15 Tips for Better Yellow Page Ads

Yellow Pages advertising is one of the mostpopular forms of advertising in the country today.Almost every home in America (96.9%) and businesshas at least one copy of "the book".

Almost three out of five (58%) of all adults saythey check the Yellow Pages for a phone numberand/or address at least once per week, with 77%using the book monthly.

While the Yellow Pages are an excellent referencetool, they fare less well when considered as anadvertising medium.

Here are 15 ways to make their yellow pages moreeffective.

1 - People looking in the Yellow Pages are readyto buy right now. So the challenge is to make theprospect see your ad first.

2 - Don't sell them your type of product orservice, but sell them on the benefits of yourbusiness.

3 - Sell them why they should call you and nobodyelse.

4 - You don't need thick borders or extra costcolor, the yellow pages people offer that toeveryone. Look how many are on every page.

5 - The key to a sizzling Yellow Pages ad is tosell your services in print. It's about standingout by offering the solution to their problem in away that your competitors can't match. The key isthe headline.

6 - Put a headline on your ad that sells yourbenefits and assures the prospect will read yourad. If you have a hard hitting headline thatprojects a strong benefit and relates to the needsof your prospect, half the work is done. Someheadlines that help you do that include:

"How to xxxxx"

"6 reasons why ..."

"Before you xxxxx 6 factors to consider"

The rest of your ad should expand on the benefitsyou've presented in your headline and showspecific ways you'll help your prospect fulfilltheir needs.

7 - Finish by spelling out your instructions.Writing "Call us now on xxx xxxx" you'll get moreresponses than you would if you simply listed aphone number.

8 - Write like you talk Inject your personalityinto everything you write. No-one wants to readboring and stuffy legal-ease.

9 - Use short sentences and words. Use simplelanguage

10 - Use the word 'you'

11 - Avoid Bragging - Don't boast "biggest andbest". It turns people off, even if it is true.

12 - If you have a guarantee, spell it out. Aguarantee will make your credibility skyrocket

13 - Find a way to make the prospect an enticingoffer. Including an offer in your telephonedirectory ad will dramatically boost responses. Itgives your prospect a reason to call you ahead ofanyone else.

14 - Remember that every business (with a businesstelephone) will be in the yellow pages, free, inthe listings.

15 - The only thing color has been proven to do inYellow Pages advertising is increase the price youpay for the ad.

Remember, the Yellow Pages is generally areference tool. Design your ad accordingly

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights ReservedMike@BIGIdeasGroup.comBIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and SmallBusiness Consultant with over 30 years experience,http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

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