1. Why use viral advertising strategies in your business marketing efforts.
2. Using shock therapy to implement an online advertising campaign for your business.
3. Using viral advertising in your social media marketing and Facebook Fanpages will excel your results much faster.
4. Don’t shove your advertising message down their throats, let it go viral naturally.
5. Present unique and creative advertising campaigns to increase traffic and expose new prospects.
6. Creating a viral epidemic of buyers is your main business goal with your advertising strategy.
7. Learning to leverage your advertising budget for sustainable momentum.
8. Establish a success formula that can be repeated in your business viral advertising over and over again.
9. Add the most important ingredient to your advertising campaigns and that is creativity.
10. Be prepared to embrace new technology, software and APPS in your marketing strategy.

1. There is nothing more effective in promoting your message as a good viral advertising campaign. Viral advertising is designed to use the power of many and inspire others to promote your message for you. This is simply “word of mouth” advertising, is amazingly effective. A business owner can start a viral advertising campaign with no money invested, and let the online community spread your message like wildfire. You can now save advertising money that you were spending on newspaper ads, flyers, door hangers, and even TV commercials. Viral advertising is estimated to be 500 and even up to 1000 times more effective that a regular ad campaign.

If you can learn how to express an idea with commitment and dedication that has an emotion attached to it, you will get people’s attention. It doesn’t matter if you are a madman or idiot, even bad press gets good press time. You can’t please everyone but you can get an emotional reaction out of most people, when owning a strong opinion and sharing it. Being neutral in your viral advertising will not bring you in the sales. Have something to say that will impact their life, or at least make them react a bit. Don’t worry about whether or not they love you or hate you, just be confident that your product is worth their attention either way and stay committed to gaining their trust.

2. Get your business noticed by shock marketing, state something completely unexpected that will make them stop and read more. Being dramatic and doing something out of the ordinary with your product gets attention. Are you just marketing advertisements, or are you marketing an extraordinary exiting story about your product. If you Ad is interesting and highlights your product in a subtle way, you will keep people’s attention longer, and get closer to bringing them to the “I want” it stage. Viral advertising is 100% about emotions, so take them by surprise and do something totally unexpected.

3. Set Up Exciting Viral Content in Parts and then sequels, where the viral advertising message continues.

Ever hear of Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 – once you create Part 1 they start looking for where do I find Part 2 as they want to know the end of the story or the end of the feature comparison prompting them to purchase your product. Make sure you keep their attention once you have it by providing a “Call To Action”. Sell them on the value of why they need your widget, gadget or useful product then introduce an offer they can’t refuse to purchase the product.

The next step is to motivate them to share your awesome and exciting presentation with another associate. This is the meat and potatoes of viral advertising, present information that is so interesting and unique that everyone wants to tell someone else what they read, heard or saw. Set up your “Shock Wave” content so that others can download and then embed it into their own blog or email to others. Upload a short video series on all your advertising “bloopers”, or business bloopers, maybe trying to put together a piece of furniture or equipment and getting it all wrong the first time. Then provide another “Call To Action” using your Facebook Fanpage that they can “Like”, along with the other top social media sharing sites.

4. It is not surprising to hear that many consumers feel jaded when it comes to online shopping. Nobody wants products shoved down their throats through mass advertising methods and using hard sell marketing. If you want to get the consumers attention in this fast paced modern world, you need to be unique and most importantly interesting. Smart consumers are quickly distracted from boring content and they will turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to your viral advertising message.

A proven and trusted method of advertising and marketing that get results is viral advertising, and fortunately for the marketer new software developments can make all the difference. Your personal recommendation is still stronger than any other form of advertising on the planet period! People trust people, and with smart phones using text messaging by the second, and social media sites getting posted on every event of the day, if you have presented your product offer in a way that makes them remember you, you have one half the battle.

