By Van Coker
How many business owners have you known that thought yellow pages “advertising” was money well-spent? That’s what I thought. Not very many, if any.
Not long ago I was visiting with a business owner who had been looking for “a better way” to attract people to his business. He was bemoaning his recent annual meeting with the yellow pages sales rep. Nothing new. It was the same old song I had heard so many times before. Every year he wanted out. Every year they “talked him into” maintaining or buying even more space.
“Buy a bigger ad and you’ll be at the front of your category,” they would advise. Or, “add color to your ad and really get their attention.” Or, “If you cut back, your competition will get all the business.” Sound familiar?
Every year he became more and more convinced the yellow pages just didn’t work. Yet every year he gave in and handed over more and more of his already tight advertising budget. He “had to.” He couldn’t say “no.” After all, his competitors were there. A few people even reported they turned to the yellow pages to find his number. But, always in the back of his mind, he knew there had to be a better way.
The tipping point was reached when his suspicions were confirmed by someone who really knows the yellow pages. His name is Merritt Mattson, a certified yellow pages consultant who knows more about the yellow pages than they know about themselves.
He knows that roughly 98% of the people who use the yellow pages already know the name of the business they want to call…they simply need the number. He knows that in today’s market, a lot of consumers simply Google the name of the business they’re looking for, and presto, the phone number appears…along with the address and the link to their website.
So instead of spending hundreds, or even thousands of dollars for a listing in a book that remains closed about 99% of the time, put your money to good use with intrusive media. Create an advertising campaign that actually communicates with people. Explain to them over and over and over what you do…how you can be of service to them…why they should do business with you…and how to get in touch with you. With intrusive media you can direct them to your website where they can learn even more about you.
Let’s face it, just because you’ve always done it doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. Think about the lifestyles, habits and behavior patterns of today’s consumers. Do you truly have a presence in their lives? What are you doing proactively to cause the consumer to call you if they need the services you provide?
There is a huge difference between buying an “ad” in the yellow pages…and advertising to attract and keep customers. Marketing Firepower shows you what to do and how to do it.
