Right out of the gate, know that print yellow page advertising has experienced continued decline for the past 10-15 years, becoming more obsolete as we as consumers flock to online resources.
Online yellow page listings are a viable alternative, though only 2% of resume writers are using yellow pages [this includes print/online], according to the 2015 Profile of Professional Resume Writers published by BeaResumeWriter.com.
Certainly 2% is very low, though there is something worth mentioning — not all resume writers adequately track the true source of new business. This means in all likelihood that the 2% is likely over or under estimated.
Online Yellow Page Advertising
YellowPages.com is probably one of the most well-known online yellow page advertising solutions for businesses.
YPs offers a standard, alphabetical, and online listing for your business, shown across a networked list of business directories.
Additionally, YP.com also offers other paid-tiered services – amongst those are display ads, which provides your business a preferred online listing; e.g. your business is shown at top of an online search result for resume writers in your city.
What might surprise you are the rates.
YellowPages.com offers a starting package of just $49/month for a listing, which is much lower than the previous $200 – $1200/month we as resume writers used to plunk down for print directory solutions.
If You’re Still Interested, Here’s What You Need to Know About Print Yellow Page Advertising …
Print yellow page advertising does require a bit of pre-planning, not only to write the sales copy contained in the ad but also to submit that ad before each publications’ deadline date.
Telephone books are printed once per year, giving you a small window to submit and get your ads approved for publication.
Yellow page ads can provide a steady stream of prospect calls, depending upon your target client base, demographic advertised within, and so on. Chances are however that print yellow page ads will be your smallest return on investment (ROI) advertising channel, based on opinions from many other resume writers.
One main problem surrounding print yellow page advertising is the need for a 12-month commitment — a commitment that’s made while you hope for new business, but MAY NOT result in new business.
Publishers begin soliciting new advertisers a few months before the book’s release date, so there will be a timeframe when you wait for the new YP books to be printed and distributed with additional time for prospect calls to begin trickling in.
If your ad fails to generate prospects, YOU’RE STUCK with the full-year financial commitment that publishers require, which makes YP advertising a financial gamble.
No one likes paying for advertising that’s not generating a nice return-on-investment.
Are you a career professional who relies on local business? Do you apply your advertising dollars to the local yellow pages?
If so, you might think twice in light of the Chapter 11 filings amongst major YP publishers over the past few years.
Two major publishers of yellow page books, Idearc and R.H. Donnelly Corp, both filed for bankruptcy protection. Pre-internet, yellow page advertisers were basking in a mountain of profits. After all, businesses were primarily focused on a local client base before the Internet became popular … so the make or break for companies were advertisements placed in several residential yellow page books with business sections.
Another major change to phone books that’s worth noting is the elimination of printing residential phone books in an effort to cut costs associated with printing. It’s likely that within a few short years, the printed versions of yellow page books will step entirely, with information continuously being shifted to online. But, when was the last time you went to the Internet and used the online yellow pages? For me, it’s been a long, long time.
What’s the problem?
Utility (telephone) books have yet to (and may never) rebound from the increasing popularity of the Internet … and recent economic changes with the ever-growing shift of advertising to online channels is probably the straw that will break the “camel’s back.” Although a career professional can still advertise locally using yellow page services (I doubt they’ll refuse your money), the return-on-investment for these once vibrant advertising channels continue to shrink.
Increasing Competition
Another major issue affecting the market share of yellow page services is the onset of competition — in comes Groupon.com for example. The deal-of-the-day website Groupon allows local companies to put their advertisement in front of a local audience … and within a very short period of time has captured the attention of international companies with advertising dollars burning a hole in their corporate “pockets.” Rumored to be worth millions for a company started in November 2008, one must wonder how once established and profitable yellow page publishers overlooked such a prime opportunity.
If You Take The Leap, Here’s What To Think About…
For new business owners, yellow page advertising can be intimidating. You might not be sure how to go about placing an ad, nor know the right presentation to secure the best return, leaving you with a monthly advertising commitment you learn to despise.
You’re likely wondering how much to spend, what will work, and whether yellow page advertising is worth the expense.
Some of the specific questions that arise amongst business owners:
How big should my ad be?
Should my ad be black and white?
What’s best, in-column or display ad?
Q: How big should my ad be?
In the beginning, you’ll closely guard every penny spent on advertising, so researching the competition in and around your area will help answer this question for you.
Looking at what other resume writers are doing will help you immensely, though there is no guarantee that what they are doing is working. So be careful.
[Note: For more YP ad ideas, be sure to check out the swipe file of yellow page ads at the RIGHT of this page.]
To learn a bit more about what has/has not worked for resume writers in your area, do a year-to-year comparison to see how ads have changed.
Start by locating yellow page books for the current year — and find as many from preceding years as you can. Sometimes your yellow page rep can provide copies of previous years’ ads, so check with him or her too.
If the rep isn’t helpful, approach your neighbors, your dentist or physician, and friends for old books. Some hold onto phone books for years, so it’s a matter of locating that person and asking to rip out the resume services section, or taking copies of the pages.
Q: When reviewing ads, what should you be looking for?
