Directory users are ready to buy
Yellow Pages have a major advantage over all other forms of
advertising. It”s used precisely when people have decided to
buy. They open the directory to check out options and
sources. The directory doesn”t create their desire, but
assists in finding the products and services they want.
A typical telephone directory has 18,000 display ads – a
recipe for sensory overload. Even within any category,
readers encounter page after page of look-alikes, all jammed
together. So it”s easy for advertisers to get overlooked.
Catching the reader”s attention is tough – unless your ad
differs from the others in ways that matter to readers. Find
out how to get more mileage from your ad at
http://www.yellowpagesage.com a smarter way to attract
Yellow Page customers.
The ideal Yellow Page ad provides the answers readers want
to find
A great ad provides the connection between what buyers
expect to learn before buying AND what your particular
business offers. The more precisely a business understands
its customers” frame of mind, the better it anticipates and
answers their questions. It can provide specifics, instead
of the general phrases appearing in every competitors” ads.
Avoid these common reasons why directory ads fail, so you
get more mileage from your ad dollars. And a higher
percentage of callers and sales.
1. Fails to provide the information directory users want
Information trumps images and expensive extras, like color.
Readers are looking for specific answers. Use your ad space
delivering them. Words provide persuasion”s heavy lifting.
If your message applies equally to the other ads around
yours, you haven”t sharpened it enough. Keep honing the copy
until it embodies why people prefer YOU.
2. Fades into background – doesn”t get noticed
While larger ads can be overlooked, smaller ads have to work
harder for the same shot at being noticed. Overlooked ads
cost just as much as chosen ones. The solution isn”t about
changing the size, but focusing the words to match what
readers want to know. It comes down to saying something
unique and relevant to them.
3. Treats the business name or logo like a benefit
It isn”t. That”s probably the least relevant information, as
far as directory users are concerned. Yellow Pages aren”t
the way to build name recognition. But if you”ve already
developed name recognition in other ways, you have a major
chance of getting called.
4. Inconvenient business location
Half of all users scan for location before actually reading
the ads” information. They only pay attention to businesses
that are convenient (within driving distance) and easy to
find. (That distance varies depending on the product or
service.) So make sure your location is prominent and
findable (maybe a map). Or compensate for an undesirable
location with house calls or free delivery.
5. Expects more than an ad could possibly deliver
This problem isn”t about the ad, but the advertiser”s frame
of mind. There”s too much hype and biased statistics about
what the directory can deliver. New businesses, especially,
have unrealistic expectations. The longer a business is in
operation, the less impact their listing has upon drawing
new business.
6. Treats the Yellow Pages like a stand-alone marketing
method
It works best for getting new customers, to capture the
“undecideds.” But relying on mostly new business is an
inefficient way to operate. An enterprise also needs repeat
customers and referrals to balance out the high financial
and effort costs necessary to keep attracting new ones.
Therefore, a business needs a variety of strategies to keep,
as well as find, buyers.
7. Trusts ad size and placement to do the work
Industry statistics show that larger ads and those toward
the front of the category get more calls. But that over
simplifies what makes people choose a particular ad. If an
ad doesn”t fit the reader”s preferences or match what
they”re looking for, it will be passed by (whatever its
size).
8. Looks like the rest
Too bad if your ad doesn”t capture the eye in the two
seconds it passed by – then landed somewhere else. That”s
all the attention most ads get. Look-alike ads were probably
done for free by directory employees. They follow
standardized guidelines and templates without much
variation. And they don”t have a clue about what”s special
about your operation. That”s not the best way to go.
9. Fails to track the calls so you know why people call
No getting around it, if you don”t keep track of customers
you can”t tell how they find you. Or what”s working (or
not). Logging the source of new business shows how much
credit to give to the Yellow Pages (or other marketing
efforts).
10. Callers can”t get information they want
That ad did its job fine. But the customer still got away
because the call wasn”t answered or desired information
wasn”t forthcoming. Fielding calls effectively is crucial
because unsatisfied callers just call the next ad.
Develop a strategy that covers all your bases
An attention-grabbing Yellow Page ad doesn”t just happen.
The business needs to back it up with additional promotion
to get more than their share of calls. But when the
directory works together with other marketing effort, they
all do better.
?2004, Lynella Grant
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