We have spoken with Plumbing & HVAC Contractors across the US and received varying feedback regarding the effectiveness of Yellow Pages advertising. A lot of the noise would indicate that the YellowPages are dead and people are no longer referencing them enough to warrant the investment in a Yellow Page ad (especially a full page or half page ad).
With that said, some of the top plumbing business owners have said that they are still heavily invested in the YellowPages & still get a solid quantity of inbound calls directly from from their ad(s).
Over the past several years there has been a MASS exodus of advertisers from the YellowPages. Pick up the most recent copy delivered to your house and you will notice how much thinner the book is. The fact is, just because the advertisers are leaving does NOT mean that the media is dead. There is still a large percentage of the population (folks 55 years an older) that still reference the YellowPages.
Don't forget who your BEST customers are. Probably home owners with higher end homes that have the disposable income to afford your services...If they are still looking to the YellowPages (even just a small percentage of them) and your competition is no longer advertising there...that creates a pretty unique opportunity for you to connect with your BEST customers right when they are in need of your services.
A few tips for getting the most from your YellowPage ads:
- Be unique - don't just look at what the other plumbers are doing. Think about your core value proposition. The things that make you different and infuse those into your ad.
- Leverage the Market Equation (as defined by Rick Hirshaw of Monopolize Your Market Place
- Interrupt, Engage, Educate & OFFER
- Get their attention by speaking to the conversation that is going on in their head. "Looking for a Reliable Plumber in Dallas but Don't Want to get ripped off?" Learn the TOP 3 problems most people have when dealing with a Plumber & how XYZ Plumbing overcomes them all! Call now to download our Free Report "How to choose the RIght Plumber in the Dallas Area".
- LEVERAGE THE WEB. Just because you are marketing in the YellowPages does not mean that you can't drive your prospects to a website. Send them to yourdoamin.com/OFFER and offer them a free report on how to choose the best plumbing contractor in your town.
I'm not suggesting that the YellowPages should be your prominent marketing strategy but it can still be an effective and profitable way to drive new leads and inbound calls into your business.
I'd Love your feedback. Please post your comments below. How are the YellowPages working for your business? Are you still advertising in them? What are you doing instead? Post your feedback below:
