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"Important
Research Into Yellow Pages Advertising Shows
You How To Make Your Ad A Real Winner And Wipeout Your
Competition"
by Steve
Hackney
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Most people
fail with their Yellow Pages advertising because they don't understand
the principles of Yellow Pages advertising.
In fact this
advertising medium suffers from what I call the 'ad copy syndrome.' Basically
this means people create their ads like everyone else's because they assume
incorrectly that that's the best way to create them!
When you
study some very valid research on Yellow Pages advertising you'll see
exactly what you should and shouldn't do. In fact much of the research
dispels many myths and preconceived ideas about Yellow Pages advertising.
I've listed
below the most relevant research. I've then included a small "Side
Bar" where I add my own observations and comments. Please read each
note carefully…
*****
1. 60% of
those who pick up the directory make an immediate purchase (Mangel 1992)
===>Side
Bar<===
This is no
surprise to me - except I
think the figure is higher. If you ever
needed any proof about the use of directory
advertising to attract new clients or
customers this should be proof enough!
*****
2. "The
more information contained in the ad the better as long as the copy remains
readable" Gerald L Lohse (1997). More importantly Lohse found that
the probability of selecting a business increased as the number of words
in the ad increased!
===>Side
Bar<===
Surprised?
Most advertisers think people
won't read lots of information. They're
wrong - very wrong. People in the "Direct
Marketing" industry have known this for
years. If someone is interested in what
you're selling they'll read as much
information as possible. It's your job to
give them this information.
*****
3. After
graphics, colour has the smallest impact on choice. Gerald L Lohse (1997)
===>Side
Bar<===
Two gems
in this one. What it's saying
is forget about graphics in your ad (why
even bother using a designer - 'cos that's
all you'll get - nice fancy graphics').
Secondly
this shows that colour in an ad
has only a small impact on the consumers
choice of business. This fact can save you
thousands of dollars.
4. Directory
advertising increases the effectiveness of television advertising from
7.7% to 28.2%, newspaper advertising from 23.6% to 42.4% and radio advertising
from 4.2% to 25.3% - 1996 Media Impact Study, National Directory Monitor.
===>Side
Bar<===
This basically
shows the combined effect
of directory advertising on your other
marketing tools. I call this the 'Combo
Effect.'
Hopefully
you don't just rely on directory
advertising for your business growth. Even
with an extremely effective directory ad
(you'll have one soon) the success of your
business will be multiplied depending upon
the additional marketing tools you use.
*****
5. Consumers
noticed over 93% of quarter page display ads, but only 26% of the plain
listings, therefore the larger the ad the more likely people are to notice
the ad - Consumer Eye Movement Patterns On directory Advertising - Gerald
L Lohse 1996
===>Side
Bar<===
In case you
ever wondered - size does
matter. I agree in principle to these
results, but don't forget, a big ad with
the wrong information will never out pull
a small ad with all the right information.
*****
6. 62% of
people look at more than one ad when they reference the directory. On
average people look at 5.3 ads before deciding which business to call.
And 79% of people want more information from the ads - Statistical Research
Inc (SRI)
===>Side
Bar<===
Two sides
of the coin to consider here.
38% of people
look at just one ad, which
means your ad better grab attention quickly.
(You do this using an all powerful headline).
Second it
shows if they are looking at 5
ads before they make a choice, you must
give them a reason to choose you over and
above your competition.
The only
way you can do this is by giving
the consumer enough information to make
an informed decision.
***VERY IMPORTANT***
At this point
I want to mention the importance of differentiating your business from
the competition.
If people
on average look at 5 ads, and can't differentiate between them (this happens
90% of the time, what they do is choose to call all 5 or maybe ring 3
or 4 of these businesses.
Straight
away you've limited your success. But there's something even more important.
If the consumer can't differentiate between the businesses they ring,
what's the one thing that enables them to differentiate? That's right.
They choose a business based on PRICE, and that's NOT their fault it's
YOUR FAULT!
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What does all this mean?
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This research
tells us the following…
1. Your ads
must contain lots of copy/information
2. Size does matter - your ads can't be any less than a quarter column
display ad
3. Graphics and colour aren't that important
4. You must grab the attention of the consumer as soon as possible. This
is done with a headline!
5. You must differentiate yourself from your competitors so the consumer
chooses you above all others
Now's the
time to start making changes to the way you market and advertise your
business. These results may sound radical to you - almost unbelievable,
but if you want success with your yellow Pages advertising this is what
must be done. The choice is yours!
© Steve Hackney, Hackney
Marketing Ltd
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