Examine the size of competitors’ ad, and how each changed from one year to the next.
Do ads get smaller? Get bigger?
Are the ads black and white? Two or Three Color?
Do ads contain logos?
What sales pitch is being used to draw callers?
The answers culminated from these questions will provide you with the information needed when determining your own YP advertisement strategy, and somewhat help you gauge the success rate from these ads.
Q: Should my ad be black and white only?
Look again at your competitors’ ads to see the color variations throughout the years. It’s tempting to believe industry leaders have color, in-column or display ads where those still entering the market have small, inexpensive black and white ads.
Industry leaders sometimes shift to smaller ads when costly ads are dwarfed by an influx of repeat and referral business, so contrary to what I stated above, a cut back in ad size could also mean business is good.
Black and white listings cost far less than multi-color; and studies have shown that full color YP ads don’t have a huge impact on the call rate of a business.
But definitely perform your own research on this matter and come to your own conclusion, factoring in the company image you wish to present to new buyers and clients.
Some business owners don’t mind a basic black and white ad, whereas, others wouldn’t utilize anything less than multi-color.
YPCommando.com offers this bit of advice on whether ad color: “If you’re determined to maximize your ROI, forget about color! Instead, concentrate on your MESSAGE and the overall effectiveness of your Yellow Page ad design.”
Q: What’s best, in-column or display ad?
Again, review your collection of yellow page ads. By now, you’re probably sick of reviewing those ads, but trust me, it’s a necessary evil to save some bucks.
If your market doesn’t contain significant competition consider whether a display or in-column ad is even necessary, or if something smaller will have the same effect.
Specifically, an in-column ad can incorporate the same amount of text and graphics as a display ad; however, the pricing between the two can be substantially different although same/similar text variations, graphics, and unique color schemes are used for both layouts.
YP Shopper Buying Patterns
Individuals with the intent of buying products and services do one of three things when opening their yellow-page book, according to the Yellow Pages Publishers Association.
YPPA surveys have shown that businesses receive calls based on:
1. Alphabetical placement
2. Size of ad
3. Ad content
Company names with a favorable alphabetical listing will fare well with buyers who make their selection based upon alpha placement.
Receiving calls based on the size of an ad does raise evidence that going with a larger YP advertisement could generate additional business for you.
When scanning the yellow pages in search for a plumber recently, I found myself drawn to companies that possessed in-column or display ads. One-line ads didn’t seem to be on my radar.
Selecting a company based on ad content is where having a keyword-rich ad becomes increasing relevant. For example, anyone who is seeking a resume writer who also performs interview coaching will be looking for a YP ad that mentions both.
A list of services and other notables to consider for your YP ads:
- Career Coach & Job-Search Strategist
- Evening & Weekend Appointments Available
- Free 15-minute Consultation
- Free Resume Critique Offered
- Highly Credentialed Resume Writer
- Interview Preparation Coach
- Job-Search Assistance
- M/V/DC or Credit Cards Accepted
- Mail/Email Campaigns
- Online Resume Submission
- Personal Branding Strategies
- Recruiter Submission Services
- Resume/Cover Letter/Reference Sheet
- Resume Revamps/New Resumes Available
- Social Networking Techniques
In addition to carefully selected keywords, listing your company’s domain and email address will help attract visitors to your website and allow individuals to contact you via email when inquiring about services outside normal business hours.
This can also be a huge benefit when leveraging yellow page advertisements.
Swipe File of Print Yellow Page Ads [Download]
Do you want to see a few YP ad examples from throughout the years? Here’s a swipe file of more than two dozen display ads used by resume writers throughout the years.
5 Quick Tips For Designing a Better YP Ad
1. Avoid using a YP ad that attracts everyone. This tactic will likely attract individuals you may not want to work with. If you’re hoping to work with more IT professionals, then mention you specialize in IT resume writing. If you only want to work with managers and executives, mention that in your YP ad.
2. Unlike other forms of advertising, YP ads are most often short snippets of text, oftentimes a list of quick bullet points so individuals can skim you ad and make the call.
3. Don’t overlook the important of introducing a call to action. For example, “Call today and I’ll review your IT resume for free” or “Call now for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your management resume.”
4. If you use an image, go with something a bit unexpected. For example, using a picture of a 10-year-old child trying to look grown up, wearing glasses and holding a clipboard next to a headline like this: “Helping Managers & Executives Throughout Their Careers.”
AdRevamp.com offers this bit of advice when selecting artwork for your YP ad: “Look for artwork that captures attention, and grabs potential customers in a meaningful way. If you follow this one rule alone, and do it successfully, your call volume should jump by at least 50%.”
AdRevamp also highlights the findings from Perception Research Services that states: “…while looking at advertising, readers spend 65% of their time concentrating on images—photos and illustrations, while the remaining 35% is spent browsing your text.”
5. It’s true that color MAY NOT attract more business, but remember that you have a business image to portray. But, go easy on adding too much color to your YP ad. Sometimes less is more. 🙂
Additional YP Ad Design Samples by Kenyon Design Group:
Yellow Pages Are Making a Comeback for Some Industries
Designers to Design Your YP Ads
