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So do me a favor right now…

Pull out your copy of the Yellow Pages and look up Auto Repair. What do you see? That is right, almost all of the ads are the same! Why is this I wonder? What would differentiate your business from the other businesses in your particular section of the Yellow Pages?

The reason that almost all ads are the same within a particular section of the Yellow Pages is that they are designed by the Yellow Pages company that produces the book or sells the advertising! There is no opportunity for market differentiation with the “cookie cutter” approach that most Yellow Pages advertising companies (the ones that sell the space) use in their approach when they position and place the ad…and speaking of positioning…could you be in a better spot so your ad stands out?

What about trust and credibility? Does your Yellow Pages advertising separate itself from the competition in these KEY areas?

Can you really say that your ad “separates” itself from the crowd? If the answer is no…then you need to rethink your marketing through the Yellow Pages, and quit wondering why you fork out $300 or more a month and get no results!

That is all from this month’s tip…keep tuning in…because we are just getting warmed up here!

Joe Ratliff
CEO who is tired of seeing businesses fail
JMR CopyWriting Services

Joseph Ratliff is a professional copywriter and author of the Profitable Business Edge Blog, a collection of business resources designed to improve profitability. You can contact Joe at 253-845-3384 or email him at info@perfectwebcopy.com today.

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When you read your Yellow Pages contract you will see initials for various items success as BLN, WBLN, WFL, and ABLN. Most of these items cost between $ 7 and $34. Do you ever ask your sales Rep “what the heck is this?” The reason you don’t ask is because the item only cost $ 30 dollars, and you had it last year, and you don’t want to appear stupid asking questions about $ 30.. The problem is that these unidentified items can add thousands of dollars to your advertising bill.

When you read your Yellow Pages contract ask the publisher’s sales Rep what all the initials are and why do you need them. In almost all cases you don’t need them because there is a cheaper or free version available.

White page listing (WBLN) - If you have a business phone you are entitled to a free listing of your business name, address and phone number in the White Pages and the Yellow Pages. You will be told that it’s much easier for your customer to read a bold listing (BLN) and it only cost $31 than the semi bold free listing. Unfortunately it is not $31 but $372. The $31 is for one month but the contract is for a year. It is very clever the way the publishers show all costs on your contract by the month instead of by the year, even though the contract is for a year. Ninety percent of all business name listings in the white pages are the free listings version and their customers seem to be able to find them. People read the white pages alphabetically and the bold print can actually be confusing.

White Feature Listing (WFL) - This is the super big print that you see in the white pages. A bold white page listing (WBLN) cost $31 a month while the super bold (WFL) listings cost $90 a month or $1080 for the year. Can you imagine paying $1080 for something that is free, yet thousands of businesses have WFL’s.

Anchor Bold Listing and Number (ABLN) - If you purchase a display ad you receive a free Incolumn listing in the same heading the display ad appears. You will be told that it’s much easier for the customer to read your name if it is bold. An anchor listing is the business name, address and phone number and where your ad is located (see our ad on page 456). The price of a bold anchor listing can ranges from $30 to $114 a month or you can get it for free (ARL). As my son would say Duuuh.

Buy the largest display ad -All advertisers are told that the largest display and will receive the most calls. However research shows that the ad that contains the most pertinent information that the consumer is looking for, in an easy-to-read format, will receive the most calls regardless of size. Spend your money on ad design and copywriting instead of Yellow Pages ad space and you can reduce your advertising costs by 50% or more.

Process color ads - The Yellow Pages sales Rep will bring in a sample ad for your business that looks like it’s straight out of Time magazine. Unfortunately a process color ad adds 40% to the cost over a black and yellow or spot color ad. There is no evidence in any study of Yellow Pages advertising that a process color ad increases customer calls.

Businesses that have followed my advice have been able to reduce their Yellow Pages costs by as much as 50%. Take charge of your yellow page program, and examine every item on your contract.

Never let the Yellow Pages publisher design your ad because they design all of your competitor’s ads. The best money you can spend in Yellow Pages advertising is for a professionally designed ad. Remember the best designed ad will get the most calls.

Michael Warner, known as Doctor Yellow Page to many yellow pages advertisers, has operated a successful Yellow Pages consulting and design company for over 20 years, and can be seen and contacted at http://www.doctoryellowpage.com The good Doctor offers a free evaluation of your Yellow Pages ads and contracts.

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Year after year the yellow pages are full of ineffective ads. Follow these sure-fire tips to better your response and get more for your advertising investment.

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.

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 Company, go to http://www.mankocompany.com

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