Inside the Yellow Pages

that respond to the ad. The ones that ignore or bypass the ad aren’t tapped for any feedback at all.

Suppose you sell a high-end product like cars. The average person might drive many miles to save thousands of dollars. So, it’s incumbent upon the business to reach everyone, meaning the largest directory. Okay, then you go in the Metro Chicago book. But what about the people in an outlying area? Will they drive that far and which book will they us

locally owned service companies, they can’t afford comparably wasteful, but high cost, newspaper and television campaigns. So the Yellow Pages become a viable option,

One might be seasonality. Air conditioning companies or a rental business that leases ski equipment, are stuck with their YP ads for a year. But, because of the timing, they may have to supplement their program with other forms of advertising during their peak season. Therefore, they might be forced to spend a smaller percentage of their budget on

A simple rule of thumb can be the price and drive-time correlation. More precisely, when one is making a modest or lowcost purchase, shoppers tend to stay closer to home. Therefore,

A service business has an entirely different challenge. They either offer an emergency service like plumbing or auto repair that may or may not, ever be needed. Or consider specialty services like wedding planning or florists that are occasionally required. But when the opportunity arises, these businesses have to be available to be seen. If the co

Mrs. Jones has just become our newest customer. It happened with a simple headline. We could have said, “You May Not Need A Repair, Ask Us Why.” Or how about, “The Secrets to a Better Repair Job.” How about, “Why Get a Repair, When All You Need is a Part?” or “What Every Washer Owner Needs to Know.”

At an average cost of about $300 per 10,000 mailers, it appears fairly reasonable. But let’s assume you want to reach 50,000. A one-time mailing is $1500. Say this is an insert into an envelope stuffed with other mailers, perhaps as many as twenty-five. Now, suppose you are a carpet cleaner. For you to get a decent ROI on your $1500 investment, man

decision. Usually, that means a larger ad. Therefore, if you can’t afford both, opt for the size first.