Here’s my take on the yellow page ads. If you use one, make it a powerful marketing tool for your business. No, Virginia, I don’t work for the yellow page company!
Do you underestimate the marketing power of your yellow page ad? In this article I show you how to make an ad to double the phone calls to your business.
Why use the yellow pages?
Listen to this statistic. 60% of the people who use the yellow pages do not have a specific business in mind when they open the book. With the right yellow page ad, you can convert many of these prospects to customers. If that doesn’t move you, listen to four other reasons to reexamine your yellow page ad.
- Prospects who use the yellow pages are ready to buy
- 95% of your competitor’s ads are weak
- Yellow pages users want to do business locally
- Your ad allows you to compete with bigger businesses
With a properly constructed yellow page ad, you add another effective marketing tool to your business. You can unleash the power of a yellow page ad by applying the same principles used to construct an effective website. Let’s look at those principles.
What the purpose of your ad?
Bottom line, you want the yellow page ad to convince the reader to pick up the phone and call you. Your ad does not need to provide a total sales pitch. Do this when a customer calls you. The ad should get customers to pick up the phone and call.
Does the ad speak to the right customer?
The ad must speak to the right customer for your business. You start by listing the ad in the right section of the book. If you sell carpet, do you want to be listed under “carpet”? Or do you want to be listed under “flooring”?
What key words does your customer use to find your business in the yellow pages? (Does this sound strangely familiar to key words and search engines?)
Example
As a one man operation, Rick knew his furnace company could not do emergency furnace work. He did not have the manpower or the inventory to handle emergency situations.
His best customers are home owners whose furnaces are nearing the end of their life but with a tune up, could get one-two years of additional service. The tune up is his lead generator for replacement work in the future.
To speak to this specific group of customers, Rick used a yellow page headline, “Wondering if your furnace will make it through another Minnesota winter? Call me for a free assessment. You get straight answers to your furnace questions!”
What is your unique position in the market place?
What unique position do you take in your market place? How do you make the customers life better? When you express this difference, perceived or real, you give the reader a reason to call you.
Think about your own use of the yellow pages. When all the ads look alike, what do you do? You call and check prices. Price becomes the only way to distinguish the business!
When you allow your uniqueness to shine in your yellow page ad, you add huge power for the reader to call you.
What’s the most important part of your ad?
Don’t use your company name or logo for a heading! The reader isn’t interested in your name. 60% of the users don’t even know who you are!
Create a heading that offers a real benefit to the prospect. Use the heading to tell the prospect what he gets by using your business. Make the heading stand out because people scan the yellow pages. Studies show that where the eye stops, the sale begins.
Why should they call you?
Give the prospect a good reason to pick up the phone and call you. Do you have a special offer, special pricing, discounts, free premiums, guarantees, or other incentives to compel them to pick up the phone? People always want a deal!
Have your used testimonials?
Use testimonials to give more power to your yellow page ad. A short testimonial from a customer who has experienced the benefits you promised will give prospects more confidence to call your business.
Do you make it easy?
Tell the prospect what to do. Make it easy for him to call your phone number or find your business address. “Call us now at 651-222-2222.”
Conclusion
Today, give yourself a marketing education. Open the yellow page book and look at the ads in your business section. You will immediately see by following the principles we have explored, you can create an ad easily gets more people to pick up the phone to call you!
This article provided you a framework for improving the power of your yellow page ad. If you want a free report that focuses on tricks for actually constructing your ad, click this link,” My Yellow Page Ad “, , click the send button on the email and you will be sent your free report. And no Virginia, I don’t work for the yellow page company!
Copyright Al Hanzal, 2004. All Rights Reserved
Hanzal Enterprises, Inc.
4191 Granite Court
Eagan, Minnesota 55123
651-485-3340
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About The Author
Small business owners have been using Al Hanzal's materials to make for profits for their businesses.
al@hanzal.com
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This article was posted on March 25, 2005
