marketing toolbox


Top 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of
Your Yellow Page Ad
By Adams Hudson 

HVAC Contractors spend a pile of ad money in the Yellow Pages. In fact, nearly 75% of contractors spend over half their marketing budgets in there. You deserve and should get outstanding sales from this expense. The sad news on that is that only 13.4% of HVAC sales result.

Yet the YP is source to millions in consumer traffic and purchases every day. Contractors incorrectly believe that this traffic translates to sales success. It doesn’t. Contractors rank 9th in spending categories, but aren’t even ranked in the top 150 for lead results.

Why such dismal results? 
The problem with contractors’ ads is not under-spending. It’s not a shortage of traffic. The problem with the ad is, well, the ad. (You were looking for something more enlightening? Read on.)

Most YP ads look and read just like huge business cards with no compelling information. To consumers, they look just alike, and you cannot stand out by sameness. The YP ad designers churn out 8 ads a day. You think you’re going to get special lead-generating treatment?

We redesign YP ads that out-pull the same size or larger ones they’re replacing by 200-566% (our highest so far). How? By putting proven techniques and tested response strategies to work.

Remember what you’re selling. 
You aren’t selling your service fleet, or owner’s face, or a big logo, so get that stuff out of the ad. You’re selling a phone call. Your mission is to get the prospect to call you, right now, for the right reasons.

No need for splashy graphics or tricky type to be randomly thrown in your ad. Just state the benefits in your ads quickly and clearly so prospects will actually read them.

Disregard for a prospect’s time is the biggest crime in all of advertising. People want fast, informative, credible evidence that calling you is smart. That’s done with good design, copy and layout. Just like your installation jobs, your ads must be designed well to work well.

Make your YP ads bring in more leads and profits by following these simple rules.

Unbreakable rule #1: Always use a Headline.  You must compel people to stop and notice an ad that speaks to them with a clear, immediate benefit. This is done with a powerful headline.

Headline value is rated at 80% of a display ad’s effectiveness. Yet, when I critique ads for contractors, I see countless examples of what a headline is NOT:

  • Your company name is not a headline.
  • The work classification is not a headline, since that’s the section you’re already in.
  • The length of time your company has been in business is not a headline.
  • Dull phrases like, “Get Cool With <COMPANY>” or “Hot Savings at <COMPANY>” mean nothing even though they sounded like a good idea at the time.

The most powerful YP ads entice and identify with prospects through common problems, or a hopeful solution, but they always have a clear benefit, stated concisely in the form of an attention-grabbing headline.

Unbreakable Rule #2: Remember the target of the ad. (Hint: It is NOT you.) It’s the prospect. It always is, always has been and always had better be. Always put the customer’s benefits ahead of your greatness. This is easily done…

Instead of “We have 24-hour service,” it’s “You get 24-hour service” instead of “We’ve got 10 year warranties,” it’s “You get a 10-year warranty.” Change the words, get more leads. It’s that simple.

Rule of thumb: Say  “you” and “your” four times more than “us” or “we,” and you’ll be okay. That leads me to…

Unbreakable rule #3: Give specific, measurable benefits in clear sentences. I’m often amazed at contractors’ ads with long feature listings but no real meaningful or measurable benefits. What’s the point?

Don’t waste your money on “fluffy or unclear” psuedo-benefits like “We’re fast and reliable. Our new systems save money on energy payments.”

Instead, say, “91% of our service calls are same day. Call now.” Or “You can slash 31% off your energy bills right away. Let us show you how.”

Be specific, measured, and clear. Speak in terms that benefit the prospect. Please, whatever you do, don’t use the worn-out phrase, “For all your heating and cooling needs” or I’ll send the ad police to your house.

Unbreakable rule #4: Reduce your prospect’s risk.  Prospects don’t know who to call, and they have all heard horror stories about scams.  They’re hesitant because calling puts them at risk. Your job in every ad or sales situation is to assume risk, solve their problem and get paid. Right? Let your ad be like 10,000 salespeople by doing this in print.

I’m always shocked at guarantees that never make it to ads. If you have guarantees and don’t advertise them, why do you have them at all? Is it a secret?  Your guarantees tell prospects that you care enough to put their concerns first. It proves you’re committed to satisfaction and quality (without using those worn-out words.)

Other risk reducers are free services you offer. You can have “Free Energy Inspections,” “Free Indoor Air Quality Surveys,” “Free CO test with Tune-Ups” and more.  With every risk reducer you include, your response rate goes up. Isn’t that the point?

Unbreakable rule # 5: You must list a “Call to action.”  If you don’t, your ad has failed to zero-in on the reason prospects are even reading your ad. What are they supposed to do?

A “Call to Action” can be short or long depending on application:

  • Call now.
  • Call your 24-hour service hotline now.
  • Solve your comfort problems now with one quick call

A good YP ad – no matter how simple it seems to you – must give clear instructions on what you want the prospect to do. Ask, or tell, your prospects what to do next to gain the benefits. Assume nothing. Spell it out.

Bottom Line: Creating a lead-generating Yellow Page ad is not a mystery. Just like your salespeople know there is an order to the sales presentation, your ads should read the same way. Lead them in with benefits, tell them how they’ll gain, reduce their risk and explain why “now” is better than later.

When you’re spending as much as you are for YP space, it’s even more important to make it work. Good YP ads tell their prospects exactly how to gain the comfort and value your company represents.