5. By fulfilling some unique marketing strategies you remove your business from the mainstream humdrum advertising practices. It’s a known fact that many people feel frustrated with the usual conventional way many businesses sell their products. Don’t let your business fall into this pitiful trap of no return. Step to the plate and be the one who stands out in the crowd, who motivates prospects to burn blisters on their fingers, texting about your great buy of the day.

Business owners are becoming much more conscious of profits and losses due to advertising decisions they have made, and it’s impact on their ROI (return of investment). So the questions comes forth “can we affect people from the inside, from their emotional self and not just from the mind”? So is viral advertising becoming not only the new trend but the must have trend to succeed online. It is our ability to influence the mass public at large that creates successful viral advertising campaigns. Ads that influence the behavior of the viewer in such a ways that they are motivated to share their exciting experience is the purest testament of what viral advertising is all about. If enough of their friends and contact embraces their excitement over what they have been exposed to the viral advertising cycle begins to circulate.

6. Your ultimate goal of course would be to create an viral advertising campaign that causes a behavioral epidemic of buyers. An infectious viral result where everyone wants to be able to say “Yes I Saw That”, or “Yes I heard about that”, or “Yes I watched that”, so that they appear to be in the loop with the latest and newest hot selling protégé. Some marketers prey on the idea of owning a “Secret”, something so special that only a few get access to it. It then becomes an obsession everyone wants to know the secret and will go to any length to get access to it. If you can only offer medium media exposure of your product, then relying on these viral advertising methods becomes essential.

So is your goal to place an advertisement that is seen by 10 who tell one person each, becomes 20 who tell one person becomes 40 and so on. Or do you want real viral advertising success where you place your viral advertisement and get 100 who tell 10, who tell 10 who tell 10. So who is in control here, the business marketing manager of course, the one who decides how the advertising budget is allocated. Is he reserved and old fashioned, or is he brave and uninhibited and adventurous. It is an knows fact that Viral Advertising does in fact work very effectively, and it is the business owners goal to seek out a reliable viral advertising business source.

7. Once your viral advertising campaign has become viralized, it is proof that you have found a suitable target market audience for your product. Once this is identified, you can leverage your viral advertising budget maintaining a perpetual cycle and not a static ad campaign. In order to always be able to identify your most effective viral advertising campaign, it is important to use proven methodologies with specific tracking measures built right in.

8. So does your business have an “Online Viral Advertising Formula”? Is your business aiming high for thousands of hits, a true testament of a successful viral advertising campaign. Marketing consultants know that the more informative your advertising the more persuasive it will be to the consumer. What really makes the consumer decide to purchase your product is based on the content provided in the advertisement more than it’s layout or and whether or not their is something worth sharing, or texting about.

With the ever changing fast moving internet world coming up with a formula for viral advertising is not an easy task. A good rule of thumb is “What motivates you to share a viewed advertisement is different to what motivates you to get out your credit card and finish the purchase.

9. Going back to our conversation about emotions, if you can make someone laugh or gasp or look in disbelief to what they are viewing your chances are the best that they will share that experience with their friends, associates, and followers on social media sites.

The magic of every successful viral advertising campaign begins with a great unique idea. The one main ingredient in all online successful advertising campaigns is creativity in your graphics, your presentation, your keywords and your identified target market. Training business owners though to give each viral advertising campaign they embark on time to mature, time for the seed to sprout, time for the momentum to build and the rewards to pour in from all their hard work and efforts.

10. Don’t be shy to take advantage of the ever fast changing technology world to benefit your business advertising efforts. Finding a great viral advertising business can be a real game changer for your online advertising results. Most importantly look for a viral advertising business that is free to join, and that uses state of the art software designed to drive your business into the next galaxy.

Viral advertising will always win in the end simply due to the abundant measure of viewing numbers. A strong viral advertising strategy will encourage individuals to share an article, a podcast, a video or simply an online advertisement, resulting in exponential exposure by it’s massive influence.

The rippling effects of one single viral advertising message can literally reach hundreds and even thousands of readers in a few short hours. You can quickly enhance your viral advertising success by offering a free give away product. This “FREE” product can be a small physical product that can be mailed out, or it can be a digital product that is delivered instantly online.

