Product Description

The completely-updated third edition of the classic 'bible of Yellow Pages advertising." Expert answers, based on the latest research, to all the questions Yellow Pages advertisers ask-and to those they never ask but should. . How much should I be spending? . What kind of ads should I have? . How big should those ads be? . What headings should I be under? . What directories (print and/or online) should I be advertising in? How important is ad placement? What about color? How can I make cheaper ads work for me? How can I be sure my Yellow Pages ads are working? Plus a complete step-by-step program for developing ads that get the call-even when surrounded by page after page of ads all selling the same thing. As TIME magazine says, "Barry Maher has helped thousands of small businesses get the most effective and cost-effective Yellow Pages advertising possible. [He's] easily the most widely respected consultant, speaker, writer on the subject."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1299087 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Customer Reviews

The most comprehensive business guide to date.
When small businesses think of advertising, they think newspapers, billboards and expensive media campaigns. Since the invention of the telephone and the yellow pages, there are other, less expensive options, but only if you know what you're doing.

Barry Maher takes the guesswork out of how much ad space to buy and what categories best fit every business in "Getting The Most From Your Yellow Pages Advertising". Maher shows the most cost effective way to advertise, which yellow pages are the best bet for advertising, who is and who isn't being truthful, and gives the straight low down on how to maximize advertising dollars for every type of business, small or large.

Color or black and white? Saving money or betting the farm? Maher details the ins and outs of every facet of yellow pages advertising, from art work to strategies and headings to scams. Turning years of experience in buying and selling advertising into a simple, easy to follow guidebook, Maher demystifies yellow pages advertising in a concise, easy to understand compendium that no business should be without.

Good, but...
I found some very good insights in this book, however felt it missed a few things. Firstly, some of the insights were very good - eg. "once a heading develops display advertising, in-column ads can no longer compete" and "do not buy an ad more than one size bigger than the competition" (both page 126). But then, in the copy section for example, it only has a few paragraphs on developing and communicating a unique selling proposition - that is, why a customer should do business with you and not your competition. I would have thought that this deserved more attention than just that! Further, I recently did a long copy style advertorial for a cleaner that pulled in 9 times more response than the client's dot pointed ad the previous year (yet this book only talks about the dot point style)... admitedly, advertorial does not always work... but I would have thought this option may have at least got a mention. Finally, there are only a handful of ads in this book... if they do another edition of this, more sample ads (for us to swipe) really helps us learn better... bottom line, this book is worth the price, but it did miss a few points and needs more sample ads to help you translate theory into operation... but I was perhaps a bit dissapointed because it just didn't live up to my expectations...

Impossible not to profit from this book.
I wasn't expecting much from this book. It's written by a former Yellow Pages salesperson, so I expected a sales letter in book form. But then I found out it was the BEST Yellow Pages salesperson, and I decided to order the book. 300 pages of pure information. Mr. Mahar shows you why Yellow Pages advertising may NOT be for you. That was a surprise.
You get several studies that show which types of businesses profit most from Yellow Pages advertising, and which don't.
He gives a convincing rational for which directories to place your ad in (assuming your area has several).
You also get sample ads to use as templates.
This book covers everything about Yellow Pages advertising. Yellow Pages advertising tends to be the largest advertising expense for small businesses. Using the ideas in this book will easily pay for the cost of the book the first month in the Yellow Pages.
The only flaw I found was that, if Mr. Mahar has Seminars on Yellow Pages advertising, I probably wouldn't go; I just don't see what I could learn that isn't already covered in the book.