With three days behind you and a thorough dissecting of your Yellow Page ad, you should be happy with the results. But not so fast. Sure, you're looked at the headline, sub-head, and picture, but what about the meat and potatoes? That would be the text itself. Did you spend more than a minute writing it? Does it tell the entire feature and benefit story? Well it should. It must give the consumer the details on what you have to offer.
Whether you are a service or retail company, there are things you have that makes you better than everyone else. And this is the ideal place to tell your story. Now, you may be limited on space by ad size, so, in that case, pick the top few. Perhaps you have a great location with free parking, terrific warranty, brand names, after-hours service, you can handle walk-ins, emergencies, or have certified technicians. Brag a little and don't be shy,
By now, through the headline and text, you should have answered all the "who, what, where, why, and how" questions. Or least be leading up to them. Some are just your name, address, and phone number. But the reason people will choose you is contained within the bulleted or otherwise listed, descriptors of what you do and how you do it. They should be short and to the point. They can even be in a simple format like: "Who are we? We are one of the largest tire dealers in Omaha. Why are we better? Because we have the longest warranty." And so forth. Leave the location for last. If you have a tiny ad and really no space left, go for the one thing that is the most telling. Like "Home of the No-Questions-Asked Guarantee!"
Regardless, it is the fourth day and fourth element to consider, when creating your ad. It's your job to make it a success. Speaking of success, you may want to learn about all the other vital elements to your ad. Right about now, you also might also be asking yourself how I know so much about directory advertising.
Well, I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I've been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have experience in creating ads and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective ones. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in essentials areas like the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must also understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.
So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. If you want to more detailed instruction on all the inside secrets to better YP marketing, then please visit my website listed below.
Jeffrey Hauser's latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages," which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site. |
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