How to get a great yellow page ad

Without letting the phone company's fingers stroll through your wallet

Yellow pages advertising is one of the most ubiquitous forms of marketing in business. Virtually every company has at least a small ad in one of the dozens of yellow pages published each year, and those ads often constitute a substantial portion of a company's marketing budget.

For all the resources poured into yellow pages ads, however, it's amazing how little thought goes into them. Even companies with otherwise clear and defined marketing plans, well-integrated marketing materials, and well-thought out campaigns will sometimes turn an expensive yellow pages ad over to the sales rep for writing and design.

At Idea Bank Marketing, we try to integrate yellow pages advertising into the overall marketing plan or budget. Having an objective, marketing oriented review of yellow pages ads by Idea Bank can usually increase the ad's effectiveness and as often as not, reduce it's cost.

Here are the three most common problems we find in reviewing yellow pages ads for our clients:

1. The ad is larger than needed.
   Your yellow pages sales rep is rewarded for selling you the largest ad possible, not the optimum size ad for your circumstances. The only real purpose for any yellow pages ad is to draw the attention of legitimate prospects - and that might be able to be accomplished with a much smaller ad than you currently buy.
2. Unnecessary use of spot color.
   Again, an aggressive sales rep will make spot color seem like an absolute necessity - and often, it is not needed at all. White space, balance and "eye appeal" are far more effective at drawing attention than color (which often becomes as common - and therefore as mundane- as black on many pages).
3. Lack of marketing message.
   The basic rules of marketing are seldom put into play in yellow pages ads. The phone company formula is to put the business name at the top; yet, that's the least interest-generating part of your message. The text needs to be clear, concise and to the point - communicating the basic message: Here's what we sell, and here's how it benefits you.

Idea Bank can review and make recommendations on your use of yellow pages ads as part of your overall marketing program - and don't be surprised if we save you a substantial amount of money that can be better spent on other marketing activities!