Advertising a Small Business    News paper advertising     How Should I Work with my Newspaper Representative     Radio advertising     Television advertising     Cable advertising    Yellow pages     Outdoor advertising     Direct mail     How And Where To Get Money For A Franchise Idea     20 Low-Cost Businesses You Can Start From home

Yellow pages

by-Edmond A. Bruneau, Owner  Creative Consultants Spokane, Wash.

Telephone book advertising is another way to reach your
market area.  It allows you to place your business listing or ad in
selected classifications within the book, with the theory being
that when people need your product or service, they look up the
classification and contact you.

     Much of the "sell" copy for a product or service, therefore,
does not have to be in your ad content, since the people who have
looked up your classification are already in the market to buy.
The thing to be aware of when you write the ad is the other firms'
ads within your classification.  In other words, why should the
reader select your firm over your competition?  That is the crucial
question -- and your ad should provide the answer.

     Telephone Yellow Pages salespeople often employ the technique
of selling as large of ad as they can to one company, then showing
the other companies in the same classification what the one company
is doing so that they can match it or beat it.  This is not the
best criteria for determining ad size, but is definitely good for
the ad salesperson. 

     To determine the size you should use, consider the following:

     *    Your ad should be large enough to incorporate the vital
          information the reader needs to make a contact decision
          (as mentioned above).

     *    Remember your lessons in print advertising.  Keep your ad
          clean, creative and eye-appealing.  Even though the phone
          company will "design your ad for free," some firms employ
          graphic artists and advertising agencies to create a
          Yellow Pages ad that really stands out.

     *    Give yourself a budget to work with.  Figure out how much
          you want to spend on Yellow Pages advertising for the
          entire year, then divide it by 12.  That will give you
          the payment that is automatically attached to your phone
          bill every month.


     Do something unique or different.  If no one else is using
color, use color.  Even shades of gray can make an ad look better
and more appealing.

Advantages of Yellow Pages Advertising

     *    One ad works all year long.

     *    Gives your prospect a method of easily locating and
          contacting your business, even if they didn't initially
          know your name.

     *    Can help you describe the differences between you and
          your competition.

     *    You pay by the month instead of one large payment.

Disadvantages of Yellow Pages Advertising

     *    You must commit to an entire year of advertising.

     *    You are immediately placed with a group of your
          competitors, making it easy for the prospect to
          comparison shop.

     *    Some classifications are so cluttered with advertising,
          your ad is buried and ineffective.

     *    It is only effective when a prospect looks you up in the
          correct classification, assuming the prospect knows what
          classification to look for in the first place.

     If you require more than one classification, your Yellow Pages
representative often has packages and programs that can save you
some money.  In addition, the same is often true if you need to be
advertising in more than one city or market.

     Yellow Pages advertising is an important medium to consider in
our fast-paced,  information-hungry society.  People really do let
their "fingers do the walking" instead of driving around blindly.
Make sure your Yellow Pages ad is attractive and informative enough
to be the one or two businesses the prospect actually does select
to call.  And then make sure you have the resources to deal with
the inquiry.  After all, there is nothing more annoying than being
put "on-hold" by a busy checker or being served by an uninterested
or unknowledgeable employee.