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When you are making your decision about size, display or in-column and color, keep in mind that it is possible to get lots of calls from your target market with a less expensive ad than the competitors if you have a better designed ad, with better content, or a unique business service. If you get their attention better, and solve their immediate questions and problems, you will get the call.

For example, often the biggest display ads get pushed so far ahead of the main column list, that in a way they get lost. People look for the column section first, to make sure they are in the right section, and then they look at the displays. So this may be a case where smaller is better. And if there are no other display ads, yours might not get noticed because it would be by itself. In this case, an expanded column ad might work better.

Also, don't make the mistake of thinking that because your little column listing is not bringing you very much business that a bigger ad would not do any better. It could very well be that your little ad just is not getting noticed. Review the situation. Show your ad to friends and ask them if they would notice you.

But there is no doubt that in most cases display ads get more calls. A display ad acts a little like a risk reducer because your clients will figure that you are serious about your business and successful if you pay for that ad. So just sit down and say, how many new clients would I have to get to break even every month on my massage yellow pages ad? Most of the time, with a good display ad, it is pretty easy to justify a more expensive ad than you at first were considering.

When working with your yellow pages representative keep in mind that their primary focus is on selling you advertising, the more the better. And all of their statistics say that bigger, with color, gets more calls. But that is mostly because these ads are designed by the yellow pages, and the only way they can stand out is by being big, and bright. Your rep can be very helpful, but ultimately make all of your own decisions based on how you think your massage yellow pages ad will be placed and how it will get noticed.

Here is another critical point for a profitable massage yellow pages ad. You are paying a lot for those calls. Your massage yellow pages ad profits are only as good as you are at fielding those calls and converting them into appointments. If you don't promptly answer the phone, and sound professional, and ask for them to schedule, then it does not matter how many calls you get or how great your yellow pages ad is. And if you don't answer the phone in person, or have an answering service, your potential client will just move on down the list.

A good answering service could easily pay for itself every month with one appointment. A good web site that answers questions and has on-line appointment booking might also help.

OK, that is a start. Here is a good resource of a yellow pages designer who has some good ideas, tips and examples on his site. www.maxeffect.com I don't necessarily suggest you use his service, it might be a little expensive depending on the size of your business, but you can still learn a lot from it. I also suggest getting some books on the subject of creating effective yellow pages ads. Your massage yellow pages ad is likely one of your biggest marketing expenses, and it is well worth putting in a full week of research and thought into. Because once you do it, it is done for a year.

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