The first thing that people see when they look at a Yellow Page advertisement is the headline. Therefore it must be the item that draws them in to display the rest of your story. After all, you’ve spent your hard-earned money on this ad and it better work powerfully for you. The trouble begins when you allow your ego to lead the way. For instance, suppose you’re name is the business name, such as Bill Smith’s Plumbing Repair. Naturally, you would love to put that at the top of the ad and who could blame you?
Well, I could for one. And who am I to judge you? I’m glad you asked. I was a YP consultant for 25 years and designed 1000′s of successful ads, many of which as still in the Phoenix, Arizona Dex book to this day. I have a degree in Advertising Design and ran my own ad agency. So I would say I am more than qualified to determine how your YP should look.
Getting back to that pesky headline. What does Bill Smith’s Plumbing Repair really tell us? If my water heater is dead, does it matter whether you are Bill, Sam, or Fred? And, because I found you under “Plumbing Repair” in the phone book, couldn’t I assume that’s what you do? So, now I ask you, is that the best you can do to attract customers? That’s what I thought. Let’s take another look at that half-page ad of yours. What does the public want in a plumber? Answer the question in the headline. Here are some examples:
On-time, reliable, in your neighborhood, guaranteed, trucks have all parts, 20 years experience, we have references, re-piping specialists, and so forth. The trick is to then pick the one feature that you can offer as the headline and then list the others in the text.
Another great way to pull in the potential buyer is with a controversial statement. Try something like, “We Hate to Work on Toilets.” Why? Because that means it might cost you lots of money and we don’t like to be the bad guys, but we will still do a good job. Or think about, “Wonder Why We Won’t Quote over the Phone?” The answer is because other companies inflate the price to cover their costs, while we charge after the work is done to be exact and not a penny more. Or offer “how-to” tips like, “How to Save on Your Next Repair.” It could say things like pre-clear the area first to save us time. Be creative.
And finally, be funny or cute but not offensive. Don’t offer a “Royal-Flush” or “We Won’t Drain your Wallet.” Instead, be more appealing with, “We’re Happy to Put You in Hot Water,” after you repair their hot water heater. It can be simple, yet effective. I can walk you through other examples and I do in my book, “Inside the Yellow Pages,” off my website or amazon.com where I also explain other money-making YP secrets and tips that can make your ad a success.