Even with today's technologies, it is almost impossible to construct a persuasive, phone-ringing Yellow Pages advertisement in under 30 minutes. Where did I get thirty minutes from? In 1975, my 1st gig was designing Yellow Page ads for a significant national Yellow Pages publisher. I regarded as it my "dream job." Our tight-knit group of creatives would dole out dozens of Yellow Page ads per day, every single day. We did our best to make every ad a selling masterpiece BUT we did have a every day quota of 10-15 ads to contend with...Arrange time for breaks, paperwork, etc. and that rate works out to about 30 minutes per ad.
OK, so it takes additional than 30 minutes, but why worry about Yellow Page ads?
Even as "on the net local search" continues to grow at a rapid clip, today's print Yellow Page directories represent a not-too-shabby $14 billion a year industry, and has morphed into a broader medium that includes BOTH print and on the web capabilities. In reality, directional media (Yellow Pages, on the internet local search and classified advertising) is expected to top $119 billion by 2010. For all of this, print Yellow Pages are still what they have always been, a pretty successful means of generating telephone calls and revenue from your most vital local prospects.
So if the Yellow Pages designers can't usually generate wonderful ads, who can?
My two year stint working for a Yellow Pages publisher taught me a fantastic deal about ad design and Yellow Pages advertising. But despite a promotion to Art Director status, I soon left the Yellow Pages to begin my own graphic style corporation...
Following twenty years of running a profitable style studio and servicing Fortune 500 members, the corporate advertising world had grow to be stale and left me underwhelmed. I decided to re-pay a visit to the Yellow Pages industry and developed a niche service that, at the time, practically didn't exist: "The Yellow Page Ad Design Specialist." By enhancing the message and visual impact in my clients' Yellow Page ads, I was able to unleash the incredible prospective of the medium. Over the last decade, my clients and I have enjoyed phenomenal success, and my niche marketplace has spawned a great number of competitors.
How can you outmaneuver and outsell your Yellow Page competitors?
Although designing phenomenal Yellow Page ads takes more than a couple of points - it takes actual style talent, advertising experience, and expertise in the dynamics of Yellow Page advertising - the very very best guidelines for Do-It-Yourselfers can be found in "Efficient Yellow Pages Advertising for Lawyers" written by the late Kerry Randall. It was written for attorneys but its' principles apply to any organization appearing in the Yellow Pages. Following exhaustive analysis, Kerry determined that practically all efficient, call-generating Yellow Page ads consist of six key elements. He taught that all high-performance Yellow Page ads need to contain:
- Strong headlines that command attention and engage readers
- A laser-sharp focus a willingness to ignore most readers
- Arresting, eye-captivating illustrations or photographs
- Clearly identifiable differences ( from competitive advertisers)
- Relevant copy (text) that covers much less than 50% of the ad space
- Expert-looking, clutter-free layouts
I've developed and been preaching extremely comparable principles to my Yellow Page clients for a decade so I wasn't overly surprised when Mr. Randall emailed me kudos for our Yellow Page advertising efforts. Kerry's recent passing was a big loss for the business but he left behind a sparkling gem of a book that will continue to support countless Yellow Page advertisers. No matter if you're determined to create your incredibly own Yellow Page ad or searching to hire an independent designer, Kerry's masterful dissertation is an invaluable guide.
And you'll will need a guide in picking out an helpful designer. Remember, each and every industry has it's share of sneaky imposters. It only takes about $20 a month to hang out your electronic shingle these days and some Yellow Page ad "professionals" lack even a formal advertising design background, let alone a solid, direct-response expertise, or a profitable track-record for their clients.
Scrutinize prospective designer's Yellow Page ad samples in light of these 6 principles. Make certain that the ads clearly and honestly speak to the prospects' emotional requirements and successfully persuade prospects by presenting the incredibly most beneficial solution to their specific dilemma. Also verify that the Yellow Page style specialist you pick out has a solid direct-response background and a effective track-record for their clients.
Otherwise, you'd be much better off performing a small reading and make your own persuasive Yellow Pages advertisement. One that will deliver "off-the-hook" phone calls for you, 365 days a year! If you stumble along the way or you require a couple of pointers, .
