Yellow Page Advertising Advice From an Expert

First, what makes me the "expert," you ask? Well, I was a Yellow Page representative and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, I had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I've been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies during my tenure. With that out of the way, what did I learn after all those years that I can now pass on to you?
Let's begin with the basics. I would have to assume that as a typical small business manager or owner, you are good at what you do. Be it plumbing, insurance, moving, dentistry, auto repair, or whatever, you're knowledgeable. That's great, but what do you really know about advertising? Okay, you're read a book or an article or two. You realize the need but do you comprehend the process? Yes, there is a step-by-step process for any type of advertising. It begins with your business and industry. Start by asking yourself what type of customer are you trying to attract? It's not as simple as you may think. Someone breathing is not a requirement; you must be more specific. Are they of a particular demographic, such as age group, gender, or located in a defined area? Should they be a homeowner or earn a minimum amount? You can determine a lot by your product or service.
Are you selling a luxury product or service the average person doesn't need? Or is it car insurance that the state actually requires? Stop and consider who you are looking for and where you will find them? Why? Because you can't advertise to everyone and expect all of them to flock to your business. With limited ad resources, you must target your audience. Yellow Pages are distributed by area. Should you be in all of them or just the ones that refer to your geographic area? Once you can pinpoint the ideal customer, you can go on to the next step. How much should you spend?
Every industry has a normal amount. Go online and research that sector. Service businesses usually outspend the retail trade. Look at your profit margins as well. So it depends whether you are selling flowers or swimming pools. Obviously, you need a whole lot more rose sales than pools, but far less people can afford pools. You get my point? The pool company may spend a lot more to attract the higher-end customer but has a greater profit for the effort. An advertising budget is a percentage of gross or net sales. Once you have that in place, there is one more thing to address before designing a YP ad.
Flip open the YP book to your heading and peruse the competition. Recognize everyone? Probably not. Depending on your type of business, there could be many new companies vying for your customers. Take a moment to read their ads. You will learn a lot about your industry and what you should be saying in your ad. Heck, call a few and ask for rates and any other information that you deem helpful. These are just a few of the preliminary steps to take before meeting with your YP rep. The more educated you are, the more you will be able to use the rep's resources to design that effective ad. Finally, there are at least 10 things you should also know that will save you time and money on your program. Check out my best-selling book on the subject and you will be well on your way to a successful program. It's cheaper than a seminar and a fun read. Good luck and happy selling.

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He authored a book about his directory years, "Inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com and he is officially retired.

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