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Why Your Yellow Page Ad Is Failing...  
And what you can do about it. 

When I wrote "How To Make Your Yellow Page Ads Pull More Leads", I had no idea we had ignited a powder keg! Readers responded in droves by faxing in their ads for a free critique. (My fax machine choked on a few terrible examples that came through.) Don't worry, all the offenders have been set straight.

After reviewing dozens of ads from readers across the country, a few trends in unprofitable ad design emerged. Here they are…

Crime #1: No headline. 
Look, 80% of your ad's effectiveness (that you're paying for by the way) is in it's headline. A headline is "the ad for the ad" and commands an importance not approached by any other element in your ad. Your company name isn't a headline. A cartoon of a guy in a truck is not a headline. The "oldest, biggest, smallest, newest, fastest, mostest" anything is not a headline.

A headline is a strong, clearly stated benefit for the customer. Without one, your ad suffers miserably with all the other losers. With one, you stand out, get read, and get called. Isn't this why you're advertising in the first place? 

"I LOVE my YP ad.  I was skeptical at first. My YP rep told me it was bad, but I trusted Hudson, Ink and told her not to change a thing.   I have been REALLY busy this past summer, and can’t keep up with demand.  I’ve never had so many people tell me that they love my YP ad!"  -Steve Rudas, Priority One, Inc., CA

A headline is a strong, clearly stated benefit for the customer. Without one, your ad suffers miserably with all the other losers. With one, you stand out, get read, and get called. Isn't this why you're advertising in the first place?

Crime #2: Bad layout.
The YP reps love to center vast blocks of text and change typestyles about every 3rd word. Here's my 3-word advice: Don't do it! Experts in human comprehension have many "don'ts" in ad copy layout: Don't exceed 5-7 words to a line. Don't center over 3 lines in a row. Don't put smaller than 14 point type in a reverse block. Don't have more than 8-10 words in a headline. And so on. Each of these rules were violated in the vast majority of ads I reviewed. This is costing you serious money in sheer ad cost and lacking results.

Crime #3: Dull, pointless copy or graphics.
Most of what I saw were mere "menu listings" of services, generally laid out in some nonsensical fashion that lead absolutely nowhere. A staggering 86% of the ads I reviewed did not contain one complete sentence!

Worse than this, many of you continue to pay for things in ads that readers DO NOT see as benefits.

Photos of trucks and vans - unless you're selling trucks and vans - don't increase traffic, yet they do cost you money.

Putting in logos "just because they fit" is not a good idea. Logos are not complete thoughts - they're symbols - and should be treated as such.

"Two words to get a Yellow Page ad that pulls in leads: Hudson, Ink." -Tom Atchley, Oren Atchley Co. Inc., AR

Phrases such as "For all your <service> needs" is a total waste of space. It is so overused, it means nothing to prospects. Same with about 6 other wildly overused phrases that the Yellow Page ad folks are passionately in love with for no apparent reason… other than to fill up your ads with them and charge you for their inclusion.

Crime #4: No "call to action."
If you're not going to ask people to call you in some compelling way, pull your ad and save your money. There is no need, at any time, anywhere to pay for an ad that has no call to action.

Crime #5: Bad and costly waste of space.
Hey, I'm a marketer; bad use of space means bad return on investment. This Crime is the overall loser. Pictures of condensing units, oversized multiple logos, and absurd clusters of pointless phrases means your ad is just too much trouble to wade through. There is a logical order to all things. Your most expensive, year-long ad should certainly be among them.

Solution:Create a powerful headline. Punch up your copy. Get a compelling call to action, and lay it out so normal human beings can actually follow it! Then and only then will your YP ad reach its potential.

You may also have your ad critiqued and/or designed by a professional. You can then use this lead-generating ad for YP or newspaper, or many other ways. The small investment in getting this very important image and sales enhancer done right, will pay significant dividends for years.

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"I cut my Yellow Page ad from a full page, full color down to just a dollar bill size… in black and white. The Yellow Page ad and advice you gave saved us $21,870 
and increased our lead count! Incredible."   -John W. Baethke, John Baethke & Son Plumbing, IL

"We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we asked Hudson, Ink to redesign our Yellow Page ad – even though we know the results are guaranteed. 
But then we opened up our local book.  Our ad is the only one like it!  Talk about standing out from the competition! 
We’ve gotten so many calls that I can’t believe we didn’t do this sooner.  Thank you!"  -Trish Hans, Pratt Plumbing, Heating & A/C, TX 

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