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Electronic publishing
Corporate Profile
Article 1: Income Generation
for Non-Profit Organisations
Article 2: Is your Yellow Pages
advert earning its keep?
Article 3: Hints on how to edit
your own copy
Article 4: Stop the World...
I want to get off!
Article 5: What is a SWOT
Analysis?
Article 6: Uno Momento
(3 short articles)
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| Marketing: Is your Yellow Pages® advert earning its keep? |
Well, it’s that time of year again – when the booking for the Yellow Pages® needs to be confirmed. But is your Yellow Pages® advertisement working for you, or against you in encouraging customers into the showroom or office? Oddly enough, not too many of us take the time to even consider, let alone measure the effectiveness of our Yellow Pages® placement. By the time a person picks up the Yellow Pages®, they’ve already made the decision to buy – they just don’t know where from. However, when you consider that these people represent 61%(1) of all people looking in the Yellow Pages® – can you afford not to look at the effectiveness of your advertising? In fact, even the most ‘die-hard’ of loyal customers can be ‘swayed’ by a powerful competitor’s ad. So, what can you do to ensure your Yellow Pages® advertisement is effective? CONVINCE CUSTOMERS TO CHOOSE YOUR COMPANY... To begin with, recognise that it is not necessary to convince potential customers of the need to purchase a product or service – since they will already be browsing in your particular product/service category. What is necessary, however; is that you convince these potential customers to choose your company over the competition. CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING FOR 'SOLUTIONS'... When customers go shopping in the Yellow Pages® for widgets – they’re not just looking for widgets. They’re looking for choice, colour and design in widgets; for information about their widget requirements; for guarantees and back-up service should their widget break down, or be the wrong one; for friendly, efficient and experienced staff who can fit the widget on the premises if need be; and, for opening hours and locations that suit them. In other words, it’s highly unlikely customers will be swayed by an advertisement which has a large, attractive picture (colour or otherwise), and a prominent company logo – if the advertisement delivers little else – because customers are essentially looking to ‘solve’ their ‘problem’. And as a point of interest, tests of monitored ads indicate that customers are five times more likely to read an advertisement that has the appearance of ’editorial’ item (also know as an ‘advertorial’), over a ‘pure’ advertisement (something to remember when considering any of your advertising needs). THE SPECIFICS... Give potential customers a ’reason’ to choose your company by selecting a strong headline offering some sort of benefit. Experiment with a few, and if you can, test-run these headlines in newspapers advertisements to gauge which ones get the best responses (This is a far less time consuming method than experimenting with your Yellow Pages® advertisement – which stays in place for a year). Within a few months you will have a fairly accurate picture of which headlines to use, and which ones to discard. Try headlines similar to “Now there’s no need to get the ’run around’. With 5750 widgets in stock, we’re bound to have the one you’re after”. When you get to the body of the advertisement – avoid generalisations and be specific. Just taking a look through the Yellow Pages® will show you that any business can offer “a large supply of widgets in stock”. Instead, try something like “5750 different widgets in stock, and if we don’t have what you need, we’ll have it ordered and delivered by the next business day”. Most companies also offer “great service and a great price”. Try and give the customer more, like “our widgets are 30% below recommended retail prices because we manufacture our own and pass the savings on to our customers”. Or, “information, advice and an obligation-free quote”. Give an iron-clad guarantee like “all our widgets are backed by a 12-months guarantee on parts and labour, and if you’re not satisfied, we’ll refund your money in full - no questions asked”. Remember, you must tell potential customers why they should contact your firm rather than your competition. And if you follow the points raised so far – you’ll be going a long way to doing exactly that. 'TRACKING' YOUR ADVERTISING... If you’re making a sizeable investment in advertising, it might be worthwhile considering the use of some type of tracking form to measure the success or otherwise of your all your copy – not just your Yellow Pages® advertisement. FINALLY... Your Yellow Pages® advertisement doesn’t have to be an annual ‘money pit’. With a little bit of time and planning, almost anyone can draw up a ‘winning’ advertisement – just give potential customers a ’reason’ to choose your company. Interested in reading other PR and Marketing-type articles? Then click here to see our 'new' site, which reflects our changed name, and upgraded articles. P.S. Don't forget to bookmark us when you arrive, as this will be our primary site. 1 Yellow Pages® 1999, Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass., p 1531 |
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