If your phone stopped ringing, would your business be in
trouble? That's my usual answer to business owners who
ask me if "dishing out money to the Yellow Pages every
month" is still a wise investment. If customers don't
normally think of your service or product until they need it,
and a lot of your business is done by phone, an
effective Yellow Pages ad design still rings in the
most local customers for the money. So how do you design
for this one-of-a-kind medium? The following eight
guidelines will keep your phone dancing across your desk
with new business.
trouble? That's my usual answer to business owners who
ask me if "dishing out money to the Yellow Pages every
month" is still a wise investment. If customers don't
normally think of your service or product until they need it,
and a lot of your business is done by phone, an
effective Yellow Pages ad design still rings in the
most local customers for the money. So how do you design
for this one-of-a-kind medium? The following eight
guidelines will keep your phone dancing across your desk
with new business.
1) Choose the Right Yellow Page Ad Size, You'll Save a
Bundle.
Don't sweat about buying your way into first position by
having the largest Yellow Page ad in your heading! Few
people call only the first few (or largest) ads. Undecided
customers are still looking for the company they can feel the
best about, not the first company they come across.
Prospects will respond to the Yellow Page ad
design that A) Visually captures their attention and
B) Engages and persuades them with ad copy that
speaks to their emotions. Ad size is not as important as
your sales rep claims. In fact, appearing in the first third of
your heading is considered good positioning as long as
your Yellow Page ad is properly developed.
Bundle.
Don't sweat about buying your way into first position by
having the largest Yellow Page ad in your heading! Few
people call only the first few (or largest) ads. Undecided
customers are still looking for the company they can feel the
best about, not the first company they come across.
Prospects will respond to the Yellow Page ad
design that A) Visually captures their attention and
B) Engages and persuades them with ad copy that
speaks to their emotions. Ad size is not as important as
your sales rep claims. In fact, appearing in the first third of
your heading is considered good positioning as long as
your Yellow Page ad is properly developed.
2) Technicolor or Black & Yellow? Put Your Money
Where It Matters Most.
If you're considering costly colors, spend your money on
design first, positioning second, and color last. A properly
designed, one color Yellow Page ad will easily outperform a
larger, full-color ad that's poorly designed and without
compelling copy. Bottom line? A bad Yellow Pages ad will
get bad results regardless of color, size or positioning,
because these things have little to do with convincing the
customer to call you!
Where It Matters Most.
If you're considering costly colors, spend your money on
design first, positioning second, and color last. A properly
designed, one color Yellow Page ad will easily outperform a
larger, full-color ad that's poorly designed and without
compelling copy. Bottom line? A bad Yellow Pages ad will
get bad results regardless of color, size or positioning,
because these things have little to do with convincing the
customer to call you!
3) Ignore Most Readers; Embrace Your Most Important
Prospects.
Tightly focused Yellow Page ad designs convince more
customers to actually call and do business with you.
Casting the widest net possible in an attempt to reach
everyone forces you to compete with all the others in your
heading and dilutes your message. Would you rather
persuade 10% of the market 100% of the way into becoming
customers, or reach 100% of the market and convince them
only 10% of the way? Speak to your most important
prospects directly, and they'll reply - by calling.
Prospects.
Tightly focused Yellow Page ad designs convince more
customers to actually call and do business with you.
Casting the widest net possible in an attempt to reach
everyone forces you to compete with all the others in your
heading and dilutes your message. Would you rather
persuade 10% of the market 100% of the way into becoming
customers, or reach 100% of the market and convince them
only 10% of the way? Speak to your most important
prospects directly, and they'll reply - by calling.
4) A Masterfully Crafted Headline Nearly Guarantees
Success.
If your headline fails (or worse, is missing), your ad will fail.
Crucial is an understatement. Make sure your headline
appears prominently at the top of your Yellow Page ad
design and that it fills these main functions:
Success.
If your headline fails (or worse, is missing), your ad will fail.
Crucial is an understatement. Make sure your headline
appears prominently at the top of your Yellow Page ad
design and that it fills these main functions:
- Snares readers' eyes as they scan the page.
- Conveys your most important benefit (Unique Selling Proposition), setting you apart from your competitors in a meaningful way
- Strikes an emotional chord with the reader, compelling them to read further. Spend 60% of your design time developing your unique, benefit-related headline. It's that important! Do NOT use your business name, logo or characterless copy. Your headline must set you apart from the others, prove that you fully understand your prospect's problem, and convince readers that you genuinely care about helping them.
5) Persuasive Body Copy Always Touches Their
Hearts.
Once you've gained prospects' attention with your lead (and
image), you'll need to convert their interest into confidence
with copy that speaks to their needs. Undecided prospects
are looking for the company they can feel the best about
doing business with, so crawl deep into the buyer's mind,
and think like they're thinking at their moment in need.
