Are you spending a ton of money in those darn yellow pages?

Well, in some industries you need to unfortunately - like businesses that tend to get called in an emergency - plumbers, electricians, dentists and so on. However, the majority of us may not need to.

I'm not telling you to go out and cancel all your ads; however I do recommend that you actually LOOK at the book (or publication) you want to buy in before you get sold by the salesperson.

See how many advertisers in your category are in there and how big they are. If there are 10-15 full page ads and another 10 half page ads, then this may be a good medium for you, however you will either need to spend a ton of money to get in the top 5-10 ads OR you will need to design your ad so it stands out among the others instead and be smaller OR just have a listing if you can't compete and use your money more effectively elsewhere (for yellow pages).

For other newspapers and magazines - make sure to check the demographics of the publication to make sure first that they will hit your target market. So many small business owners DON'T DO THIS.

Then find out the actual number of publications they print - their circulation, not their readership (that's a fluffed up number). Then you can compare your options by the cost per 1000 households in case you have more than one good option and can only do one.
I can't really tell you which ads to run or where to place your ad dollars in this email since you all have different businesses, however instead of looking at all the other ads to determine what you should put in your ad; you need to think like your customer and what will attract THEM to your ad.

Do they care what your name is? NO, so don't put it at the top of your ad, put it at the bottom with all your contact info and logo. They will have specific "Hot Buttons" that they care about and you need to address those in your heading.

Here are some tips:
- Try reversing your ad if you can't afford color.
- Use big bold headings to grab attention.
- Identifying your customer's Hot Buttons is the key to a more effective ad. You have 1.5 - 3 seconds to grab someone's attention in any medium.

Do you know how many different yellow page books there are that cover your area? There's probably at least 3-4. Everyone in your area gets them all, which one or more do you advertise in? The cheapest you say? WRONG.

These rules apply to most print advertising as well as TV and radio. Of course you need to grab the reader/viewer/listener's attention, but don't do it with your name unless you're McDonald's and it's lunchtime.

How are you doing with your advertising?
Always remember, before you make a media buy to think it through, don't get pressured, and do some research so you can make sure to reach your target market, not just get a good deal. If you don't have a Marketing Plan, then get one. If you don't have time to do it, then hire someone who knows what they're talking about and spend your marketing dollars wisely, not haphazardly.