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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 198
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| Thought for the week: "Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress." Mahatma Gandhi |
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In this week's issue:
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More tips for successful Yellow Pages ads
Yellow Pages ads can be a big success for small businesses...if they're done correctly.
This directory is often the first place that buyers go before they decide who to buy from. Around 84% of the people who use Yellow Pages contact a business listed there, and 49% of them actually go on to purchase something from that business. That is why the Yellow Pages directory is so important.
And it's important to emphasise that people use Yellow Pages with intent to buy. You don't have to create demand for your product - it's already there. All you have to do is convince the buyer that you should be the business they call first.
The only downside to Yellow Pages advertising is the cost of the ad's placement. It's not a one-shot deal. It's a commitment for a full 12-month ad run in the directory. It's essentially the same as going down to your local paper and making a deal to run an ad every day for the next year without the opportunity to stop or change the ad throughout the year. So that's a huge risk.
That's why it's important to get your Yellow Pages ad right. Remember that your ad will be competing with dozens, if not hundreds, of other competitors whose ads will all look very similar when they're listed together.
David Frey, author of The UK Small Business Marketing Bible, which features a special report on how to get the most from Yellow Pages ads, recommends the following eight essential tips for ensuring that you make your ad as effective as possible:
1) Use an attention-getting headline
Remember how many ads your own listing will be competing with, and use catchy, memorable headline words to grab readers' attention.
2) Give your prospects a reason to call you
When your prospects find your ad and read it, they are determining whether or not to call you, so give them a good excuse or strong reason to pick up the phone. Offering them something that's free but of high value - like a special free report - is a good option.
3) Add pictures
This is just another way to make your ad more memorable and eye-catching than the rest.
4) Include benefits, benefits, benefits
Ask yourself why people would want to do business with you and not anybody else. Your customers care about what THEY will get out of the deal. Give readers your strongest selling points - or the single biggest benefit they're likely to care about most.
5) Make a specific call to action
Don't be vague. End your ad with a firm call to action. In other words, you want your reader to do something, so you've got to tell them exactly what you want done.
6) Consider including some customer testimonials
Testimonials are a powerful tool for creating trust and believability. By reading the genuine comments of other, independent individuals, people will be more convinced about your business than by any amount of flashy sales copy.
7) Be easy to contact
Nothing is worse from a customer's perspective than not being able to contact you. Include your e-mail address, phone number, fax number, address and if you're the business owner, you might even consider leaving your personal number.
8) Insist on seeing a proof
There are so many things you can get wrong in a Yellow Pages ad - from basic spelling and grammar that could make you look unprofessional, to errors with your phone number or e-mail address that could render you uncontactable - that it would be commercial suicide not to get a proof of your ad before it gets printed.
Yellow Pages is also available online, and the Yelldirect.com site has more information about advertising via the Yellow Pages website. And you can check out our practical factsheet for more information about getting the best out of Yellow Pages ads.
There are also many privately produced business directories competing with Yellow Pages. These usually have a smaller circulation but may offer free listings. Examples include Matren and CountyWeb.
Small community or neighbourhood directories are usually published by private companies or local authorities to cover one particular geographical area. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or local authority to find out whether one exists in your area.
Where to find legal advice for your business
One of the major concerns for small businesses is the expense of appointing a solicitor. However, there is a lot of helpful information available free of charge or at limited cost, some of which is online, that may help you resolve your legal query without having to call on a professional.
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If the problem you are facing is specific to your sector, you may be able to contact a trade association for help. Many trade bodies hold extensive relevant information, and may have experience of previous difficulties that other traders have faced. To find your trade association, go to the Trade Association Forum.
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If you decide that you do need to talk to a solicitor in person, the Law Society is a useful first port of call. It represents legal professionals throughout England and Wales, and its directory can be searched according to name, location and area of expertise.
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Free legal advice is also available through the Law Society's 'Lawyers for your Business' scheme. This is a network of lawyers throughout England and Wales who will offer a free half-hour consultation to small and medium-sized businesses. Specialist advice is available to cover areas such as employment law, leases and contracts.
Other solicitor directories can be found at Lawyer Locator and Solicitors.co.uk. You can also check out our useful introduction to finding legal advice for your business.
Each
week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business
ideas in the UK.
Here
is this week's idea:
Most-watched Superbowl adverts
Fans of American football will be well aware that it was the Superbowl on Sunday, when the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears in Miami.
From a business perspective, the tournament is also known for the themed TV ads that feature during its commercial breaks, and it's one of the few times where viewers are actually keen to watch adverts.
