Yellow
Pages Advertising:
How to Get the Best Return on Investment
"Yellow
Page advertising is a necessary evil". We hear it all the
time; maybe you've said it yourself. The fact is that at least
64% of your new customers come from Yellow Pages; it is the number
one lead generator for garage door service and sales. Following
are some helpful hints from the Yellow Page professionals to help
you maximize your advertising budget and become a Yellow Page
expert:
Identify
the Right Directories: You are no doubt dealing with or receiving
calls from numerous publishers to sell you space in their books.
First, make sure that every directory you are considering covers
your service area. Ask for directory coverage maps and/zip code
coverage.
Almost every
area is covered by more than one directory, the "utility"
directory (which is generally published by the local phone company)
and "secondary" directories
Typically, the utility directory has the highest consumer usage,
but secondary directories may still enjoy market share that makes
them a worthwhile advertising tool. Each publisher's rep will
tell you that their directory is the most used; make them "put
their money where their mouth is". Most of the publishers
should have usage statistics for their directories because they
perform market research studies. Request a copy of the study itself
if available. At any rate, you want to know that the study was
performed by an independent third party research firm.
Buy the
Right Ad: The Garage Door heading is a very competitive one.
Buy an ad that will put you as close as possible to the beginning
of the heading. Statistics show that your customer will read an
average of five ads before making a phone call; in a competitive
heading, the first five ads may all be full pages. The "Door"
heading is much less competitive, yet studies show that 33% of
Yellow Page shoppers who go to this heading are looking for garage
doors, 18% are looking for garage door openers and 8% are looking
for garage door repairs. So if you specialize in garage door sales
and service, make sure that you do not ignore this heading; you
should get a very good return on your investment. However, what
you say in the ad could be even more important than the size of
your ad. Make a list of your competitive advantages and make sure
you feature the top two in your ad. For example, do you guarantee
service in one hour or do you waive the service charge when service
is performed, or do you not charge a service charge at all? Let
your customer know that right away. If you have multiple area
codes in your service area, make sure you have a phone number
beginning with each area code…. even if all of those numbers
forward to your one location, or even a mobile phone. The customer's
perception is that you are local to their area, and your particular
customer likes to deal with local companies.
An explanation
about positioning: Priority placement goes first to the advertisers
buying the largest ad - a Double Truck, for example. Within that
"ad family" of Double Trucks, the advertiser who was
the first to buy a Double Truck, and who continues to renew it,
will always get first position within the heading. Any time an
advertiser does not renew that exact size ad, they lose any priority
position within that ad family. For example, Ed's Garage Doors
has been the second full page ad, in a heading with five full
page ads. If Ed does not renew that ad size this year but regrets
the decision and wants it next year, his ad will then be the last
full page ad because he has lost seniority by not renewing.
Use of
Color or White Knockout (background) - When you have to do
a smaller ad, there are more potential competitors falling on
that page. For example, you can fit four ¼ page ads on
one page; therefore you will have competitors on the page. Getting
your ad to "stand out" with color or white knockout
would be your best bet. If you decide to go with a full page ad,
you have one or more competitors you are faced with (the one(s)
on the opposite page), therefore color may not be necessary.
Artwork
- do you always get what you pay for? The publisher provides
free artwork for your ad; remember that the publisher works for
your competitor as well, resulting in a cookie-cutter look for
everyone. It may be well worth the investment to have a professional
design your ad; if your artwork is not eye-catching and the copy
doesn't speak to your customer's needs within 2-3 seconds, it
could cost a lot more in lost business.
Cut to
the Rates - if you don't ask, you won't get it: Just about
every publisher has pricing for new and upgraded business. The
rep may not tell you that immediately. If you are buying new advertising
or upsizing the current ad, don't accept the first price quote.
Negotiate with the rep to ensure that you are getting "the
most for the least". Tell the rep you may want a Half Page,
for example, but it's just out of your price range. Since most
of these publisher discounts progress to full rate over a period
of time (typically 2-3 years), it is in the sales rep's best interests
to give you what you want at the lowest possible rate. If it pays
off, the chances are very good that you won't risk dropping down
in size and losing the position, even when you may be paying full
rate. Ask again if that is the best rate before making the decision.
Additionally,
there are some freebies that may be available from the publisher,
if you are savvy enough to ask. Yellow Page studies have shown
that a second, smaller display ad could increase call volume considerably
in crowded headings. If you are buying a display ad falling near
the front of the heading, ask for a free second ad in that heading.
It could be anything from a smaller display ad to an in-column
ad that is listed in alphabetical order.
Another possible
freebie is a call tracking number. This is a phone number that
is published in your ad and rings into your phone line and the
results of the calls are tracked and sent to you monthly. Most
publishers have these available and this is a great tool for you
to track your yellow page advertising. It is especially recommended
to new advertisers.
In conclusion,
make sure you "get the best bang for your buck" in the
right directories, with a stand-out ad that falls in the most
competitive position you can afford. Follow these tips, and you
can become your own Yellow Page expert.
|
