To begin with, I’ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past 25 years. During that time, I was a YP rep and consultant and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. 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 guarantee you that it can use improvement, to varying degrees. It might be in the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading (category). So, how can I be so certain? Because you are probably designing your own ad.

Is that a problem? It could be. You may be terrific at appliance repair or equipment rentals, but what do you really know about design or copywriting? That’s where I come in. first here are just a few ways to make a more effective Yellow Page ad:

1. Write a better headline: focus on a need or benefit, rather than your name.
2. Choose a photo showing a good outcome: happy people with your product.
3. Write interesting copy: that sells the features and benefits of the service
4. Make your business unique: pick an area that you excel in and include it.
5. Try an unusual shape: Use an oval or circle for a border, to stand out

There are too many other ideas to list in an article of this size. I would typically spend an hour or more, over several visits to create a custom ad that usually contained many of these suggestions. It most likely started with some fact-finding about the business and led to a provocative headline. Like, for a plumber, “Ask Me How to Prevent Leaks, Before they Happen.” Or a mover might say, “There are 7 Ways to Prevent Moving Damage.” Creative phrases like that and more.

So, would you like to hire me to help you? I’m semi-retired and charge $250 an hour if I come to you. Or, you could come to me on my website and learn about a book that explains in more detail how to do-it-yourself for far less. You’ll be on the road to helping yourself and your business.