TiVo, a US TV digital recorder, capitalised on this trend by making some ads downloadable. It has drawn up a fascinating list of the most-watched adverts during this year's Superbowl, based on its subscribers, with beer and food ads among the most popular:
1) Bud Light: Language Course with Carlos Mencia
2) Bud Light: Rock Paper Scissors
3) FedEx: Don't Judge
4) Nationwide: Kevin Federline Rollin' VIP
5) Doritos Crash the Super Bowl
6) CareerBuilder: Office Jungle
7) Blockbuster: Mouse
8) Doritos Crash The Super Bowl: Checkout Girl
9) Chevrolet: Everybody Loves a Chevy
10) Schick: Quarto Science
If you want to see all of the adverts played during the game, go to the ifilm website.
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do you know what the word 'dichotomy' means?
a) a half measure or quantity
b) an index of references
c) a difference between two opposite ideas or issues
d) the same as or similar to
Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up?
1) What can the Xenon computer tool currently being piloted in the Netherlands do to businesses that try to evade the taxman?
a) It can tell as soon as your tax return is late and issue an automatic fine
b) It can cross-check e-commerce activities with the tax paid on trading profits
c) It can automatically scan tax returns for errors or omissions
d) It can compare your old tax returns against new ones to identify anomalies
2) Which sector is reported to be poised to benefit from the smoking bans coming into force in Wales and Northern Ireland in April, and in England in July?
a) Pubs and bars, through trade from non-smokers who wouldn't previously have visited
b) Off-licences and shops, as people buy booze to drink in their own homes
c) Summer coats and jackets, as people try to keep warm while smoking outside
d) Garden furniture, through trade from pubs seeking to improve outside seating areas
3) Which grocery retailer topped a poll of customer satisfaction put together by Which? magazine?
a) Waitrose
b) Aldi
c) Tesco
d) Sainsbury's
Answers at the end of the Bulletin.
There are three different types of small business on the web
Web hosting firm Fasthosts reports that there are three different types of small and medium-sized enterprise currently online in the UK. Its 'SME Indicator' study identifies them - and relates them to types of car - as the Personal User (The Compact), the Entrepreneur (The Convertible) and the Serious User (The Sports). Each type of business and its website has positives and negatives associated with it. Fasthosts says you should identify which type of business you are and look at how you can improve your online presence.
Second Life businesses to be bought and sold online
The Second Life computer game, which has taken the web by storm and created real-life millionaires through its virtual community, is to establish a new business trading site. Second Life has teamed up with online media group Dynamis plc, which publishes the BusinessesForSale.com website, to create a 'business for sale exchange' site in Second Life's virtual world.
There are now thousands of real businesses operating in Second Life. The new site will allow Second Life citizens - known as 'Avatars' - to buy and sell their virtual ventures for real cash. The Business Exchange site will be completed in March, and Avatars will be able to advertise an opportunity for 250 Linden dollars - the currency in the virtual community - per week (around 50p). The site will also feature meeting rooms, an exhibition hall and a networking zone.
Small business podcast
The SmallBizPod website bills itself as the UK's first small business podcast, containing interviews and advice for small businesses, start ups and entrepreneurs. The site has an easy-to-use format, so you don't have to be a technological wizard to find your way around. There's a list of all the guests interviewed for the podcast, along with space for listeners' news and comments. If you're interested in a particular topic, you can check whether it has been covered, or you can go back through the archives (starting in March 2005) to listen again.
Find free Wi-Fi spots
According to US business and financial magazine Forbes, the UK is fifth in the list of countries offering the most wireless Internet hotspots. Forbes has published the rankings on its website, which also points readers in the direction of free wireless Internet services available via hotels, restaurants, airports and other locations.
This book, which is written by an academic and a journalist, subverts the theory that having a clear, tidy desk is the only way to be effective in business. Rather than being totally tidy or totally messy, the book argues that most people are most productive somewhere between the two extremes. Full of anecdotes and case studies, the book looks at examples of how a little bit of mess proved successful in the world of business, parenting, cooking, the war on terror...and even the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is c).
A dichotomy is a difference between two opposite ideas, concepts or issues.
In the food and drink market, there is currently a dichotomy between the popularity of healthy, low-fat food and the equal appeal of luxury treats. |
How's your business radar answers
1) The answer is b) - Xenon can trawl the Internet looking for patterns to determine whether a business' e-commerce trading activities are reflected in its tax payments.
2) The answer is d) - garden furniture and associated accessories are poised to benefit from increased sales after the smoking bans come into force.
3) The answer is a) - Waitrose topped the poll by Which?, but no-frills budget stores Aldi and Lidl surprised everyone by beating the 'big four'. |
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Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
