123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 Since this IS a directive medium, you can(and should)load up your ad with everything you want to say about your capabilities and services --and people will read literally EVERY word. Because for the most part, they've already decided to buy, and your Yellow Pages ad is your best possible opportunity to get them to call you so you can CLOSE the sale!
What should go into your ad -the RASCIL factors
People are influenced in their Yellow Pages calling (and buying) decisions by several factors:
Reliability
Authorization
Security
Completeness of Service
Illustrations
Location
Let's take each point, one at a time, starting with RELIABILITY. Key phrases you should use in your ad include: * Your XX years of experience * Are you a member of a professional association? Say so. * Satisfaction guaranteed or any other guarantees you offer
AUTHORIZATION
* Authorized sales/service for name brand manufacturers? Say so.
SECURITY
* Do you store goods in a safe? * Are you insured, bonded?
* Is your work done on-premises?
COMPLETENESS OF SERVICE
* Do you have the latest and best equipment * Do you offer multiple lines of goods for best selection? * Free pickup and delivery?
* Free estimates and initial consultation? * List your hours!("Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 - 5:30" or whatever. Be accessible!)
* All the services you provide * Your phone number. This should be the largest component in your ad.
ILLUSTRATION
* Use your logo; a silhouette of something relevant to your business; a photo or drawing of your store, your truck. the logo of a professional association to which you belong; even the Visa/Master Card logos, if you take bankcards. Something to catch the reader's eye quickly.
LOCATION
* Your address! (Tricky if you work out of your home, but if you don't include an address you tend to look pretty "fly-by-night..." so at the very least, use a P.O. Box number.) If your address is hard to find and you depend
on walk-in business, give them a reference. "One block south of City Hall," or "Just north of Quincy Street off US-131."
The extras that will help your ad pull even better...
There are two things that will help your hard-working ad work even harder. The first is using a second color in your ad. I know it costs you more, but adding a color improves
readership by a factor of THREE TIMES.
The second thing is something that won't cost you extra. Do something with your ad border. Don't just have the Yellow Pages ad production people run a thin line around the ad. If you're selling boats, use a drawing of a rope. A film company? Make it look like film perforations. You can even incorporate your artwork into it the design. The trick is
to make the ad as eye-catching as possible. Ask your yellow pages sales rep for help in design, and even in writing --as long as you remember the sure-selling phrases that we've already discussed.
Business listings & other fine print.
Your Yellow Pages rep(s) will no doubt ask you about your listing in the "business white pages." This is the section of the regular phone book that carries business names and numbers, of course. If you can afford it, I strongly recommend you "buy up" to a bold faced listing at the minimum; and
buy a bold-faced color listing if you can. In most cases, people use these listings because they already know your name and just can't remember your number. Secondly, bold and colored print significantly improves the visibility of your name
and number. Keep in mind that 70 percent of the population is visually impaired to some degree. For them, small print
is hard to read. Make it easy for everyone to find you!
Some final thoughts for Yellow Pages success:
When you have finalized your new Yellow Pages ad and if your rep is going to have the ad put together for you, request a proof. You will be sent a copy of the ad for approval before it runs in the book. Check it carefully for mistakes. If you find any, correct them and contact your rep to make sure changes are made. If for some reason there's something messed up with the ad AFTER it's been printed and the Yellow Pages directories have been distributed, contact your rep immediately. This will help defuse any anger that might possibly build up
over the year your ad will be running with a mistake in it. (And believe me, it will). Secondly, if the mistake is a serious one (wrong phone number, wrong address), you may be able to get a payment adjustment.
For more insider tricks and techniques on how to get returns of 500 percent or better on your yellow pages ads, visit http://www.yellowpagespower.com or email the author. mailto:syankee@opinmarketing.com
Written by: Steve Yankee