It is a well known fact that “FREE” if the most powerful word a marketer can use in any viral advertising campaign. Often the business owner experiences what can be called delayed gratification when using the “FREE” power word in their viral advertising campaign. Add the common expression “OTO” or One Time Offer” that almost always follows a free give-a-way, and you have a winning combination. First you got their attention, and then you offer them something of such great value, they can’t afford to say “NO” and purchase it while it is so cheaply priced.

Always keep in mind that the whole purpose of engaging in viral advertising methods is to spread an idea, and that idea while it is spreading throughout the internet, actually helps market your niche business or product and is attached to your website.

Have you noticed how business owners have become obsessed with Free exposure in any arena? Too many times marketing campaigns have been thrown together much too fast and may get attention but your product or company does not.

Closing

Peoples attention are so fragile, try designing your viral advertising campaign with a strong viral element built right into it. Getting your media to go viral is not the hardest part of your marketing strategy, the most challenging part is getting your media to produce tangible results that show up in your bank account.

Good Advertising creates more production, thus greater consumption, faster turnover and lower sales price per unit. To a great extent it determines the success or failure of the mail order operator!

When working up an advertising program remember that what is genuinely desirable to you may or may not appeal to the majority of your prospects!

Different types of merchandise or services demand completely different advertising media. Your ad must be built around the ADVANTAGES of the product and designed to APPEAL to the specific customers who will BENEFIT from your offer!

Since you MUST spend advertising dollars in order to make money in the mailorder business be sure you spend WISELY and with CONFIDENCE.

RETAIN all advertising information, brochures, sales letter, catalog, etc., you receive. USE THE IDEAS from this information as a guide in formulating your various advertising programs!

There are thousands of top mail order products to choose from, more than you can every use so choose the right ones for your programs!

If the product or service can’t stand the Truth do not advertise it…Don’t handle it! Truth in advertising is a must! Your FIRM NAME, preferable, should be SHORT, DESCRIPTIVE AND EASY TO REMEMBER!

When you find the item that is a mail order “HIT”, repeat your ads on the product in a number of magazines and other productive advertising media in order to PYRAMID YOUR PROFITS TO THE MAXIMUM!

Advertising cost divided by inquiries = Ad cost per inquiry! Advertising cost divided by orders = Ad cost per order! Orders received divided by readership = percent of response! Number of pieces mailed + by orders received = Percent of return!

Continuously use the simple formulas (above) so you will know who your advertising dollars are paying off!

Ad to find new Products: “Calling all manufacturers, importers and suppliers … We will feature and sell your new products in our catalog … Send your information, sample products and programs to…..!”

Test the position of your ads in the various Media!

Test one ad against another on the same offer!

Make your sales letters friendly, clear, simple and to the point!

Your potential customers are more interested in themselves than in your product, consequently your ads and sales letter must be directed toward their point of view and their self-interests! Make them want your product because it will benefit them or will do the job better for them!

Powerful attention getting words include: Free, Amazing, Weird, Odd, Strong, Rare, Big, Secret, Latest, Easy, Fortune, Now, New, How-to!

You must put yourself in the place of your prospects and know how they feel, think and react to your ads! If “you” were the customer would your ads persuade “you” to buy?

Your Ad must have a strong headline! It must tell the prospect what to do, such as: Order Now! Rush $5.00! Use order form and reply envelope! Act Now! Action words that urge the prospect to order. Explain with simple words JUST WHAT THEY WILL RECEIVE FOR THEIR MONEY! What the product will do for them. Use believable testimonials. Appeal to their reason and get their confidence, then use a powerful close. You can get the order!

Repetition is one of the secrets of making a lasting impression on the memory.

Use coupons in some of your ads!

Since Suspense is a strong force in advertising, consider entering the name of your product toward the end of your ad!

