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Advertising Resource Center |
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3 Things Every Yellow Pages Advertiser Needs to Know
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.
MORE RESOURCES: Improving conditions have decreased corporate bankruptcies, but filings will continue in high-debt industries like real estate and media India's unexpected interest rate boost spurred speculation withdrawals of economic stimulus will curtail global growth India’s central bank will probably raise interest rates again next month as the first increase in two years is only the initial step in the battle against inflation, BNP Paribas SA and Standard Chartered Plc said. Wall Street analysts give their buy, sell, or hold views on 10 stocks in the news this week Crude oil tumbled the most in three weeks as the dollar strengthened against the euro, curbing the appeal of commodities as an alternative investment. The Fed must disclose documents identifying financial firms that might have collapsed without the largest U.S. government bailout ever, a federal appeals court said A House committee requested that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke turn over documents related to Stephen Friedman’s purchase of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. shares while he was on the boards of both the Wall Street firm and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. India’s central bank will probably raise interest rates again next month as the first increase in two years is only the initial step in the battle against inflation, BNP Paribas SA and Standard Chartered Plc said. Advanta Bank Corp., owned by the bankrupt credit-card issuer, was shut by regulators along with three lenders in Georgia as the number of failed banks this year climbed to 37. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. gave Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein $9.8 million in total compensation for 2009, the firm said in a regulatory filing. The Federal Reserve Board removed an exemption it had given to six banks at the start of the crisis in 2007 aimed at boosting liquidity in financing markets for securities backed by mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Wall Street analyst opinions on stocks making headlines in Friday's market Investing pros tell Bloomberg BusinessWeek where they're finding opportunities in the sector now What Wall Street economists and strategists had to say about key developments on Mar. 17 A recovering economy means U.S. companies can afford to increase their payouts to shareholders—and that's boosting the appeal of dividend-paying stocks The Federal Reserve is holding out for additional evidence of a self-sustaining recovery before it takes more aggressive action Sen. Judd Gregg, (R-N.H.) talks with Bloomberg's Susan Li about the U.S. government's efforts to overhaul the financial industry |
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