get the same deal as the customer on their last sales call. If a rep can't clearly explain their pricing plan then be very cautious - they are probably misleading you and undoubtedly you will catch them bobbing and weaving as they try to explain how they arrived at their numbers. Hopefully you will have the same rep in subsequent years and trust will be established. Annual increases to your ad program may happen - publishing and distribution costs do increase. Although increases may be valid you may be able to minimize cost increases by understanding the pricing plan. Don't be afraid to ask questions and make absolutely positive that you understand what ad items that you are buying. Review your program items before you sign. How do I build a successful program? First, know that your rep is in front of you to sell advertising and may not be the best person at ad design. Reps receive minimal training on professional advertising design and they usually make a sales call shorter by quickly steering you into an ad designed as a box with your "name, rank and serial number". An ad should be eye catching and provide a compelling reason to call - offering a solution to the buyer. Yellow page users are ready to buy and are deciding on whom to call. Have an ad that presents you as The Credible Solution. Yellow page advertising is expensive only if you have an under performing ad design. When you consider the impact on your bottom line (the revenue and the expense) it may be worth it to get an outside service to design a high impact ad that you can use year after year. Always check with your ad agency to verify that you own the ad and will not have to pay annual royalty or licensing fees to use the ad in subsequent years or in multiple books. Agency costs for ad design vary greatly so shop around. Expensive ad designs may not reflect a higher quality nearly as much as they reflect higher profits for the egocentric design firms. A good ad of most any size can be done for $300-$500. In any event, remember that companies would not advertise in yellow pages if it did not work - try it out! Get Real Services of Marietta, Georgia, specializes in small business consulting, marketing services, advertising, logo and website design. The Company provides products and services for small to mid-sized businesses in the United States. For more information on working with yellow pages or yellow pages ad design please contact the company at 770.654.3223, send an e-mail to GetRealServices@bellsouth.net or visit http://www.GetRealServices.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Business Cards: Why Waste Valuable Space? So many business people neglect this valuable asset that may be used for a multitude of messages.Don't fall for the trap of supplying a "scribbler" for others that virtually guarantees your card will be in the "round file" sooner rather than later. Juice - Scam of the Decade or Opportunity of the Century If you are an ardent web surfer and MLMer like I am, then I am sure you would have seen the sales pitch "Give away free broadband and earn £27 GBP each time". Depending on which side of the fence you are, this product is either God's gift to freebies enthusiasts, MLMers and all paying ISP subscribers or it is the biggest scam yet, bar none. 10 Tips to Use Giveaways Effectively Walk around any trade or consumer show and you will be able to collect a bag full of advertising specialties, or giveaway items all designed to promote. But look a little more closely. Testing Headlines A correspondent to AdBriefing, my monthly newsletter, has posed a very sticky question. How, she asks, can you tell whether a headline you have written is a good one?or not? What she means by this, I imagine, is whether the headline will actually help to make sales, rather than just act as a passing amusement to its readers. Online Classifieds Choosing a Classified Website and creating your advertisements.The internet has opened a vast number of doors for people to market their products and services. The Art Of Fear Free Advertising Is fear of failure an issue when you commit valuable money in advertising?Well how about if I showed you a way to remove this fear and you know that you would be able to spend money advertising KNOWING you would get a return?Is that a valuable lesson?Course it is!So, how do you do it?The answer is testing!It's simple really.. For All Those People Who Struggle With Benefits and Features For Everyone Who Has Ever Struggled Sorting Out Benefits From Features - "SWAT Them!"SWAT is not actually an acronym. It is a compaction of the question "so what?"You see, one of the biggest problems that even experienced copywriters and marketers fall into is being clear on what benefits their product or service actually delivers to their customers. How Do People Know Youre in Business? One of the most important things to do now that you've started a business is to TELL THE WORLD! But HOW? It can be very expensive and time consuming if not done properly. Here's some inexpensive publicity and marketing ideas to help you get recognition for your new venture. The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU a Underemployed, Unemployed, or Industrial Age IndividualAllow me to educate you on the issue of job security and paint you a picture of what the aftermath can be if you remain comfortable at your regular job. Job security is an old-fashioned term that claims the longer an employee worked for a particular company, the more precious that person became. Fax Advertising : Hitting Your Target Immediately In the business of marketing and advertising, it used to be that companies that wanted to get the word out quickly to key customers on a new development would rely on email with follow-up phone calls. But with the new technologies available in fax broadcasting, fax advertising has taken over as the advertising medium of choice when it comes to contacting your customers at the speed of light. Super Secret Tip For Using PPC Search Engine Advertising Successfully It's not about traffic; it's about generating leads. That's right. Grab Your Share of Untold Amounts of Advertising Dollars If you advertise in any way, the following information could show you how to find and utilize untold advertising dollars you may not be aware of.In the mid 80's I was an account executive for a radio station located in Santa Rosa, California. 5 Reasons Why Headlines Are Crucial To Your Website's Success Without a powerful headline, your message stands little chance of being noticed in an increasingly competitive marketplace. If your headline doesn't capture attention and pull prospects into your sales copy, than your marketing effort is a total waste of energy and resources. Cinema Advertising is Big Business, So Mergers are a Natural Cinema advertising has always been an effective marketing tool for some advertisers, while for others they have yet to see the benefit of this unique form of media. When an advertiser hears the term "Cinema Advertising" automatically they think the slide that is shown on the big screen with the soothing music played in the background. Small Business Image The single easiest way to increase sales is to look professional. People believe what they see. Wheres Me Pot of Gold and Lucky Charms? We already know this from our history books. If you want to make money today, you must first look back in time to the first time in history that a large portion of our country all tried to get rich at the same time in the same place. If You Want To Get More Customers, Heres 10 Powerful Stories To Improve Your Ads Remember, as a child lying in bed and listening to stories. Remember how engaged you were. Forgot The Ad Budget? Dont Panic! Bob is excited about his new business. He secured funding. What Do Your Ads Say? Make a list of everything you think should be included at one time or another, in one of your ad, be it radio, newspaper or Little Jimmie's class play program.Everything. Unlock The Power Of Online Groups Yahoo Groups: I see countless marketers on shoestring budges turn to traffic exchanges for free traffic. If they would spend the time creating online groups rather than clicking for traffic they would see much more quality traffic.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
