Getting Your Money s Worth Out Of Yellow Pages Advertising

Customers are the lifeblood of your business. You have to keep bringing new ones through the door if you want your business to be successful. One of the most cost effective ways to do this is by placing an advert in a local directory - printed or online.

Why is it that an advert in a local directory more effective than one placed, for example, in a magazine? Because people who are paging or clicking through the pages of a local directory are already looking for a specific product or service, they are not just wasting time or at leisure ... They are on a mission to find something they need - and they are willing to pay for it! In marketing-speak these potential customers are "qualified sales prospects" - and you want to make sure that your message is in front of them, at the moment when they are looking for information about what you have to offer.

The Yellow Pages is the most trusted local directory worldwide - both in its printed and online versions. In South Africa - where the vast majority of the population don"t have ready access to the web - the printed Yellow Pages is still their first port of call. Millions of South African consumers let their fingers do the walking, at any time of the day or night, through the 5.4 million printed copies of The Yellow Pages that are distributed annually.

There are a multitude of different shapes and sizes of Yellow Pages display ads to choose from - making it relatively easy to find an option that suits your business"s marketing budget. What"s more, you can choose to be billed monthly on your telephone account so you don"t have to make a crippling single payment up-front!

Whatever size advert you end up choosing, don"t make the mistake that most businesses make: simply plonking your name and contact details in the space you"ve paid for - and expecting that to be enough to get your phone ringing off the hook with enquiries. Have you seen how many competing adverts appear in each category? That"s right: a lot!

So, now the question becomes: "How can I make sure that my advert is the one that a "qualified sales prospect" notices and decides to act on?" The answer is simple:

Make sure that your advert stands out from the crowd - both in terms of how it looks and what it says. Give that qualified sales prospect a reason to do business with you!

Let"s take a look at some examples of ads that do just that: the ZA Group ads that appear in the Johannesburg Yellow Pages. The ads are not very big - only 49 x 56 mm - but they generate a great deal of interest and enquiries. Here's what they look like:

Different from the norm, wouldn't you agree?

Now, although the graphic design of these adverts is unique and eye-catching, it"s their content that will ultimately cause a potential customer to pick up his / her phone and contact us.

Here's what you can do to create a similar ad, guaranteed to get the phone ringing and bring bodies through the door:

1. Make sure you ad has a compelling headline that promises a BIG benefit to the reader.

Can you see how your name as a headline would be a complete and utter waste of space and money? You first have to convince your reader that you are the right choice, only then would they care to find out who you are.

2. Bullet the benefits and advantages of doing business with you, as opposed to doing business with your competitors.

Don't assume that your potential customers know what makes you different.

3. Provide some credibility builders

Space allowing - such as third-party endorsements, testimonials or awards.

4. Give your potential clients a reason to do business with you!

This could be the compelling benefit contained in your headline, a guarantee, a third-party testimonial or an incentive to take action - such as our offer of a free e-book.

You"re sure to get your money"s worth out of a Yellow Pages display ad created with these guidelines in mind!

So, why should you bother with a listing in the online Yellow Pages? Because the number of South Africans with access to the Internet is growing daily - and, for these individuals, searching an online directory is the quickest, most convenient way to get information about local products or services. 64% of South Africans with Internet access visit the online Yellow Pages repeatedly every month to search for local suppliers and the site generates in excess of 1 million leads per month.

Another important reason to get an online listing is that the Yellow Pages does the necessary to make sure that its website comes up as close to the top of online search results as possible - an expensive and time consuming exercise. So you get the benefits of search engine optimization that you probably couldn"t afford on your own.

As with their printed counterpart, the online Yellow Pages offers many different online listing options - each with its own list of benefits and corresponding price tag. Carefully weigh up the cost of a more expensive listing against the potential benefits of getting priority in search results and make sure that the option you choose gives your company a "display page".

A "display page" is where a potential client will be taken if he/she clicks on your company name in your online listing. It can contain your company logo, a brief description of your service offering and an image of your choice (which could include information about your freebie giveaways, testimonials, guarantees or awards!). It also showcases any display adverts that you have placed in the printed Yellow Pages. Needless to say, if you apply the four guidelines for creating an effective display advert outlined above to this page, it could tip the scales in your favour when a sales prospect is choosing who to call or email!

So when you"re planning your marketing budget take time to consider the Yellow Pages. It"s still one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising for any business ... provided that it"s done properly!

One last thing to remember: Once your carefully crafted Yellow Pages adverts are placed make sure that you have a dedicated, competent, well-informed member of staff ready to handle phone enquiries. Many excellent advertising campaigns fall apart right where the telephone is being answered.

Tags: directory; Yellow Pages; sales prospects; marketing; online; advertisement; sell

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