Most everyone wants prestige, confidence, money, security, advancement, leisure time, good health, popularity, less worry, happiness, success, more time, recognition, improvement, business ownership, independence, more knowledge, satisfaction, savings … Appeal to your prospects… use such appeals in your ads!

Quality, usefulness, reasonable price, up-to-date, and appealing to the sight are points to stress!

Make no misleading claims about your products.

Review the many ads presented in leading mail order sales magazines advertisers. Make note of the many attention getting words and phrases that catch your eye and cause you to read the rest of the ad! Use these same words in your own headlines!

With certain type products, consider turning the picture in your display ad upside down in order to attract attention from the ordinary … If handled properly, curiosity will sell!

Study the operation of other firms to get New Ideas for sales letters, methods of handling promotion, nature of offers and any other details which may be helpful!

Some programs require a good deal of literature in order to present all the facts necessary to sell a product! With this type of product you should first advertise for inquiries then send the full ammunition by direct mail. Write up a list of important reasons why a person should inquire about your offer. Use the strongest of these reasons in your ad!

If you usually pay cash for your ads, why not set up your own advertising agency as a secondary part of your business? Your registered business name as an advertising agency may qualify your business for the 15% discount when advertising in many publications!

Direct Mail, mailing lists, not ads, are used to obtain business. You determine what type of person would best buy your product; then compile, rent or buy name lists and proceed from there.

Lists compiled from business listings in the Yellow Pages are good for many kinds of mailorder products; however the names and addresses contained in the white pages seldom get any reasonable response. Ads in the daily paper are also generally poor for mail order products. Stay with the successful operators and advertise in the various media they use … stick with quality name lists in the right category for your products!

Unless your ad is read you will come out in the red! Make it clean, clear, concise, simple, professional and focused to the “right market” for the type of product being offered!

Always test! test! test! before spending large sums to promote or advertise your product … Be sure it is a hit then go all out!

Your ad must name the product, describe it, tell what it will do for the reader, how he can obtain it, and where to get it!

The best part of your advertisement is the words that can be read “between the lines”!

The direct mail packet consists of the sales letter, catalog, or brochure, order blank and the business reply envelope.

The ad must attract attention and create interest and desire before the customer will act!

Know your product well so that you can be specific, sincere and positive in writing your ads! Enthusiastic ads properly laid out will generally get enthusiastic results!

It is simple to record test results for your ads and programs in the various media. DO IT!

If your product has distinctive features or trademarks, use them over and over again in all your ads … Take advantage of the repeat psychology of keeping the name of your product constantly out in front of the Public Eye! If your product is familiar to the user, prove that it has better quality or price over competing items. Educate the consumer when presenting brand new items.

Prospects are usually more impressed by what others have to say about the product than by what the dealer tells them. Write to your customers, asking for their opinion on what your program or product has done for them and request permission to use their endorsement in some of your ads. Retain their letters as your authority for using their testimony.

Classified ads must have a great deal of thought and preparation! Use as few words as you can, but don’t leave out image building words that tell stories, paint pictures and compel action!

One way to increase the readership of your ad is by inviting persons to send in money saving ideas. Print the best idea each week, or month, and award the winner $$$… They will read the ad in each issue in order to find out if they won and if not to see if the winners ideas are better than the ones they submitted!

Many products can be readily adapted to radio & TV selling. This can be arranged whereby you pay the station a percentage of only what is sold. There are publications available which explain how to present such offers to the stations and lists of stations that supposedly operate on this basis. You can locate such firms by a search at your local library or through salesmen and opportunity magazines….However; this method for selling mail order products is not readily available on a flexible basis, unless you have something really special.

You must be in a position to change your advertising approach with changing times and conditions. The First Paragraph of a sales letter must create attention and interest or the entire message will go to file 13!

The Second part, or body, of the letter must arouse desire by pointing out the advantages and describing the product, preferably in use, or in action and should state the price…or the entire message will wind up in file 13!

The Final Portion of your letter should strongly urge the prospect to act and tell him how to order or the entire message will go to file “13″!

