Checklist For Your Yellow Pages Ad
   By B.J. Addington

Yellow Pages advertising may seem old school compared to the evolution of Internet directories and pop-up ads.

But don’t drop Old Yeller from your marketing mix. The big yellow books still get a lot of looks from people who are ready to buy.

Knowledge Networks/SRI reports that 57 percent of adult Americans still reference the printed Yellow Pages at least once a week. And the Kelsey Group market research firm reports that 85 percent of small businesses that advertise do so within a print Yellow Pages product.

Chances are your competitors are listed in the Yellow Pages. Your small business should be too.

A well-designed, properly placed ad in the Yellow Pages can direct ready-to-buy customers to your small business. Here’s a checklist to help you develop a Yellow Pages advertising strategy that will generate the response you want.
 

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14-Point Yellow Pages Ad Checklist

1. Yellow Pages range from multiple-city and regional directories to utility directories published by local telephone companies. Choose to advertise in the ones that best reach your target audience.

2. Check competitors’ ads. If your main competitors use large display ads, you’ll have to match them to get reader attention. Specialty businesses with little competition can often get good results with a simple line listing.

3. If you offer a variety of products and services, consider multiple listings in different sections of the directory. For instance, a landscape business might list under categories such as tree trimming, landscape design and lawn maintenance.

4. For positioning in the front of a section, buy large ads of ½ page or more.

5. Use full color if your budget allows. Better yet, use a photo.

6. If the publisher allows you to buy white space instead of yellow, do it. It will make your ad stand out.

7. Use a big, bold headline to immediately convey benefits to readers.

8. Don’t use your business name as the headline. For example, “Smith Fence Builders” is a much less effective headline than “Affordable Fences Guaranteed To Last.”

9. Make your telephone number easy to find and easy to read.

10. Include a call to action. Tell readers to “Call today for a free quote.” Or “Come by today for a great deal.” Solve a customer’s problem in your call to action. Tell them “Call by 9 a.m. and have we’ll fix your plumbing leak by 5 p.m.”

11. Give readers a reason to buy from you. If you’re a certified auto mechanic, state that in your ad. If you sell brand name merchandise, list several of the best-known brands. If you’ve been in business for 15 years, use that fact to establish credibility.

12. Test your ad before making a Yellow Pages commitment. Place your ad in a local newspaper and see what can kind of responses it generates. Change the headline. Emphasize different benefits. Tweak the ad until it pulls the results you want. You’ll spend your money more wisely for a Yellow Pages ad that’s proven it worth.

13. There’s no set price for a Yellow Pages ad. All directory publishers offer discounts and bonuses. Some give discounts for a multi-year commitment. If you buy a large display in one category, some publishers will throw in a free line listing in another category. Always ask for a deal.

14. Track your results. If your Yellow Pages ad doesn’t pull in calls, you’re wasting your money. The only way you’ll know for sure is to track responses to the ad. When customers call, ask if they saw your Yellow Pages ad. Train your staff to the same.
    

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