What Makes a Successful Yellow Page Ad Headline?

Be daring and be different!

As a former Yellow Page consultant for 25 years, I would recommend you take the time to figure out what makes you different from your competition and work from that base. After all, how else is Mrs. Jones going to choose from the hundreds of plumbers in the directory?

Begin in the beginning. That’s not as easy as it sounds. Build your ad from the headline on down. It’s the place most users will see first. So conceive a headline that takes you out of the ordinary.

Sticking with “Plumbing,” I’ve seen the same headlines year after year:

“Quality Emergency Service.” “Save Money.” “Complete Services.” Need a Good Plumber? Call Us.”

Okay, let’s break these down, in order.

Shouldn’t the user expect “Quality?” And what plumber doesn’t handle emergencies?

Isn’t every broken pipe an emergency?

No, I don’t want to “Save Money. I want to spend more. Dumb.

Doesn’t anyone offer “Incomplete Services” anymore? Also dumb.

And do I “need a good plumber.” Why else am I looking under “Plumbing” in the first place? Did I think this was the “Pizza” heading?

So you’re a plumber, not an ad-man. What kind of headline could you come up with that every other plumber can’t offer? Sure it’s tough, but no one said marketing was easy. It’s takes a creative touch and some adventure. Look at advertising in a different way. How does it solve a problem? That’s why Mrs. Jones grabbed the directory in the first place. She had a problem: a leaky pipe, Not you have to solve it for her. How? By telling her exactly what you intent to do. That’s the solution.

Huh? What did I say? Well, what does a plumber do? No, not the “Fast Service” stuff. We already beat that to death. What do you really do? You fix leaks. Okay, that’s not the headline I had in mind. You also get the water going again. Hmm. So you think outside the box. “Water Your Expectations?” Now that’s different, or, “Real Men Wear Booties! (to Protect Your Floors)” Get the idea? “Draining Pipes, Not Wallets.” That’s a feature and benefit story. “

“Flow Slow?” “Sink Sunk?” “Shower Shot?” “Drain Pain?” I could go on and on, but I won’t bore you. You need something catchy, cute, and real. Make a point, tell a story and have fun. Try different headlines in different directories and headings.

Under water heaters, you might try, “Water Heater Leaving You Cold?” Under “Septic Cleaning” try “Tanks for the Memories.” It’s a bit of a game but the trick is to capture the reader’s attention in the few seconds you have in a Yellow Page ad.

Grab a Thesaurus and get to work. Rethink your industry and the various terms they use. Plays on word and puns are obviously acceptable. Write in good taste and avoid anything that even remotely looks obscene or improper. Don’t’ forget the subhead, if needed. For example, “Tanks for the Memories” followed by, “We Offer Memorable Service on Brand-Name Septic Tanks.”

Ignore all the clichés in the other ads, like, quality, dependable, fast, same-day, emergency, low cost, expert, professional, etc. Save that for the text, if needed. Concentrate on becoming the ad other businesses point to when they are looking for a creative approach. Then throw them a curve and change the headline every single year!

It’s a challenge but I’m sure you’re up to it. Your business is worth it, wouldn’t you agree?