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Dr. Lynella Grant, author Yellow Page Smarts ? Make More Money from Your Directory Ad in Tandem with Your Website. Marry the YPs and Internet, so you capture 70% of ready buyers. http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html Yellow Page solutions that save you money
January 28, 2008
Whether you’re a PR consultant, a web developer or graphic designer, chances are you’ve experienced the time-intensive quest for the perfect image. And I’d be willing to bet that you’ve also experienced the angst that accompanies the quest. Will you find the right image in time? And will it blow your budget?
Despite your mega Microsoft clip art library, and the vast (and depending on your use, illegal) repository known as Google Images, the just-right image, art or photo has eluded you. Meanwhile, the deadline is fast approaching … and along with budget constraints, there’s no time to hire a professional, and taking the shot yourself doesn’t yield the expert quality you need.
Consider the plethora of images and variety available through low-cost, royalty-free stock photography. Stock photos provide quick access and speedy delivery, superb quality and a broad selection, usually categorized by descriptive keywords or found quickly with a searchable database. With high-quality stock photos starting as low as a buck each, the price just can’t be beat.
Advantages of Using Stock Photography
Save time - Stock galleries provide a way to move quickly from an abstract concept straight to the presentation. Thousands of images and photos are readily available and quickly downloadable via the Internet, so the designer, developer or marketer can leap from the work plan to the storyboard, PowerPoint, brochure or web page.
You’ll no longer need days to set up a photo assignment, or spend the hours it used to take perusing clip art books, graphic files or endless CD-ROM galleries. With most online stock photo providers, you can create an account and download samples or purchase the perfect image in a matter of minutes.
Excellent range of selection & choice - Stock photography provides an unbeatable selection. Just imagine the advantage of having hundreds of photographers, models or designers on staff — along with hundreds of artistic styles and expressions. Stock libraries and galleries allow you to choose descriptive keywords, or combine keywords to get even more specific search results. Do a quick Search at LuckyOliver to see what we mean. And while you’re at it, go ahead and test-drive (or grab a comp of) one of LuckyOliver’s watermarked images — there’s no purchase required for that!
It guarantees a level of quality - Sure, there are plenty of free photo web sites–and many of them are filled with all kinds of garbage, like junky low-resolution photos, animated gif files and other stuff that may not have anything to do with what you need. You can expect remarkable quality from microstock libraries since the providers have high standards for accepting and approving any photo and art submissions.
It’s legal and ethical - Buying stock photos helps you avoid any legal issues associated with copyright. At stock photo suppliers such as LuckyOliver, you don’t have to worry about collecting and filing model releases. You simply make the purchase and use the photo, hassle-free. LuckyOliver compensates the photographer–which saves you time and money once again, with less forms to sign and fewer checks to write.
It’s affordable - Some stock photos are inexpensive, but not cheap looking–though prices do vary. While some stock providers charge a lot — or whatever their market will bear — there’s oftentime little artistic difference between the high-dollar finds and the less expensive stuff.
For use of most stock photographs at a site like LuckyOliver, prices range from $1 to $12 per photo, with discounts available for bulk purchases. Affiliate programs may also be available, and could prove worthwhile for web developers who offer custom templates to customers or for advertising agencies, marketers and PR firms with clients who want to choose their own images and photos.
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Bryan Zmijewski is the fearless leader of stock photography provider LuckyOliver. After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class and not doing too shabby at Stanford, he started ZURB, a customer experience firm. Not content having one successful business and being a designer/photographer himself, he grabbed another cup of coffee and started LuckyOliver, a place where artists and photographers buy and sell photos and images for as low as $1. Contact him at feedback@luckyoliver.com or visit www.luckyoliver.com.
January 26, 2008
Being your own boss
As you progress in your MLM home business, the three most important factors that determine your success are:
Discipline
Goal Setting
Time Management
Since you no longer have a boss directing your day’s activities, it’s easy to get off track. You must have a 90 day plan and a daily method of operation that are tied to your goals. Your mentor should help you until you master this and if you are going to be real and premote yourself into your business, your mentor will be standing by to invest in YOU!
The finest network marketing companies will train you and actually work with you, so that over time you will become a super successful in a home business in your own right. My mentor helped me to grow faster than I ever knew I could.