You don’t have near the space for your message with classified and small display ads, as you do with the sales letter so unless they are well presented they may make a faster trip down the tube to file 13!

Always use TOP QUALITY letterheads, mailing materials and supplies…This is your BUSINESS IMAGE in mailorder!

It could be good policy to place your ads through a legitimate advertising agency…It costs no more than if you place your own. Before doing business, get full information about the agency, its services and rates.

Since you must get your message across in top form, in order to pull inquiries and get orders, the ideal ad made just for the particular item being for sale is another great secret for mail order profits….Many times just one little word will change a dead ad to one that pulls thousands of orders!

Since you do not have a “window display” to use for mailorder advertising you must either draw pictures or use picture words to describe your product. Prepare advertising copy so that your prospects can “visualize the product” in their mind and “see” themselves using it to good advantage.

The headline of your ad must be powerful enough to catch immediate attention.

Use words that emphasize your product or service at the beginning or end of sentences!

Another gimmick for obtaining name lists for nothing…An ad such as…”?BIG MAIL? Send 200 of your address labels and 50 cents. We will send to mailorder dealers, wholesalers, distributors, etc….!”

“Before and After” type ads get great response on certain products.

Test and compare with different worded ads on the same type of merchandise in the same media.

When advertising make your most important points first!

When you find a new product that has possibilities for mailorder, test it! Prepare an ad for a quick test in a magazine or in a paper with a fast closing date (time from date ad is received to date it is published). As your test prove out “HIT” that particular item hard and heavy in other publications!

Test various price levels for the same product.

Qualify your prospects with proper classified ads.

Get the prospects confidence by offering free samples, by allowing a full money-back guarantee, by building your business image without exaggeration, and by showing proof of satisfied users.

Use the P.S. in sales letters to gain added attention!

When using an illustration or picture of your product in an ad, have one that shows the product in use! Picture the merchandise in use giving the owner profit or pleasure thus generating a positive, confident “YES” attitude. Remember that a picture will often sell better than 10,000 words.

Command attention to your ads or mailing pieces by marginal sketches, cartoons, different size and type styles of various words and/or paragraphs…Take the monotony out of the ad!

Consider greater pulling power of colored ads on many kinds of products. Test for added response and sales, as balanced against the much higher printing costs for color! The use of borders, lines, etc., can enhance your ads but be certain they are not placed in such a way that they detract from your message.

Type is expressed by “points”. For example, one point equals 1/72 of an inch. A pica is 1/6 of an inch. Learn the various type styles and sizes. Use the right print in your ads to emphasize the best features of your product.

Don’t bore the reader; Keep the sakes letter to one page whenever possible.

Offer something extra or something free in order to get immediate action!

Test only one factor at a time in order to determine which “change” made the difference in the number of responses received from your ad!

By the end of the first month after receipt of the first response from your ad you should receive 60% of the return you are going to get from monthly magazines, 75% from weekly newspapers, 75% from direct mail, 80% from Sunday newspapers, 90% from daily papers and 100% from Radio or TV! Within 2 weeks…From magazines 20%; Weekly magazines 40%; Direct mail and Sunday papers 60%; Daily papers 75% and Radio and TV 90%. DON’T DEPEND ON SUCH STATISTICS!!!!! Response can vary drastically depending on many factors, including products offered, media used, season, price, economy, etc.!!!! Your ad should be repeated again and again, as long as it is bringing back a profit….After the saturation point is reached, pull the ad. Test it again in a few months. The classified ad is the best to use for testing. For fast results, newspapers can be tested periodically. Magazines with the greatest number of responses for the least cost per inquiry should have priority for your ads. Only tests can prove which are the best ads and media for your various offers!

Have a “Built-in” follow-up program when preparing your initial advertising and promotion materials!

Your ad must end with words that compel action…Ask for the order! Now! Don’t let the prospect put the offer aside or it will usually end up in file 13. Notice the many ads in the mailorder publications that close with action getting words and sentences. Use such ads to develop ideas for your own ads!

