High-Performance Yellow Page Advertising

The Six Key Elements of High-Performance Yellow Page Ad Design.

Create a strong headline that commands attention and engages Yellow Page readers.

Video Storyboard Tests, a New York-based marketing research firm, conducted extensive examinations to find out how valuable advertising headlines really are.

In a recent study, they compared ads with headlines to those without by showing different focus groups two different ad sets. In one set all the ads contained headlines focused on key buying points. In the other, the exact same ads had no headlines at all.

Unquestionably, the ads with the headlines scored dramatically higher in the most important areas—message recall, understandability, relevance, and persuasiveness.

This important study is very valuable. The study is in no way isolated, or unique. Countless other independent studies have concluded the same thing—headlines work.

Don't you want your advertising to be clear? Persuasive? Relevant? Don't you want your potential customers to remember you?

Though there is no question a powerful headline is essential to a powerhouse Yellow Page ad, most Yellow Page advertisers still haven't got the message.

Take a look in any Yellow Page directory and you'll find countless Yellow Page ad designs with no clear headline—no discernable message. These advertisers seem to be using the, "buy from me for no justifiable, rational reason" approach.

Let them do their thing, you do your's. Get a headline. Spend some time dreaming it up. Eight out of ten Yellow Page readers decide whether or not to read your Yellow Page ad based on the strength of your headline. Make it a good one.

Writing a powerful headline is not hard. Find your most important feature. Find what sets you apart from your Yellow Page advertising competition and tailor your headline to convey that message.

There are several ways you can create a compelling headline. Find an attention-grabbing statement that engages the reader. Or create a problem followed by your company's solution. Focus on your company's unique value advantage in any solution.

When focusing on your company's advantages, try to find things that are truly unique. There is a simple test I like to use on headlines. I call this test the "Well, I would hope so..." test. Try it with your headline.

If your an auto mechanic, and your headline is "We fix your car right!" My immediate response is, "Well, I would hope so...you are an auto mechanic." If I was parting with my hard-earned money, I would expect my auto mechanic to "fix my car right." I mean, that is what I'm paying for, right?

A powerful headline gives the potential customer something extra. If the headline was "A free car wash with any repair..." Well, now I'm all ears.

Try a few yourself. Don't even worry about the ad yet. Just focus on a unique message that makes you standout from the crowd.

Ask around. Share your ideas with people. In no time at all you'll be well on your way to placing a Yellow Page ad design powerhouse—a complete Yellow Page heading dominator.

So few Yellow Page advertisers understand the power of headlines that few even appear in competitor's Yellow Page ad designs. I guarantee, if you follow this one rule alone, you will get noticeable results.

But why stop there? Let's move on and find our target market!