If your phone stopped ringing, would your business be in business?
issue? That is my usual response to entrepreneurs who
ask me if “give money to the Yellow Pages every
month” is still a wise investment. If customers don’t
they usually think about your service or product until they need it,
and much of their business is done over the phone, a
effective Yellow Pages ad design still rings in the
most local customers for the money. So how do you design?
for this unique medium? the next eight
guidelines will keep your phone dancing on your desk
with new business.
1) Choose the correct yellow page ad size, you will save a
Package.
Don’t worry about buying your way to the top position by
have the biggest yellow page ad in your header! Few
people call only the first (or largest) ads. Undecided
customers are still looking for the company, they can feel the
better, not the first company they come across.
directs Will respond to yellow page ad
design that HAS) Visually grab their attention
b) It engages them and convinces them with the ad copy that
He talks about his emotions. Ad size is not as important as
says your sales rep. In fact, appearing in the first third of
your headline is considered good positioning as long as
your ad in the yellow page is developed correctly.
2) Technicolor or black and yellow? put your money
Where it matters most.
If you’re considering expensive colors, spend your money on
design first, positioning second, and color last. correctly
designed, a single color yellow page ad will easily outperform a
largest full-color ad that is poorly designed and without
convincing copy. Bottom line? A bad ad in the Yellow Pages
get poor results regardless of color, size or position,
because these things have little to do with convincing
customer to call you!
3) Ignore Most Readers; embrace what matters most
Direct.
Well-targeted yellow page ad designs are more convincing
customers to call and do business with you.
Cast the widest net possible in an attempt to reach
everyone forces you to compete with everyone else in your
headline and dilute your message. What do you prefer
Convince 10% of the market 100% of the way to convert
customers, or reach 100% of the market and convince them
only 10% of the way? Talk to your most important
potential customers directly and they will respond by calling.
4) A masterfully crafted headline almost guarantees
Success.
If your headline fails (or worse, is missing), your ad will fail.
Crucial is an understatement. Make sure your title
featured prominently at the top of your yellow page ad
design and that fulfills these main functions:
- Catch readers’ eyes as they scan the page.
- Conveys your most important benefit (Unique Selling Proposition), differentiating you from your competitors in a meaningful way
- It strikes an emotional chord with the reader, compelling them to keep reading. Spend 60% of your design time developing your unique benefits-related headline. That’s how important it is! Do NO use your business name, logo or non-character copy. Your headline should set you apart from the crowd, show that you fully understand your prospect’s problem, and convince readers that you really care about helping them.
5) The persuasive body copy always touches your
hearts.
Once you’ve won the prospects attention with your prospect (and
image), you must turn your interest into trust
with a copy that speaks to your needs. Undecided leads
they are looking for the company with which they can feel better
do business with, so dig deep into the mind of the buyer,
and think as if they were thinking of their time of need.
Now write copy that addresses your prospects’ emotions.
mood, uses power words that surprise readers with
the truth, and he speaks to his prospects in the second
person (you, you, you – remember, it’s ALL about them). Do
this and you will be overwhelmed by the number of customers
they end up feeling the best of their business.
Clients who trust that you understand their
problem and can solve it better than anyone
customers confident enough to call you.
6) Eye-Catching, Clutter-Free Images
Designs.
NEVER use “expected” images in your Yellow Pages ad,
EG: plumbers exhibiting a fleet of trucks; lawyer ads that
display mallets, eagles, and flags; gold storage companies
imagine a row of meaningless storage doors. washed in
a sea of insignificant “clip art”, these images blur into a
scan background quickly and push readers eyes to rest
in images and designs that DO stand out. If you have made a
good job creating your main title, choosing an image
for your ad in the Yellow Page will be easy. Your chart should
be a dazzling and eye-catching image that:
- Reinforce the main concept of your headline,
Y - Differentiate your business from others, in a
in a significative way
“Significant” is the key word. Clever and creative ad design
not persuasively addressing the needs of your prospects
may make readers smile, but your phone will hang dead on
The receptor. It must capture the attention of prospects and
entice them to read the copy, AND persuade readers to
do business with you. It’s a difficult juggling act that most
novice advertisers and ad designers have a hard time
with, but it is the only act that increases sales.
7) Call them to action or kiss them “BUH-BYE”.
Prospects only read yellow page ads as a prelude to calling
– to give someone your business! Don’t frustrate the potential
customers trying to send them to your website, giving them
them your email address, or worse yet, trying to dial a
image. Your prospects intend to call someone, so
make sure you are the company they are calling by asking them:
“Call right now!” Include a distinctive call to action near your
phone number. EG, “Call and get your FREE analysis
now”. Don’t randomly place your phone number
anywhere. Your number and call to action should appear on
at the bottom of your ad, along with your address and
other contact information.
8) A professional yellow page ad designer? To choose
wisely
Do you want results from your ad? Make sure your designer
have experience getting those results for your
customers! Many “knowledgeable” ad design in the yellow pages
they are actually marketers with poor ad design skills and
experience. Some have simply chosen to imitate others
successful yellow page design sites (both for their
creativity). Many offer the same mediocre abilities as your Yellow
Pagepublisher provides FREE. Ask for references and
make sure your Yellow Page advertising design clients
in fact, they have experienced better response rates. If they
You haven’t, keep looking. Never try to save a few hundred
dollars in design fees at the expense of thousands in loss
dirty.
Effective yellow pages ads cleverly combine these eight
(and many other) design elements to work together to
create a powerful emotional connection with the audience.
Does your Yellow Page ad design move your prospects
deeply and force them to call you? or are you waiting
the phone to ring? Let me
to know…