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project 03 :: Internet Marketing :: Advertising and PR 01
3 Things Every Yellow Pages Advertiser Needs to Know
Hitting the big time with marketing affiliate programs, or marketing in
general, is subject to on lots of features; the article you settle on
to push, the mode of advertising you apply, the extent of your
advertising budget, etc. One item in particular has existed since the
birth of the internet. It has earlier, and still is accumulating large
sums of money for scores of web workers. The product I am talking about
is information. All over this site you will locate an array of data on
affiliate marketing programs, marketing, building great web sites,
advertising and a great deal more. Enjoy!
Too many business owners and
marketers know that Yellow Pages advertising has an incredible amount
of potential… but they don’t quite know how to take advantage of it.
Fortunately, it’s a mystery that’s solved pretty 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 stand to capitalize on a sizeable
reward. 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 mistakes
too.
Of course they may look nicer... but 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… if 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.
Next, 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.
That’s a pretty unfortunate scenario if you think about it. What
happens if they design your ad and 4 of your competitors’ ads? Whose ad
stands out? Who gets the best ad content and the most original headline?
That’s not a risk you’ll want to take.
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 good ad copy 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.
Your design department will be happy to design your ad free of charge, but make sure you play an active role in developing the content. Because no one knows what makes your customers “tick” like 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. This
is huge! 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 Pages Advertising are “the reasons
someone should choose you over your competition.” Telling them what you
offer does no 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”
and you’ll be doing what so many advertisers before you have failed to
include.
That is the information your prospects looked in the Yellow Pages
to uncover. Give it to them. Give them a reason to pick up the phone
and know you’ll provide them with something different… something
better.
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 usiness a tremendous edge
over the competition.
Care to learn a little more?
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
We hope you found the information on this page useful and will return often to browse
the many articles throughout our site. We will be adding new material on an ongoing
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