Now write copy that addresses your prospects' emotional
state of mind, uses electric words that shock readers with
the truth, and speaks to your prospects in the second
person (you, you, you - remember, it's ALL about them). Do
this and you'll be overwhelmed at the number of customers
that end up feeling the best about your business.
Customers who are confident that you understand their
problem and can solve it better than anyone else are
customers confident enough to call you.
6) Eyeball-Popping Images and Clutter-Freestate of mind, uses electric words that shock readers with
the truth, and speaks to your prospects in the second
person (you, you, you - remember, it's ALL about them). Do
this and you'll be overwhelmed at the number of customers
that end up feeling the best about your business.
Customers who are confident that you understand their
problem and can solve it better than anyone else are
customers confident enough to call you.
Layouts.
NEVER use "expected" images in your Yellow Pages ad,
EG: plumbers who display a fleet of trucks; lawyer ads that
show gavels, eagles and flags; or storage companies that
picture a row of meaningless storage doors. Washed out in
a sea of insignificant "clip art," these images blur into a
quickly scanned background and push readers' eyes to rest
on images and designs that DO stand out. If you've done a
good job creating your main headline, choosing an image
for your Yellow Page ad will be easy. Your graphic should
be an arresting, eye-grabbing image that:
- Reinforces your main headline concept,
and - Differentiates your business from the others, in a
meaningful way
"Meaningful" is the key word. Clever and creative ad design
that fails to persuasively address your prospects' needs
might make readers smile, but your phone will hang dead in
the receiver. You must both arrest prospects' attention and
draw them into reading the copy, AND persuade readers to
do business with you. It's a tough juggling act that most
advertisers and greenhorn ad designers have a hard time
with, but it's the only act that increases sales.
that fails to persuasively address your prospects' needs
might make readers smile, but your phone will hang dead in
the receiver. You must both arrest prospects' attention and
draw them into reading the copy, AND persuade readers to
do business with you. It's a tough juggling act that most
advertisers and greenhorn ad designers have a hard time
with, but it's 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 their business! Don't frustrate potential
customers by trying to send them to your Web site, giving
them your email address, or worse yet, trying to brand an
image. Your prospects are intending to call someone, so
make sure you're the business they call by asking them:
"call right now!" Include a distinct call-to-action near your
phone number. EG, "Call and get your FREE analysis
now." Don't haphazardly place your phone number just
anywhere. Your number and call-to-action should appear in
the bottom portion of your ad, along with your address and
other contact info.
Prospects only read Yellow Page ads as a prelude to calling
-- to give someone their business! Don't frustrate potential
customers by trying to send them to your Web site, giving
them your email address, or worse yet, trying to brand an
image. Your prospects are intending to call someone, so
make sure you're the business they call by asking them:
"call right now!" Include a distinct call-to-action near your
phone number. EG, "Call and get your FREE analysis
now." Don't haphazardly place your phone number just
anywhere. Your number and call-to-action should appear in
the bottom portion of your ad, along with your address and
other contact info.
8) A Professional Yellow Page Ad Designer? Choose
Wisely.
Want results from your ad? Ensure your designer
has experience obtaining those results for his
customers! Many Yellow Page ad design "connoisseurs"
are actually marketers with sparse ad design skills and
experience. Some have simply chosen to mimic other
successful Yellow Page design sites (so much for their
creativity). Many offer the same lackluster skills your Yellow
Page publisher provides for FREE. Ask for references and
make sure their Yellow Page advertising design clients
have, in fact, experienced improved response rates. If they
haven't, keep looking. Never try to save a few hundred
dollars in design fees at the expense of thousands in lost
sales.
Wisely.
Want results from your ad? Ensure your designer
has experience obtaining those results for his
customers! Many Yellow Page ad design "connoisseurs"
are actually marketers with sparse ad design skills and
experience. Some have simply chosen to mimic other
successful Yellow Page design sites (so much for their
creativity). Many offer the same lackluster skills your Yellow
Page publisher provides for FREE. Ask for references and
make sure their Yellow Page advertising design clients
have, in fact, experienced improved response rates. If they
haven't, keep looking. Never try to save a few hundred
dollars in design fees at the expense of thousands in lost
sales.
Effective Yellow Page ads skillfully 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 compel them to call you? Or are you waiting for
the phone to ring? Let me
know...
(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 compel them to call you? Or are you waiting for
the phone to ring? Let me
know...
John Morana is president of MaxEffect Yellow Page Ad Design and has specialized in print advertising design for over 3 decades. He has developed advertising materials for Bausch & Lomb, Kodak, Time Warner Communications, Xerox, USA Today and countless small businesses throughout the world. For more tips and quick answers to your Yellow Page ad design questions OR to request a free, no-obligation Yellow Page ad design evaluation: Call toll-free 800-726-7006 or Visit: http://www.max-effect.co m/
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