National Clothesline

The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity I need! My name in print! That really makes me somebody! Things are going to start happening to me now.

– Navin R. Johnson (from the movie “The Jerk”)

If you saw the popular Steve Martin movie, you’ll remember that as he’s jumping up and down and carrying on like a raving lunatic, Navin (the Jerk) explains to his boss, Harry Hartounian, that millions of people read the phone book every day so, naturally, his name would be seen by everyone and he’d be famous in no time.

Believe it or not, many drycleaners have the very same idea. When it comes to promotion, the top item on the agenda is a presence in the yellow pages.

In fact, a recent study by the Kelsey Group predicts that 46 percent of the $22 billion small business will spend on advertising in 2004 will go toward yellow pages ads. Compare that to 13 percent for newspapers, 11 percent for websites and 6 percent for direct mail.

Does your Yellow Pages ad pay for itself?

Whenever I ask this question the answers range from “no” to “probably not.” Very few cleaners know for sure if their Yellow Pages ad gets any business at all, let alone how much revenue the ad might generate and yet, they continue to write a big check for the service year after year.

Having said that, I now suggest that a decision to advertise in the Yellow Pages is not necessarily a bad one. After all, anytime a prospect turns to the drycleaning section of the phone book they’ve already decided to use a cleaner, they just don’t know which one.

With a little creativity, you can easily convert an ad that simply takes up space into an ad that produces profit. Just how much depends on how inclined the people in your area are to use the Yellow Pages to find your type of service. It’s an inclination that varies from market to market.

Now, take a minute and open the phone book to the drycleaners section. What you’ll see is a page full of ads that look pretty much the same — company name, perhaps a slogan and then a “laundry” list of services. The ads have a certain likeness or sameness to them. There’s nothing that really distinguishes one cleaner from another, so the prospect usually ends up choosing the cleaner that’s closest to home.

Why do all the ads look the same? Simple. Yellow Pages clerks write them. And why did the owner of the business let some clerk write the ad? Because it was free!

If you want an ad that really works, have your Yellow Pages ad designed and written by a pro, not the Yellow Pages people. Their ads tend to have a cookie cutter look emphasizing the phone number instead of actual advantages and benefits of the business. If you don’t want to pay a pro, you can probably write a much better ad than the Yellow Pages clerk can.

There are at least six components to a powerful, effective Yellow Pages ad. Use all six and your ad will become more than just a simple business card with your name, address and phone number. Instead, it will quickly and continually pay for itself by propelling interested prospects to you.

1. Your Yellow Pages ad must have a headline.

All ads have headlines and a Yellow Pages ad is no different. If you look through the Yellow Pages, you’ll see that many companies use no headline at all or simply use their company name as the headline. This is egocentric advertising at its worst. Why would someone come to you simply because you put the name of your company across the top of the ad?

The headline is actually the most important element in your ad. It should grab attention with a powerful benefit.

2. Your ad should inform and educate.

Give lots of information. This is where purchase decisions are made. By giving customers the information they need to make an informed decision, you build credibility. Showing that you put your customers’ interests first demonstrates that you understand their needs and that you’ll strive to meet those needs.

3. Give your ad a personal and individual feel.

Try to write from the customer’s point of view. Use the second person, specifically the pronouns “you” and “your.” For example, “You’ll feel confident taking your valued wardrobe items to a cleaner you can trust.” Personally involving your customer makes your business more interesting and appealing than simply listing a number of services. It injects character and individuality into the selling process. People want to be treated like human beings, not robots.

4. Offer at least one good reason to choose you over your competitor.

Your biggest challenge is to convince someone that your service is better than the service being offered down the street or across town.

State the advantages you offer in terms of what it can do for them, how it can solve their problems, meet their needs and make life easier for them. People need reasons to travel a little further or spend a little more. If you can convey a sense of individual service, quality and personal care, chances are you’ll arouse their interest.

5. If possible, offer something FREE in your ad.

Prospects need to be motivated to take action. It’s important to get them to take the next step and an offer of free service is an excellent way to force a decision in your direction. For example, why not offer to clean a suit or dress FREE? Also, being able to trace an offer to the Yellow Pages gives you a way of gauging the effectiveness of your ad. In other words, you’ll have a better way of knowing if the ad is effective at all.

6. Make your ad look different than the others.

If you get enough business from the Yellow Pages or think you might be able to, why not invest in the largest ad in your section or use color… or both. Of course it will cost more but these changes could dramatically improve response. Another way to stand out is to put a solid line at least 1/16" thick around the entire ad. This little trick will really make your ad pop and it won’t cost you an extra dime! It’s not hard to make your ad stand out in a sea of look-alikes and doing so will get your ad read more often by more readers.

Does your Yellow Pages ad pay for itself?

If you have no way of knowing, perhaps you should consider putting your marketing dollars into another form of advertising.

After all, there’s no law that says you must advertise in the Yellow Pages. If, however, this medium works for you, consider how these six components could best be applied to your present ad. Proper implementation of these simple steps will begin turning your yellow pages gold.

Bill Bishop has been a consultant with the Golomb Group for the past 12 years, designing marketing and promotional programs for drycleaners. He can be reached at the Golomb Group at (800) 679-5856 or by e-mail at billbishop@golombgroup.com.