subject: Three Ways To Save On Yellow Pages Advertising [print this page] Yellow Pages advertising costs business owners thousands and thousands of dollars each year, sometimes even per month. Oftentimes small businesses just pay the costs suggested by the sales representatives year after year, trusting that they are getting the best possible listing at the best possible price.
Locating ways to save on this costly budget item would be a welcomed bit of information for any small business that renews its Yellow Pages advertising each year, and wonders if there's a better way. Sometimes the whole process of listing in phone directories can be confusing and convoluted, making it difficult for business owner to find any savings with their listings.
Good news is that some tips exist to reduce annual spending on Yellow Pages advertising. The better news is that these tips are very simple for any business to implement. Taking a little time to evaluate a current advertising program prior to renewing can save thousands of dollars on phone directory advertising.
The first tip to saving on Yellow Pages advertising is tracking, measuring, and evaluating phone traffic. As with any form of advertising, measuring is crucial to determining its effectiveness. On every call that a business receives, the person fielding the call should always ask, "How did you find us?" When the answer is "The phone book," the next question to the prospect should be, "Which one?"
Business should have a spread sheet to mark and track these leads. Next, business owners should evaluate if any of these leads turned into actual sales. Then business owners can calculate the total sales dollars brought in by each phone book. If the sales from any particular phone directory yields less than the cost of the advertising, then businesses should drop advertising in that book. This simple tracking and evaluating system could save businesses thousands of dollars on Yellow Pages advertising each year.
Another simple way to save on Yellow Pages advertising spend is by looking at the type of listing the business has typically purchased. Upgrades that are meant to be eye catchers can be costly and do not impact effectiveness as much as one may think. Adding italics and/or bold faced type to the business name or phone number can add hundreds of dollars to Yellow Pages advertising. If a business is listing with these characteristics in multiple phone directories, these costs can add up to thousands of dollars being wasted in Yellow Pages advertising each year. Businesses will not miss sales opportunities by keeping a regular listing in the Yellow Pages.
Hiring a professional Yellow Pages advertising consultant is a great way for business to save on advertising spend. These specialized consultants guide businesses through the entire phone directory listing process. They have extensive experience with the Yellow Pages and have knowledge of the many hidden tricks that come along with advertising in the phone directories. These hired consultants specialize in all things Yellow Pages, such as ad size, category listings, and contract translation. They work as a liaison for business to the Yellow Pages sales representatives and take the tricky contract negotiations off of their clients' hands. Their insider's knowledge can locate countless ways for businesses to save on their Yellow Pages advertising.
Companies looking to save on their annual Yellow Pages advertising spend can make a big dent in their spending by taking a look at these three simple tips. Knowing which books are and are not converting calls into sales is crucial for determining a book's relevance the business. Also, an easy savings tip to downgrade the listing type can yield significant savings. For business looking to find every possible way to save on Yellow Pages advertising might do best by hiring specialized, third-party Yellow Pages consultants.
