Small Business Solutions

FutureVisions^SM

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Ads don’t always work well. I used to think that you couldn't go wrong with the Yellow Pages. Nobody told me that the Yellow Pages help some businesses make fortunes but do nothing for others. Yellow Pages sales representatives are among the most aggressive sellers in the business. They come armed with facts and figures, but those statistics may not apply to your business.

If you're a plumber, car insurer, or electrician, the Yellow Pages probably is a great vehicle for you. That's true, in general, of businesses whose locations are relatively unimpor­tant because they go to their clients or conduct most of their business over the telephone. Retail clothing stores and department stores, on the other hand, rarely have display advertisements in the Yellow Pages because consumers al­ready know where they're located. Have you ever consulted the Yellow Pages because you needed to buy a new shirt?

Once you decide whether it makes sense for you to advertise in the Yellow Pages, you have to decide not only how big you want your ad, but also whether it should be in color or black and white. I determine size based largely on the size of my competitors' ads. Your little ad may be lost if all the other ads in your category are large. If your competitors' ads are small, on the other hand, you may not need a large ad. As far as color ads go, Yellow Pages representatives may tell you that they're more effective than black-and-white but this is rarely so. Use your own judgment, not that of the ad salesman. It is also important to track responses to your ads by asking first time callers how they found out about us.

You can get residuals from good PR. I used to think public relations means getting media coverage. Nobody told me that the real key to getting publicity is giving the media a unique angle, one that the public will find interesting. The first big article written About Dianna called me "the Henry Ford of framing." The article focused on changes in the industry. The reporter was drawn to the new and interesting twist.

Once you get coverage, you can get as much mileage out of a printed article or televised broadcast by reproducing it as you can from having it run in the first place. A major local newspaper published an article about my company, and it brought in some new business. Reproducing it brought in even more business. I hung enlarged copies of the article up in my showrooms. It gave us credibility with new clients and reaffirmed what many longtime clients already thought.

I also included reprints in the marketing materials that my corporate sales consultants use for new business presenta­tions. It's one thing to tell prospective clients that you're the biggest and the best, but it has much more impact when they hear it from a credible third party. Great PR for about a nickel

But don't believe that, just because you hire a public relations firm, you will get publicity. You can waste tens of thousands on PR firms and not get a shred of publicity in return. Sometimes they give it their best shot but fail. Other times, they are just incompetent or spend more time looking for new clients than working on your account. Be very cautious when selecting a PR firm. Check references, make only shot-term contracts, and continually monitor their progress.

You should be able to get an update every two to four weeks and be able to see progress. If you don't see any tangible results within a couple of months, start asking more questions. Ask to meet those who are actually working on your account and ask them to keep records of all their phone calls and other activities on your behalf.

 For the free top tips for small service-businesses, send an email to  bs@futurevisions.org with 
"free MWS top tips for small service-businesses" in the subject and nothing in the body of the email.