I’ a mom from the southeast side of Texas who knew a very little about business when I started. But with a good mentors who held me accountable, a reputable company with amazing, in demand products, and with my own desire and commitment, I rose to the top % of the company of over one dozens of countries. It’s easy to get comfortable and stop growing when you reach that level. I had a huge house, two cars, got to travel and often this is where trouble sets in. It is easy to get comfortable here. Goals at this point are just as crucial as when you first started out. Having a mentor and a coach can help you set goals that are right for you, regardless of the level you currently reside.
I never would have achieved a income that quickly without all of those mentors. I had my own goals of income and production that I wanted to achieve and then I had the goals and the extra incentives and rewards the company created in it’s marketing plan and promotions. Consistently setting goals within the company’s marketing plan always kept me on track.
Marvin Snyder
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Toni.cashflow123.com
January 2, 2008
I should probably begin with my qualifications that allows me to proclaim what an ad requires. I was a Yellow Page rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I?ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. So, with that said, let me enumerate the top ten, in no particular order. Does your ad have:
- A focus: What?s the purpose of the ad?
- A benefit: Why should I buy?
- A way to fill a need: How can you solve my problem?
- Easy-to-read text: Does it have nice, bold type?
- A picture that supports the theme or shows a good outcome: i.e. happy people. Do you have at least one of these in your current ad? You should. It needs focus, consumer benefits, must fill a need, be easily read and show a positive outcome, if there is room for a picture. Of course it has to be placed properly, in the appropriate heading and the proper book, such as in either the area or Metro directory. There are five more things is should contain, so here they are:
- A description of the product or service: What are you really selling?
- Your uniqueness: What sets you apart from the other guys?
- Understandable location info: Do you have a map or directions?
- Contact data: Do you have a website, fax, e-mail?
- ????
The last one is a secret. Actually, there are so many more it would take a book to list them all. If you would like to explore all the possibilities, head for a website that tells it like it is. At poweradbook.com you?ll learn what a former YP consultant has to say about every aspect of YP advertising. It?s all in his book. Hey, it?s a lot cheaper than hiring a private consultant and a lot less painful. It?s worth a look if you want to save money on your next YP campaign, while discovering the insider?s guide to effective YP advertising.
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
?You don?t even know whether your program is working or not. Sure, you think it?s fine, but you also don?t call the doctor when you have a severe cough or cold. It?s the same thing. Of course, you have to recognize you actually have a problem to begin with. Your miserable promotions won?t hack and sneeze to alert you. But they still may be ill just the same. So how can you tell?
You could ask yourself a few simple questions. Then you will know if you are wasting time and money on your current campaign:
- Are you tracking every customer?
- Do you know what part of the ad or ads that brought them in?
- Do you know how often you should change your ad?
- Are you advertising in the same place as your competition?
- Are you missing any customers?
Take a look at question two. Do you have an effective headline or picture, in your ad? If you?re not sure, you didn?t track the results properly. What if it?s attracting the wrong type of customer? For instance, if you sell tires, are they always coming in asking for the low-priced, discount types? If so, wouldn?t you make more selling the high-end, longer-lasting ones? Perhaps it?s the advertising message that?s causing the trouble. An easy fix might be to change your approach and stress the warranty and quality of the item, rather than the price. Without feedback, you?ll never be able to seek out the offender. Especially if you run several ads in different media.
The solution is to retain a trained professional. One that is experienced in designing and recommending effective marketing. After all, you probably pay an accountant and that person is strictly overhead. A true advertising consultant can make you money by tapping the right kind of customer and luring them in. But, if you have a limited budget, you could begin with a good book instead. How about one written by a rep who worked for the Bell System for 25 years. It?s a cheaper way to go and still might provide ways to spruce up your current program.
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
You may have an ad that?s barely holding it?s own and not even know it. But there is a simple test. Make a copy and ask for feedback from employees, friends, relatives and total strangers. In fact, the last group is best because they will be the most honest. If you have a store, it?s pretty easy. Post the ad at the front counter and ask your customers to fill out a form explaining you need to find out what they would change in the ad in exchange for 10% off their next purchase. Therefore, assuming they gave their response, you now know that everyone hates your headline. So what do you do?
