Yellow Page Advertising Mistakes
14 Jul 2005 | Angie H
The phone book. With the Internet being such a popular tool for just about everything, it may be surprising that a phone book is still used as a means of marketing and advertising. But, it is. Widely. Unfortunately, most people/businesses that advertise in the yellow pages are wasting their money.
Before we go into why that is, go grab your phone book. It'll be a handy reference as we go over some of the biggest mistakes yellow pages advertisers make.
Red versus Good
One of the most common things I see happen to good ads gone wrong is the addition of red just to grab a reader's attention. Flip through your yellow pages and you'll see there's plenty of red. And yellow, and black, and blue, and... you get the point. It has become a big misconception that red will attract a reader. A single color alone isn't enough and can't do the job of a well-designed ad. If you're aiming for a simple ad, adding that extra color may very well be a complete waste of money, especially since they try to sell color to all their advertisers. Good, clean design that is created with the medium and audience in mind is a much better investment - color or not.
Headline? What headline?
Perhaps the biggest mistake I've seen in ads, including those in other publications, is the lack of a strong headline. Or the misplacement of a headline. Too often, the very first thing in the ad is the company logo. Sorry, but unless you're Nike or Coca-Cola, no one really cares what your company name or logo is. Sixty percent of people are looking for something specific, not a specific name. And while the phone book is categorized by industry, trade, etc., you're still competing against, well, competitors. A good headline should suggest a benefit for your prospective customer. That's what will catch their attention.
TMI!
Too much information! Too often, advertisers will try to cram in too much information in a relatively small space. The ad then becomes hard to read and the viewer may not know where to begin. Or worse, he/she skips over the ad altogether. A good amount of white space, with a dash of strong hierarchy balances the ad out and makes it easier to read.
USP? Isn't that a shipping company?
Unique Selling Proposition. Every business should have one. And it should be emphasized in all your marketing materials. Unfortunately, too many advertisers aren't sure of their own positioning strategy and end up sending the wrong message to the wrong readers. Always be aware of who your audience IS and who it COULD be.
"We can design your ad for you!"
Most, if not all, phone book sales reps have no training in advertising principles or graphic design. And even if they have a dedicated art department that does design the ad for you, believe it or not, you may end up with something you didn't expect or want. A client of ours had a particularly disappointing experience with an ad about a year ago, which of course we designed. While the gist of the ad wasn't changed, other elements were, and that made the ad look unprofessional and too much like every other ad out there. Not exactly good business. Luckily, the damage was minimal. She still got clients from her ad.
No, you don't have to have them design it
In conjuction with the previous point, what some people may not even realize is that you don't have to have the phone book's art department design your ad. It's not that they do a horrible job, but they handle multiple accounts at the same time. If you really want to make an impact, your best bet is to hire a designer that will work closely with you and design the ad the way you want it.
What else?
A few other things a good ad should have:
- A Call to Action
Something that will motivate a reader to somehow get in touch with your company. - Strong Copy
A poorly written ad is just as bad as a poorly designed one. - Stress your product or service
After all, you are selling something, right? - A graphic or illustration
Nothing grabs attention quicker than some sort of an image or two. Just don't go overboard. - "Security" factors
If appropriate, include a basic warranty or guarantee. It automatically starts to creat trust in a customer who hasn't met you yet. - The right size
Choose the appropriate size for your ad - bigger isn't always better. - Contact Info
If you leave that out you're really in trouble. - Free of mistakes
Nothing screams unprofessional more than spelling or grammar errors.
