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Radio and Television

Besides News paper, magazine, and direct email you can do Radio and Television stations in advertising your small business have relied on ratings by groups such as Neilson and Arbitron to make their pitch. Though convincing, there are no guarantees of who, or if even anyone, will hear or see your advertising or information.
Print advertising and the older electronic medias still have their place, but Internet advertising is quickly becoming a strategic form of more effective results oriented marketing.

Yellow Page Advertising

The first time the term yellow pages was ever used was in 1883 when a printer working on a regular telephone directory ran out of white paper an used yellow paper instead. The first actual Yellow Pages directory was produced by Reuben H. Donnelly in 1886 and featured business names and phone numbers organized under headings according to the products and/or services they provided. Since this first publication, the Yellow Pages have become the one constant in print advertising.

Unlike other media, people are driven to use the Yellow Pages by major life events instead of entertainment purposes or because they are convenient. Thus, the Yellow Pages fulfill a need in the marketplace and in this way ensure their longevity. According to a 2006 Simmons National Consumer Survey, the single biggest event that increases Yellow Pages usage is a first time financial investment, which increases usage by 165%.

The next biggest events and their corresponding increase in usage are as follows: youngest daughter gets married – 160%; youngest son gets married – 140%; oldest child entering school – 124%; change jobs – 120%; expecting first child – 115%; separating/divorcing – 109%; youngest child graduates college – 94%; refinance home – 84%.
According to the Yellow Pages Association, 99% of adults in the United States are familiar with the Yellow Pages; 49% refer to it in a typical week; and 87% are likely to make a purchase after consulting the Yellow Pages. No other form of advertising can claim such a high follow-through.

The Yellow Pages Association also tells us that people who are most likely to use the Yellow Pages are affluent, well-educated, technologically savvy, and willing to try new brands if they have the right information in front of them. They are also value shoppers who are willing to spend more to get more value. Isn’t this the kind of consumer that most businesses wish to attract through their marketing efforts?

The Yellow Pages extend the reach of other advertising media making them an essential part of many advertising campaigns. According to a 2006 Media Impact Study conducted by TNS, 12.5% of consumers utilized direct mail. 2.5% used direct mail and the Yellow Pages and 17.6% used the Yellow Pages alone. Thus, by combining different types of advertising, a business can reach a much larger portion of the population. This is true for other types of advertising as well, as shown below:

A comparison of annual spending by users of the top Yellow Pages Headings versus all consumers for the same businesses revealed that those who found the business in the Yellow Pages spent 25% more than those who found the business through other means.
There are over two hundred Yellow Pages publishers in the United States and they have traditionally fallen into two categories: telephone company-related or non-telephone company-related. These lines, however, are beginning to blur.

Businesses today should not ignore directories that are not associated with phone companies and assume that these directories are thrown away or just not used. Not all consumers rely on the same sources of information and many of these directories do find their way into everyday use.

There are even different types of Yellow Pages directories being published today. An area-wide or overlay directory combines areas that are currently served by multiple directories into one larger directory area. A suburban or neighborhood directory serves a specific geographic area that is already covered by a larger directory. A special interest or niche directory is targeted at specific consumer markets. Business-to-business directories cater to the purchasing needs of business customers. Knowledge of the existence of these different types of directories allows businesses to target their advertising more effectively.

Yellow page ads are sold on an annual basis and their price is based on the advertising space you choose and the circulation size of the particular directory. A basic one –line listing comes free with your business telephone service. However, you can upgrade your listing ranging from just using bold-face type in your one-line ad to purchasing a full-page advertisement with color. Ads are arranged under each heading in the directory from biggest to smallest based on seniority. Therefore, the first full-page advertisement that you see in each section is the advertiser who has had their full-page ad the longest. This is the same for the ¾-page ads, and the ½-page ads as well. If at any time you choose to upgrade or downgrade the size of your ad, your advertisement will be added to the end of the section.

There are certain things that you must include in a Yellow Pages advertisement in order to make it effective. First, your headline should identify your company and the area you serve. Second, you need to state as clearly and precisely as possible what your business does. Make sure that you include any products or services that make you unique among your competitors. Third, advertise your incentives to customers, such as free estimates, free maintenance checks, or money-back guarantees. Fourth and last, make sure that you include all pertinent contact information. This may include the business’ address and phone number, your hours of operation, and what, if any, credit cards you accept.

Make sure that you have proofread your ad multiple times and that you ask others to do so as well. This ad will appear exactly the way you write it for an entire year. If you are unsure about your ability to compile an effective advertisement, there are plenty of advertising agencies that are exclusively devoted to creating Yellow Page advertisements and placing them in the appropriate directories.

According to publishers, over sixty per cent of people consult the Yellow Pages regularly. It has become a conditioned response. Even with the advent of the internet, people are still more likely to pick up that handy book by the telephone instead of turning on their computers for specific business types. Thus, Yellow Pages advertisements work well for these businesses. They are proven to generate calls and produce sales. However, there are several common mistakes that small businesses make concerning Yellow Page advertising.

1) A company will avoid advertising in the Yellow Pages even when their type of business is proven to be more successful when listed in the directory. Categories with proven results include: restaurants, auto repair and service, attorneys, beauty salons, insurance, plumbing contractors, and florists.
2) A small business advertises in only one directory in their marketplace, ignoring the others.
3) A business owner believes that everybody already knows him and his business and that advertising would be just a waste of money.
4) If an enterprise does not keep track of where their customers are finding out about their products and services, it can easily deny the effectiveness of Yellow Pages advertising.
5) A business does not advertise to the extent necessary to meet their growth goals. For instance, a small ad will work for you if your competitors are all relying on regular listings, but it will not be effective if they are utilizing display ads.
6) A business can also spend too much on advertising and not see a big enough return for their investment. Make sure that your advertising is in line with your goals, negotiate with the sales representatives selling the ads, use the right size ad for your heading, and use color wisely. Studies have shown that color ads do not have any more power over consumers than those in black and white.
7) Make sure that you handle phone calls generated from your advertising efficiently. You must respond quickly and when possible personally. Do not use answering systems to direct your incoming calls. Studies show you can lose more than fifty per cent of your potential customers when they hear a computer-generated voice instead of a human one.