Yellow Page Ad Design Mistakes – The 8 Deadly Sins You MUST Avoid!
Well, you realize that the advertising printed on the yellow page is STILL a
a very powerful way to reach your local potential customers. You too
I learned that overworked editors cannot be trusted
Yellow pages ad designers. Those poor souls have to tear
About 20 yellow pages ads a day! How long can
What do you spend on designing your yellow page ad? Plus
Most importantly, how much could they know about your
another business different from its category? YOU must take over!
Prospects don’t call categories; they don’t even call
business; they call solutions. Successful yellow page
Ads are those that uniquely and credibly target
prospects needs. Avoiding the following 8 crucial NEWS will help ensure that your yellow page ad is the only call from readers.
1) Your business name is still your yellow page ad
Headline. For now!
After 100 years, you would think that yellow pages advertisers
I would have done it by now. But take a look at your directory
And sure, most advertisers STILL use their
company name as the title of the yellow page ad. Look,
your potential customer has a problem. The solution to your problem
it is not found in your name, your logo or even your
Photo. Prospects really don’t care who you are! Them
I just want to know who can best solve your problem. Square
your name and logo near the bottom of your yellow page ad
design, along with your other contact information. That is
where they belong, so put them there!
2) Hey, I got a hole at the top of my yellow page ad
Design!
Moved your company name below,
EXCELLENT! Instead, you must now develop and insert
the most powerful headline you can muster. Run it on the
at the top of your yellow page ad design. Run it BIG and run it
BOLD FONT. If your title is good enough, your
the potential customer may want to keep reading. If it’s REALLY good,
they won’t have many options. That is the mark of a great
headline. Promises a unique benefit that sets you apart
the rest significantly. Tells prospects … this
the business cares about me, they understand my dilemma …
THIS is the company you should call!
To create your headline, lock the entire world and
Imagine that YOU are the prospect facing the problem.
What are your feelings? What is the most important thing for you in
this moment in need? Only when you can access your
internal thoughts and feelings of prospects, being able to
Create an effective headline that really resonates with your
Target audiences. If you spend 10 hours on your yellow page
Ad design, spend 6 hours on your title. Trust me it will
it will be worth your time.
3) You have such a colorful yellow page ad, it is
It’s going to fly off the page!
It is true that a colorful ad MAY attract more attention than a
single color ad BUT that doesn’t necessarily mean you will get
“more phone calls”. The only thing that is a brightly colored yellow
The page ad is sure to create an incredibly strong suction
sound near your wallet. Color doesn’t persuade prospects
To call you; the MESSAGE in your yellow page ad persuades
prospects to call. If you are determined to maximize your ROI,
forget about color! Instead, focus on your MESSAGE
and the overall effectiveness of your yellow page ad design.
4) Your Yellow Page Ad Design Speaks to Everyone, Now
EVERYONE will call you … right?
Are you talking to everyone, trying to sell everything? You
competitors have fallen into the same trap … they are screaming
the same words and pictures for EVERYONE. And when trying
sell to everyone, do not persuade anyone. Whose
Compete with everyone else in your category! Instead, carve
a “unique place” in the market and reap mass market
Share.
Here is an example:
Mr. Everybody is a plumber who, like everyone else, wants
attract as many customers as possible. Proudly lists 35
different services in your Yellow Pages ad design. Your name
lo, it does … from covered sinks to total bathroom
remodeling. Now comes Mr. Waterheater. So wise
plumber decided he wanted to attract “EVERY water
“heater replacement” in his city, so he designed a
Very attractive ad that does just that. Speak ONLY to
the person whose water heater just turned on a big
leakage. How did these two plumbers fare? Unfortunately, Mr.
Everyone’s yellow page ad didn’t appeal to everyone because
your ad (like everyone else) didn’t speak to ANYONE in a powerful way. No
one paid attention. On the other hand, Mr. Waterheater
well targeted yellow page ad powerfully connected to
your only target audience. Mr. Waterheater’s perspectives felt
in the same way. In fact, it attracted so many water heaters
projects you can now afford to run a second ad on
the Plumbing heading. This time, he has decided
Aim for the perspective of “EVERY sewer replacement” in your city!