First, realize why they disliked it. Did you just put your name out there, big and bold? Shame on you. Unless you?re Wal-Mart or Microsoft, how important is Smith Carpet Cleaning? Or, are you ?Qualified,? or ?Low-Cost,? or ?Reliable,? like everyone else? What is it that will grab the reader?s attention? You would be better off saying, ?We aren?t particularly special or interesting, but we paid for this ad space so we thought we would just bore you to death.? Now that?s honesty in advertising and I love it. Fine, perhaps that?s not the way to win over customers, but it?s better than trite and mundane.
No, you need to solve a problem or fill a need. Carpet cleaners don?t just clean rugs, they ?Eliminate Dust Mites that Causes Allergies.? Plumbers don?t fix leaks, they, ?Get Your Water Flowing and Protect Your Pipes.? Dentists don?t fill cavities, they, ?Help Prevent Gum Disease that can Cause Strokes.? Get the picture? See a trend? The headline sets the tone for the entire ad, which is suppose to be a feature and benefit story in itself. Your customers will tell you why they hate your headline, but not what they would prefer to see. That?s your job. So perhaps it?s time to brainstorm and create that next ad for the future directory. You?ll finally be on the right track. Okay, so how do I know so much?
I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I?ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.
So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Make sure the consultant is well qualified with at least 25 years experience. Otherwise, you?ll be wasting money and committing another ?no-no.?
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
I?ll assume you have a Yellow Page ad and have been tracking the results. If you haven?t, then the next few sentences won?t mean much because I?m writing about the things that may be wrong with your ad. So, hopefully, you asked employees, friends, relatives and total strangers to rate your ad and tell you what they liked and didn?t like. So now you can read on. Let?s pretend the ad is basically fine, but not earth-shaking, The headline could use a little work (see Part 1 of this series) but the body is weak. Do you have a piece of artwork or photo? Does it support the tone, mood or headline? For example, if you clean carpets, is it a picture of your truck or a man with a vacuum? If so, you?ve just wasted value ad space. Why?
Because, trust me, everyone knows what a truck and vacuum look like. So where ?s the excitement, the drama, and the human element? What is the customer wanting by asking for your service? If you answered a clean carpet, go to the corner for time-out, because you?re wrong. They want a safe, dirt-free, and safe place for the kids to roll-around or an allergy-free floor. In other words, results. And they don?t really care whether you use a truck, vacuum, bicycle, or toothbrush on your hands and knees to get it. So, where am I heading with all this?
Try a picture of a smiling child playing on the carpet. It?s the ?after? picture. Use happy people with a good outcome. That?s something they can relate to. Then make sure that the body text talks about the benefits of clean carpet. It?s that simple. Then you have a unified theme that will lead to increased results. Are you convinced, yet? So you want to know how I know so much.
I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I?ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.
So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Make sure the consultant is well qualified with at least 25 years experience. Otherwise, you?ll be wasting money and committing another ?no-no.?
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
January 1, 2008
If you have a Yellow Page ad and think it?s doing it?s job, think again. After all, when was the last time you tracked the results? In fact, before you even placed the ad, did you pass a copy around to employees, friends, relatives and total strangers to get a reaction? That?s your first problem. Then, did you set up a tracking device like a special phone number within the ad to measure the number of responses? Receiving feedback on an ad is as important as the ad itself. Without it, how do you know how well it?s working?
Say you spend $500 a month and think you get about ten customers, valued at $200 each. You figure that the ad is generating $2000 a month, or a four to one rate of return. That?s pretty good, right? Well, what if I told you that in your particular heading, say plumbing, the average rate of return for your size ad is ten to one. You would be surprised and annoyed, correct? And you should be. The ad is failing to get the best return. But then again, you didn?t get a pre-printing test group or a tracking device, so how would you even know?
Most business people ask their customers how they are doing? There are various survey forms or other techniques to arrange for feedback. If you have a store, it?s pretty easy. You can post a copy of the ad at the front counter and ask your customers to fill out a form explaining what they would change in exchange for 10% off their next purchase. You understand that these people will be honest with you and that ongoing dialogue can help improve the bottom line. You need specific commentary to adjust or change anything that isn?t successful. If you aren?t getting that ten to one return, what?s the issue? Is it the headline, photo, body copy, placement, or heading? Could a simple tweak here and there make all the difference? In most cases, the answer is ?yes.?
Okay, so how do I know?
I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I?ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.
So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Make sure the consultant is well qualified with at least 25 years experience. Otherwise, you?ll be wasting money and committing another ?no-no.?
