Each year businesses spend a small fortune on Yellow Pages advertising. It’s perhaps one of the largest single investments you’ll make in advertising all year so it makes sense to ensure your ad packs the biggest punch — and gives you the very best return on your advertising dollar.

Doing this is simple if you know the right formula. I’ll share this formula with you inside this article.

Unlike with press advertising, people looking in the Yellow Pages are ready to buy right now. While on the surface of things that’s great news, the challenge is that you need to ensure that your prospect sees your ad first and acts upon it … amongst the sea of competitor’s ads.

So you don’t need to sell them on the idea of needing your type of product or service, all you need to sell them on the benefits of your particular business. Sell them on the reason why they should call you and nobody else.

Getting your ad noticed first ISN’T about being creative by using thick borders and attractive graphics. You see, many people mistakenly believe that if they include huge logos and thick borders their ad will get noticed first.

There’s two challenges with that:

First, if everyone has the same idea of using a thick border and big bold graphics, your ad won’t in fact, stand out.

Second, even if your ad does get noticed first, it doesn’t necessarily mean your prospect will read the ad and act on it.

The key to writing a sizzling Yellow Pages ad is to sell your services in print.

It’s about standing out from every one of your competitors by offering your readers the solution to their problems in a way that your competitors can’t match. And projecting that “uniqueness” in your headline.

If you like, your Yellow Pages ad is your silent salesperson. It needs to attract attention, create interest and desire and incite action.

Here’s how you can do that:

a powerful headline that identifies with your buyer’s problem and offers them a “unique” solution.

warm benefit-oriented body copy that relates to their needs and tells them how much better their lives will be by doing business with you.

a call to action that encourages your reader to respond and an offer that makes them act and last but not least, an eye catching layout

The nuts and bolts

Earlier we talked about uniqueness. Before you put pen to paper writing your ad, take a few minutes to consider what your prospects really want to achieve by doing business with you.

Write a list. Next to each point then list how your product or service helps them achieve their goals. Then next to these points, prove your claims. Why is it unique? How specifically do you deliver these results? Is it the 43 point checklist?

Is it a unique secret formula? Is it a money back guarantee? These points now form the basis of your ad.

The most important part of your Yellow Pages ad is your headline. If you have a hard hitting headline that projects a strong benefit and relates to the needs of your prospect, half the work is done.

Some headlines that help you do that include:

“How to xxxxx”

“6 reasons why …”

“Before you xxxxx here are 6 vital factors to consider”

Once you’ve got a strong headline, it’s then time to work on your body copy. Your body copy should expand on the benefits you’ve mentioned in your headline and show specific ways you’ll help your prospect fulfil their needs.

Your ad then finishes off by telling your reader what to do. You MUST spell out your instructions. “Call us NOW on 939 9897 for a copy of our FREE report titled ‘How to Write Powerful Ads’.”

It has been proven that by writing ‘Call us now on xxx xxxx’ you’ll get more responses than you would if you simply listed a phone number.

This revamped Yellow Pages ad generated a 324% increase in sales. In January (their quietest month) they usually have to advertise heavily in other publications. With the help of the Yellow Pages ad we created, they didn’t need to advertise and still pulled in exceptional sales figures for that month.

Yellow Pages (TM) and (R) is a registered trademark of Telstra Corporation.