The clever Mr. Waterheater understands the amazing power of
prospect targeting.
When you focus your yellow page ad on its biggest
desired customers, will attract and persuade that
more successful audience than ANY other ad in your
Vault. In other words, you will have removed the
competence. Pretty cool, huh?
5) Body text? No, in the yellow pages all I need is
Easy to read bullets!
Incorrect! Bullets do a great job of listing features, but
They generally do not talk to customers who feel the need and
Concerns: These are not easy bulleted items. But more
clients are looking for a company where they can ‘feel’ the
it is best to call and do business with. If you want
be that business, you will need a copy that addresses the main
potential customer concerns and that helps build trust
and trust.
Not make mistakes; bullets are good for outlining your
services. BUT, you also need a persuasive copy that
improves and corroborates the concept of sole proprietor
you spent a lot of time developing. Be concise, speak
clearly and explain how it differs from the rest. Use
descriptive words that have a small shock value, not the
generic (boring) copy used by everyone else. Talk to your
prospects in a positive and friendly tone, as if they are standing
right in front of you. And throw all that away
self-absorbed WE, WE, WE copy. Remember, it’s about
THEM! So do it … YOU, YOU, YOU!
6) I run a package delivery service … See all My Pretty
Boxes
Yes, your boxes are really pretty. But hey, wait a minute! Everybody
The OTHER shipping service ads have nice boxes too. Then
a lot to differentiate itself from its competitors.
NEVER use “expected” images in your Yellow Pages ad.
Obviously, generic images do not convey their “uniqueness”
benefits for prospects. They just put you on the same
playing field like all the others. The only goal of your Yellow
Page ad design is to grab the reader’s attention in the first place and to
persuade them with a powerful message to call
you. You cannot succeed by saying and showing the same
things like all the others. Don’t feel bad, many Yellow Page
advertisers (and novice ad designers) do the same
error! No wonder so many companies
complain about low response rates in their yellow pages
advertising.
Think about it from the point of view of your prospects. How will
nice box differentiates you from everyone else? As will be
pass on your most unique benefits? How will a box help?
motivate SOMEONE to call you? Must choose
“unexpected” images that shake people’s brain cells,
apart from your competitors AND convey your
Profits. Some may disagree and say … “But my pretty
Boxes tell people EXACTLY what my business is about! ”
That is unfortunate. If you have a parcel delivery service
and the most unique BENEFITS it has to offer are
shipping boxes, you may want to reconsider self-employment. Remember, your unexpected photograph or
the artwork MUST FOR) Be a dazzling, eye-catching
picture that … B) Strengthen your unique headline
concept (profit) and … VS) Differentiate you
business of others, in a powerful and meaningful way
path.
7) Call to action? I don’t need no stinky call to action!
It is a proven fact that more people will act if
Tell them exactly what to do. Tell them to call and make sure
to include a damn good reason. Say “Call now for your
FREE analysis and without obligation! “And don’t bury your call to
action, put it right above your phone number.
Remember, prospects generally look in the yellow pages
because they seek to give someone their business –
calling them! Make it easy for them to call you and give them a reason to call you and they will call you. And isn’t that the goal?
8) My artist cousin said he can design my yellow
Pages ad.
Expensive advertising is advertising that doesn’t work. Year
ineffective design will cost you much more in lost business
than you can ever save up front. The Yellow Pages
are a unique advertising medium and few people know how
to create effective ads for it. Find a specialist!
Ask questions and get testimonials. Look for a genuine yellow
Page ad design expert with a strong track record of results.
Warning: If an advertising professional also sells:
Website design, SEO services, logo design, brochures,
illustration and marketing manuals, keep looking because
they are not yellow page direct response specialists.
Test your yellow page ads. Do they look like
helpless concoctions that your yellow page editor
provides FREE? If so, keep looking for a professional.
You stick to the strategies you just read. Then you
you can sit back and relax … you will be well on your way to Yellow
Advertising success pages.
Does your yellow page ad design make your phones ring?
and the competitors cry? Or does yellow have you crying?
Blues advertising pages? Let me know …
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