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
It was one of those hot August nights. The type Neil Diamond used to write about in the sixties. Sweltering and breezeless, it came creeping into the house like a heat stroke. The air conditioner had been out of commission since this morning, and the afternoon sun was baking me, even while I sat in my boxer shorts in the kitchen. I had checked all the usual suspects; the thermostat, the fuses, the air filter and the coils. But I had an inactive system that just sat there in utter silence. The interior temperature was climbing at an alarming rate and I was wilting under the pressure.
The trip through the pages of the local phone directory had prove fruitless. The assortment of large ads with photos of service trucks proclaiming ?Immediate Service,? A/C Specialists,? and Heating & Cooling Pros? left me cold, or was it hot? I was so exhausted, I could even think straight anymore. The perspiration was pouring off me like a continuous shower and even the curtains were drooping.
I could swear I saw steam coming off the countertop, but it was actually a gently mist or fog. And out of that vapor appeared a strange, book-shaped, character that stood on spindly feet and made me jump a foot in the air. Before I could say a word, he, or was it a she, smiled and said, ?I?m here to help. Take a peek inside,? and ?it? opened itself up to reveal a large Yellow Page ad. The headline read, ?We Have Servicemen in Your Neighbor Every Hour.? I couldn?t believe my blurry, bloodshot eyes. I made a leap past the apparition to clutch the phone and promptly dialed the number. Seconds later, I was told a man could be over within the hour. I smiled for the first time that day and the thing smiled back. It turned to leave and said, ?Just remember that Wolley Segap came to your rescue,? and it zipped out the open window. The end? or is it?
This little story was designed to serve a purpose and illustrate the need for effective advertising. So, attention business people: Is your Yellow Page ad doing its job? If not, let this serve as your wake-up call. I?ve witnessed many companies that thought they had an ad that worked, while, in reality, it had a flawed headline, lousy copy, or pathetic artwork. How do I know?
I was a YP rep and consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. I?ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have expertise in YP creation and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective YP ads. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. You must understand the ROI or return on investment and learn how to track the results as well.
So consider getting some expert advice before you place your next ad. There are many good and inexpensive places to turn, some available on the internet. Make sure the consultant is well qualified with at least 25 years experience. Otherwise, you?ll be wasting your own time and money. Then, hopefully, you wont? really need Wolley Segap coming to the rescue after all.
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
November 22, 2007
No, it’s not the historical battle between two New York newspapers in the late 1800’s to see who could dig up the biggest scandal to sell papers. It’s the world of directory publishing you know as the Yellow Pages. Yet ironically, it’s been around as long, if not longer. But it’s gone through many changes in the past century. For instance, it’s in full-color and printed on white paper with yellow ink, to give the appearance of yellow paper. It also has an Internet counterpart for every book printed. It’s also available as a CD or DVD in many areas. No, it’s not your father’s Yellow Pages anymore.
If you are reading this and an advertiser, it would behoove you to learn as much as you can about this media. You are investing your profits into a marketing campaign in an attempt to bring in customers. But what do you know about your ads? Let’s take a test. Can you answer “yes” to any of the following questions:
- Do you know what the average customer is worth, within your industry?
- Do you know the percent of profit you should spend on YP advertising?
- Do you know what part of your ad is the most effective?
- Do you know what part of your ad is least effective?
- Have you recently looked at all your competitor’s ads?
If you even said “yes” to any of these, I am proud of you. If not, you’re pretty typical as far as being a not-so-savvy marketeer. But, then again, that’s probably not your expertise. And it shouldn’t be. You have a business to run. How can you keep up with promotional trends and such? But you ought to know how your money is being used and whether it’s working hard for you to bring in potential customers.
So, you have a choice. You can hire a YP consultant or pick the local YP rep’s brain. The first may be costly and the second may not work. That’s because they have little time to spend on just your account and they are paid by the publisher. Therefore, they may not be as unbiased as you might think. So they will recommend (a) what makes them a nice commission, and (b) what the publisher wants to sell you, this time round.
Instead consider something else. Educate yourself by reading about the industry and what it takes to create a successful YP campaign. There are a few good books available, but you might want to start with “Inside the Yellow Pages” for a solid overview of what you’ll need. It’s a small investment in your business future and might save you a lot of time and money.
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Jeffrey Hauser?s latest book is, ‘Inside the Yellow Pages,? which can be viewed at http://www.poweradbook.com
He was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.
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