ziv-ravitz

I was a Yellow Page advertising consultant for the Bell System and it’s Yellow Page division for 25 years. During that time, I taught 1000’s of small businesses the ins and outs of what it takes to be successful as an advertiser in their Yellow Page directory. Now I do consulting part-time in the Phoenix,  Google Advertising Consultant Arizona area and write articles like these to re-educate the firms that have Yellow Page ads and get them to thinking about their marketing approach. Most of them have very little idea of what should be included in their ads and how much they should be spending to achieve their goals, if they actually have any. Sadly, most don’t but let’s not dwell on the negatives. Positively, it’s never too late to learn what’s needed to have a good Yellow Page program. Because I was a premise sales consultant, I had a unique insight into their businesses and what they were lacking.

Many of the answers should be included in the final Yellow Page ad. It must contain items such as what you are selling, who you are targeting, what you can offer your competition can’t and a tracking mechanism. You therefore build your copy points from this foundation and list most as a feature and benefit story for your business. It’s that easy but the layout might take a bit more work. The sad part is that most ads are drawn by the customer or the sales rep, neither of which is an expert in advertising creation. The sales rep is not a designer and the average business owner rarely has the expertise in advertising. That includes web design and promotion, which is always a major consideration as well. With all that’s at stake for your business in an attempt to attract new customers, what is the best strategy you may ask?

That’s the time to turn to a professional consultant or designer that is trained to create effective Yellow Page ads. Many are listed online but you must be careful regarding what and how they charge. I always went by the hour but some charge by the job or size. However, if you would like to save yourself lots of money up front, start with a basic book that tells you what you need to know first. “Inside the Yellow Pages” will guide you through the industry landmines and give you an outline of what’s required for a terrific Yellow Page ad. I wrote it just for the small business advertiser with a limited budget. Read it and use my techniques for a positive result. After that, you’re on your own.