1. The size of your ad depends on 3 factors: your budget, your competition and your current staffing situation. If other advertisers under your heading all have simple listings or small ads, consider the possibility that the public is not going to the yellow pages to find your product or service. However, if your heading is dominated by large ads, you should consider doing the same if you want to compete. Research confirms that most yellow page users choose larger ads. If your budget cannot support the investment of a large ad, consider buying the largest ad you can afford and fill it with ad copy or keep a minimal yellow pages presence and put your money in some other advertising media. Lastly, even if you have the budget for a large ad, it will do you no good if your office is not staffed with personnel to answer the phone.
2. Color in your ad will attract more attention - only if it appears on a page in which all or most of the other ads are black. Of course, the yellow pages cannot guarantee placement, so your investment in color may not be as effective. You're better off using that money for a larger ad or some other advertising medium.
3. Ad copy is probably the most important element to a successful yellow pages ad. When the public goes to the yellow pages to search for a company to fulfill their needs, they are serious buyers and are in the latter stages of the buying cycle. Think of the questions people are asking when they call and tailor your ad to answer them. Don't worry about cluttering up your ad with copy - this may prevent the prospect from moving on to the next ad.
4. Avoid having the yellow pages design your ad. The designers at the yellow pages do an adequate job; however, they have three shortcomings: they know nothing about your business and could care less about it, and they design many ads each day and this may result in most of the ads looking the same. For about the cost of one month's yellow pages ad, hire a professional to create your ad. You'll get professional advice and someone who will work with you and find out about your business and your goals. The result will be an ad that incorporates that information with knowledge and experience of advertising.
5. Make sure you track your results. Your staff needs to be familiar with the ad and its copy. That way they know what questions to expect from callers and how to answer them. Train them to ask callers where they got your phone number or, if you expect walk-in business, ask them why they stopped by.
A Tradesmans Guide To (At Least) Doubling Your Yellow Pages Advertising Why do most tradesmen get upset with the results of the yellow pages advertising? Even though A Lot Of us bitch and groan about the results of our yellow pages advertising the fact is that is still remains one of the most effective forms of advertising available today. So why is it that most tradesmen get such poor results when they place an ad. The reason is simple, most of you I have not had one day of training in the form of sales and marketing. How can you be expected to achieve great results when you haven't been taught how to construct an ad. So today I am going to give you some simple steps to create a great ad. The latest gossip According to our association, approximately 50% of our clients are not happy with their current tradesman.! In one way this is a good thing. It means that people are constantly looking for a tradesman that will doing a great job for them. This is why you need to learn and develop your skills in writing A good Ad. Get Their Attention! When people are browsing through the yellow pages, you must grab their attention. The only way to do that is with a powerful headline. You must grab their attention by hitting their hot buttons. Don't put your standard name and address as your main feature. You must write you about something that is addressing their urgent need. Examples Of Poor Headlines John's Plumbing Action Plumbing Active Electrical
WHO CARES? I'm sorry but the only one your name is important to is you. You see what most people think about he is . Imagine if you put a headline at the top of your ad that actually solved someone's needs. Look at those for an example; Is your toilet overflowing? Is your room dark and and dingy? Are you selling your home and want to do simple renovations to dramatically increase its value? Now you can see these headlines will grab your attention if you are in need of brightening your room fixing-you toilet or doing cheap renovations.
Both Avery Manko & Ian Marsh are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Avery Manko has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Marketing and About Branding. Avery Manko is the owner of The Manko Company, a marketing firm in West Chester, PA. His firm develops and implements marketing programs for small and medium sized businesses. Contact him at 610-725-9844 or avery@mankocompany.com. For more about The Manko. Avery Manko's top article generates over 720 views. to your Favourites.
Ian Marsh has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing Mistake, Advertising Guide. www.tradesmanprofits.comIan Marshstreetsmarts@bigpond.com1800 723 199Build your own million dollar business within 24 months or less. Ian Marsh's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.