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![]() Yellow Pages Advertising for Sign Shops
By Fran Finley
Nowadays Barry Maher is gaining fame as an inspiring, informative and often hilarious keynote speaker. His new book, Filling the Glass: The Skeptic's Guide to Positive Thinking in Business has been dubbed a "must read" by business experts like Arizona Diamondbacks owner, Jerry Colangelo, and cited by Today's Librarian magazine as '[One of] The Seven Essential Popular Business Books.'
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Few people realize that Maher is also the author of the book, Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising, and that he conducts workshops on Yellow Pages advertising at conventions and trade shows across the country. According to TIME, "Barry Maher has helped thousands of small businesses get the most cost effective Yellow Pages advertising possible. [He's] easily the most widely respected speaker, consultant and writer on the subject." We spoke with Barry Maher at his Santa Barbara, California, home.
Does Yellow Pages advertising really work for sign professional?
Can't you rely on your Yellow Pages sales rep for any help you need?
Your goal should be to have the best ad under any heading you're in. At the very least you want have one of the best ads there. Ask--no, insist--that your directory publishers develop an ad that justifies the cost. If they can't do better than standard Yellow Pages block lettering, cluttered and jumbled layout and 1950's clip-art, you can and should have the ad produced yourself.
Okay, so you need a great looking ad. What about the content?
Is Sigmond's Signs and Banners really likely to do that? Or 21st Century Signage? Sorry, but the average business name--unless the reader is already familiar with the company-has as much selling power as . . . well, as Barry Maher. I've been in business for 15 years now. I've worked with over 300 different companies. Not one of them ever hired me because they liked the name, Barry Maher. Most of the people who look at Yellow Pages display ads are shoppers. They're looking for information to help them decide what business to contact; they aren't seeking a specific business by name. Never use your company name as your headline unless that name is truly the most important selling copy in the ad. Give them your strongest selling point--the single piece of copy they're likely to care about most. Then you can tell them your name.
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What other copy should you include?
So you should use every bit of the ad space you're paying for?
If your picture isn't worth a thousand words, find one that is. If your ad looks second rate, people will assume your signs will look the same way.
How about ad size--is bigger better? The good news is that all things are seldom equal. The biggest ad under the heading is not always the most effective. And a well-designed, visually appealing ad can make up for a lot of size, especially under a smaller heading where all the ads are on the same page or two. It's much more difficult of course to compete with ads on an earlier page. That page may never even be turned. No matter what, always consider placement when you're deciding on ad size. Have your sales rep show you where the size you're considering would fall in this year's directory. That should give you an approximate idea of the position--relative to the competition--you'd have next year. Sometimes going up a single size and spending just a few more dollars will move you much closer to the front of the heading. Sometimes you can cut back in size without losing much at all in the way of position.
What about using color?
Nowadays some areas are covered by several competing directories. Should you buy ads in all of them?
Always make your sales rep prove value--especially when you're considering an independent (non phone company) directory or a questionable heading. If he can't, don't put any real money there: no matter how many of your competition you might see. You may be just repeating their mistake. Instead, if the directory or the heading seems worthwhile, try something small: perhaps even a simple in-column ad alphabetically under your name, or even just a listing. Then track your response--survey your customers to discover how they discovered you--and next year you'll have your own proof. One way or the other.
What do you think of buying an ad in the white pages? I only recommend alphabetical white page ads in very specialized cases. If you're Syracuse Signs and you're in the midst of seven white pages of businesses starting with the word Syracuse, you do need something beyond a bold listing to help your customers find you. Or perhaps you're Sophisticated Signs and Select Sign Service usually falls on the same page, and you want to siphon off a few of their calls. Or maybe you've got information you need to impart to reduce unnecessary calls. Otherwise . . . put the money in the Yellow Pages.
What's the single biggest Yellow Pages mistake you've ever encountered? Some sales reps and publishers don't like to send out proofs even on display ads. Proofs cost money and often create additional work. Always insist on a proof. If you're ever tempted not to, remember Dan Hadley. This article is adapted with permission from Fran Finley's forthcoming book, "Ask the Experts: How to Promote Your Business." Expert Barry Maher can be found on the web at www.barrymaher.com or reached at barrymaher@barrymaher.com or 805 962-2599.
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