This time of year advertising salespeople are out there in full force.  Especially the yellow page type media.  Many of our clients ask if we think that the yellow type books are still a good idea in this new digital economy and the answer is “it depends”.  You need to know if these types of ads are bringing in the revenue needed to pay for the ads and increase revenue.  In addition, if your customers use the web to find companies then it might be a waste.  Keep in mind that most people use these books to find new providers.  If you have done your job keeping your existing customers happy and informed then most will not go back to the book.

Many companies spend thousands of dollars per month on these types of ads and when you ask them if they are working the answer is usually an uncomfortable “We don’t know.”  The reason that they don’t know is that they don’t have processes in place to effectively track the effectiveness of most of their marketing especially the yellow page type ads.  Many companies think that if they put a coupon into the ad then that’s the best way to track.  And I am sorry to say it’s not simply because tracking means how much revenue did the ad bring in?  Not just in the initial sale but in the lifetime value of the customer.

If you need to save the money but still think you need to be in these types of books then here are 5 quick tips you could do this year.

1) Make the ad much smaller.  Keep the same information in the ad but make it an in-column ad.  White background to make it stand out. Many of the larger page ads confuse a person and if every competitor has a display ad then the entire page gets too cumbersome forcing people to run to the in-column area.  Personally when I look for a company in these books I always go to the in-column first.  What about you?  Also, by doing this, it might allow you to be in multiple categories and still save some money.

2) Put your website and a special toll free number in the ad to track the incoming calls and on-line inquires.  You should register a different domain name and direct them to a landing page where you track the stats.  Make sure that above the website address and phone number you place the words.  “For more Information Visit Our Website Or Call Us Toll Free.” (Without the quotes” “)  Also, these in-column ads will usually have your company name first.  That is ok but in the first bullet of the ad put what you do.  This will help direct the eyes to the ad.

PLEASE NOTE: Many of the yellow page type companies offer tracking.  Do your homework and look at the true costs before doing it with them.  Ask for references of companies that used their tracking last year and actually call them to see how they liked it.

3) Put a QR CODE in the ad.  Make sure that this is also a special website address that you are only using for yellow page type ads and track this as well.

4) When a person becomes a customer be sure you know how much they spend over their LTV (Lifetime Value) and how long they stay a customer.

5) Enforce a “how did you hear about us” policy.  Many companies have a staff member answering the phone.  In addition to the special toll free number your staff should always ask “how did they hear about our company?”  You could have this on the phone message pad.  Maybe you can make this a contest?  Make sure you explain how important this question is to everyone.  This way when you fire them for not asking they can’t say you did not tell them.

After tracking the amount of money you spend far outweighs the ROI then it might be time to pull the plug.

If you are in need of some cost effective advertising solutions that actually work then just give us a call.

Thanks and as always we welcome your comments.