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Your Plumbing Yellow Page Ad is Leaking Leads
Let’s fix it 

I was simply amazed at how many people responded to my rant about yellow pages.  My floor was littered with faxes from contractors wanting their ad critiqued for free.  During the task of sifting through all the (I hate to say terrible, but that’s what the vast majority were) ads, I discovered that there was a common thread of flaws among them.

Flaw #1: Bad layout. Changing typefaces every sentence is a bad idea.  It makes it hard to read, and it makes it look like an 8 year old who just discovered Word wrote it.  Large blocks of centered text do not attract many eyes and tire the ones that it does.  There are many “don’ts” that experts in human comprehension have about 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 the list goes on. Each of these rules were violated in the vast majority of ads I reviewed. These easily remedied problems are costing you serious money and providing you with very little results. 

Flaw #2: No "call to action".  There is no need, at any time, anywhere to pay for an ad that has no call to action.  You are not going to get results if you have people saying, “So what?” when they read your advertisement.  Craft a compelling call to action that customers will actually want to answer.

Flaw #3: No headline.  Simply stated, a headline is "the ad for the ad”.  80% of your ads effectiveness is derived from the headline, because if people don’t read that then they aren’t going to read the rest of your ad, either.   Your company name, no matter how well-known isn't a headline. Pictures of your work trucks are not headlines.  Proudly stating how you’ve been in business for 35 years is very impressive, but it’s no headline.

An effective headline is a strong, clearly stated benefit for the customer. Without this, your ad blends in beautifully with all the other losers. 

Flaw #4: Dull, pointless copy or graphics.  I’ll be upfront with everyone and state that 86% of the ads I reviewed did not contain even one complete sentence.  Most of what I saw was a list of services scattered about the ad in no logical order.  This nonsense is costing you money.  Badly written copy goes from bad to awful when it does not state a benefit to the reader. 

Graphics are important, but not unless they’re pertinent.  Pictures of tanker trucks are not pertinent unless that’s what you’re selling. 

In the ads I reviewed, logos were overused and abused.  You don’t need two three of them, and you don’t need to make them take up half the ad.

“For all your plumbing needs" is a pointless waste of ink.  It has lost all meaning due to its gross overuse.  The folks at the Yellow Pages are in love with clichéd phrases and stock art.  This does nothing but fill up your ads and cost you money that could be better spent elsewhere.

Flaw #5: Bad and costly waste of space. This ties into all the other flaws – and Flaw #5 is the worst offender.  Pictures of wrenches and plungers, oversized multiple logos, and absurd renditions of pointless phrases means your ad is just too much trouble to warrant customers’ attention.  Without a logical order to your advertisement, your most expensive, year-long ad will make you look bad every day for a year.

Solution: Revamp dull copy.  Spend time on crafting a catchy headline. In plain English, include a compelling call to action. Without these things your YP ad is just wasted potential.   

You may also have your ad critiqued and/or designed by a professional (and I still do it for free). This is an expensive, important, and potentially lead-generating investment – make it pay off in the long run by getting it done right the first time.