All politics (and plumbing) is local

All politics (and plumbing) is local back to top
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Approximately 75% of the businesses advertising in the Yellow Pages are service- based businesses. They're either completely service based, such as attorneys, dogcatchers and chicken pluckers, or they are "service and installed product" based such as roofers, HVAC contractors and fertility clinics.

Businesses performing services at the customers' location are the local-est of them all. When was the last time you took your lawn in for a trim or took your toilet in to be unplugged?

Because the service is local, customers prefer doing business with companies located near their home. Other things being equal, a Yellow Pages advertisement communicating a solid local presence will receive more calls than an ad without the local flavor.

An effective way to indicate that your business has a strong local presence is to have local telephone numbers in each of the major cities that you wish to serve.

Here are a few tips for advertisers on getting the local numbers.

The number that you register is called a "Remote Call Forward" number or RCF. All calls coming into that number will automatically be forwarded to a line at your main office. It's a convenience for the customer, so they don't have to make a long distance call.

If your telephone system can handle it, have each incoming call be identified by the number that generated the transfer. Train your operator to answer the phone with the city name as well as your company name. For example, "Thank you for calling Thomas Painting of Muskogee, this is Gladys, how may I assist you?"

Request a telephone number in the most prominent exchange (the three digits following the area code) in the primary city. If you're not sure which exchange is the most prominent, try to get the same one used by the city offices, library or major department store.

If you're not satisfied with the RCF rates quoted by your phone company, check into competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) or even using a wireless provider that has call forwarding options. You may never turn on the wireless phone, and simply have all of the calls forwarded to your main line.

Review the billing records of all of the calls coming from each RCF so that you can measure the effectiveness of the ads. You may determine that certain areas warrant additional advertising in other media.

Train your receptionist to ask where the shopper got the telephone number (not just how the caller heard of your company). This indicates which directory the customer uses for his or her information.

Don't rely on an 800 or toll free number. By their very nature, toll free numbers indicate to the customer that the company is NOT local, hence the free long distance call. Toll free numbers certainly have their benefits, but they're not beneficial for a company trying to appear to have strong local ties to the community.

List the numbers for the various cities in a logical and easily read format in the lower 1/3rd of the ad. You may list the cities alphabetically, or geographically (from east to west), but make it easy to understand.

Include the word "office, service, crew or team" after the city. For example, "Muncie Office" or "Muncie Team" with the local phone number. This word gives the impression that you are dedicated to the city and that you have strong ties to the community. If questioned by a customer as to the location of the Muncie office, explain that it's a mobile office.

Although I've focused on using local numbers in a display ad, they may also be used quite effectively in in-column ads or bold listings as well. List your business so that the local city and phone are prominently displayed.

Remember, Yellow Pages customers want information. Give them enough information to select your business over your competitors.

The Wipeout Technique rocks! back to top
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My friend Steve Hackney wrote a series of marketing pieces designed for service businesses to leverage their marketing dollars.

Being a curious sort, I read all of them and am happy to pass them along to you.

His approach is thought provoking and quite informative.

I could go on and on, but I'll let you be the judge.

Answer to Last Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford and Festus got jobs working on a bucket brigade in the coalmine. After the first day on the job, they emerged into the bright light of day.

Buford’s face was covered with coal dust whereas Festus’s face was remarkably clean.

They walked over to the pump to clean up. Festus washed his face thoroughly, but Buford didn’t wash his at all.

Other than their spotty records of personal hygiene, why would Festus wash his clean face and Buford not wash his dirty face?

Lawyers in the Yellow Pages? God bless 'em. back to top
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This is my favorite book on Yellow Pages advertising. It helps anyone who relies on the Yellow Pages for customers to design ads that will have the maximum impact.

It's specifically targeted to attorneys, but the lessons apply to every Yellow Pages advertiser. I like that it's filled with specific tips that any business owner can immediately use to create advertising that is much more appealing to the precise customers he wants.

I've had the opportunity to talk with Kerry Randall, the author. He's a delightful guy who approaches Yellow Pages advertising through the eyes of a designer and an advertising agency strategist.

Service Roundtable back to top
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To become more knowledgeable about marketing HVAC and other service type businesses, sign up for the Service Roundtable's Comanche Marketing newsletter.

I read it faithfully every week, and come up with several good ideas about the issues facing service contractors.

The ideas apply to any small business, but particularly they are targeted for outside contractors.

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And now a word from our sponsor . . .

This newsletter is underwritten by generous support of TransWestern Publishing, one of the nation's leading independent publishers of telephone directories. Serving 25 states with 332 directories, TransWestern delivers outstanding value to a quarter million local advertisers.

We may not make the most noise in the market place, but we consistently deliver outstanding value for our advertisers.

All in all, it's a very rewarding place to work where individual accomplishment is recognized and rewarded.

Compelling Headlines Include a Call to Action back to top
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You can't underestimate the importance of having a call to action in your advertisement.

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Everybody knows what the RASCIL factors are, right?

Here's my take on the special sauce that builds the most effective ads possible.

Commandment #13 - Know Thy Audience back to top
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Something tells me that this church isn't reaching out to hard-core orthodox theologians.

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Special note to the CMRs (Certified Marketing Representatives) . . .

We've put tons of information for you in the "About Us" section of WorldPages.com.

You will find complete information on directory profiles, demographics, and coverage areas.

We've also put up results of metered call studies and testimonials from advertisers across the land.

The Businesses & Team Members section should be particularly useful.

These ain't Walking Fingers, they're Smokin' back to top
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Your Yellow Pages trivia for this week.

The world record for speed sailing was established back in 1993 at Sandy Point, Australia by Simon McKeon and his vessel Yellow Pages Endeavour, a trimaran.

I'd like to see a newspaper insert or direct mail piece top that.

Fire the proofreader! back to top
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A few minutes proofing ad copy may save much heartbreak down the road.

Imagine the embarrassment this obvious mistake caused.

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We had an interesting experience with a roofer who advertised in our online Yellow pages, WorldPages.com. I thought that you might like to read about it.

Location, Location, Location back to top
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Great art (like this sidewalk chalk drawing) and great ads lose much of their ability to influence the right people if they're not distributed to the target audience.

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Speaking of location, I wrote an article about how to select amongst the various directories serving your community.

This Week's Brainteaser back to top
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Buford needs to boil an egg for exactly 7 minutes. Any longer and it will be too tough to eat without teeth. Any less, and it will spill when he cracks it.

Unfortunately, the only time pieces he has in his trailer are three hourglasses. He has a 9-minute, an 11-minute and a 14-minute hourglass.

How in tarnation can he boil an egg for exactly 7 minutes using those three hourglasses?

How long will it take him to pull off this feat?

Email your answer to puzzler@dicklarkin.com

We'll select one entry to win one of the few remaining bottle-poppers with a year's supply of bragging rights.

To improve your random chances of winning, please include your name, company name and mailing address.

Quote of the Week back to top
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People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)