Use the personal touch in your sales letters! You must have a good mailing list for direct mail advertising. Your sales letter should be written as though you were talking in person to the reader. Read it out loud…Does it sound like talk or is it canned?

Offer mailing labels with personalized pictures, photos, or cartoon caricatures, at cost, in order to build name lists of mailorder buyers!

Choose the publications with the greatest pull for your particular ad…Determine the greatest circulation for every dollar spent…Is it better to advertise in a magazine with 10,000 readers at 20 cents per word, or pay $2.50 per word for one with 3,000,000 circulation? Even this must be tested. Perhaps the 10,000 readers are buyers of the type of offer you are promoting and will order more than the 3 million!

Determine the kind of person who reads the various publications and buy your space accordingly…Advertise ladies apparel in a media read by women, not in a science publication!

Publications which carry a large classified section generally produce good results. Be sure to advertise under the right classification for your order.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the order.

Take advantage of free advertising and publicity whenever & wherever available!

If practical for a given program, include a picture of yourself, your business building, or a photo of your product…This, of course pertains basically to direct mail programs or for display ads.

Your ad will fail if: The program you choose has already been worked to death: A number of dealers had an ad approximately the same as yours in the same publication; You are advertising an out of season product; Your price is not competitive; The offer wan not attractive; Your copy was poorly written, or it you advertised in the wring classification for the item being offered!

You generally get nothing but curiosity seekers with ill placed display ads.

“KEY” you ads in order to know what is the best way to spend your advertising dollars. Final sales volume, is the measurement of success or failure of your advertising programs!

Combine the best features of your product in preparing your ad. Not so much as to the physical characteristics but by the feeling and interest it generates in others!

Generally, you should $ ASK $ for the money in classified ads only when a small amount is required for the product! Do not expect to get good response from a high cost item asking for money with a small classified ad. Offer free details to get the inquiry first, then send your direct mail packet…Sell your low priced items direct from the classified or display ad!

Build and maintain your list!!!!

Remember….For us in the mail order industry, advertising is a must! We cannot reach success without it! We can’t operate successfully with it, unless we do it right! Advertising is second in importance, only to a high demand product at a reasonable price, but neither can win without the other…The day we stop advertising is the day we give up the mailorder business and go back to punching the old worn out time clock!!!!!!!

I get calls every week from lawyers saying they’re not getting calls anymore from yellow page advertising. Having done quite well in the past, they’re afraid to discontinue the advertising. They want to know what’s going on and what to do.

Apparently, lawyers are not the only ones. In his article “Quit wasting money on Yellow Page advertising” by Peter Fernandez, D.C., a yellow page, print advertising and practice management consultant for chiropractors, Dr. Fernandez answers the question, “Why has advertising in the Yellow Pages changed from one of the best ways to advertise to one of the worst in just a few years?” (See 1, below)

This article will attempt to explain where all the calls went. I believe lawyers began advertising in the Yellow Pages much earlier than on TV because of the cost; most lawyers were reluctant to become pioneers of TV advertising; and lawyers were pursued by yellow page salespeople, but not by TV salespeople. Since 1976 through the mid-1980s, the Yellow Pages and classified newspaper ads were virtually the only place a potential client could find a lawyer advertising. Consequently, lawyers advertising in the Yellow Pages did not have much competition and had very good results.

Many more lawyers flocked to the Yellow Pages which then became very crowded. In the last few years, and after a few pioneers, many of the lawyers advertising in the Yellow Pages discovered what every other business has long known, that TV is by far both the most effective and cost-effective media. According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, from January 2004 through September 2004 lawyers have spent $287.3 million on TV compared with only $71.3 million on print media, $11.4 million on radio and $4.1 million on Internet advertising. According to research done by the Television Bureau of Advertising, the public’s perception of television gets the votes for Most Authoritative and Most Exciting. Both influential and persuasive, TV wins over other media, in both categories, by a wide margin among Adults 18+. TV scores 81.8% in the Most Influential category, with newspapers a distant second at 8.5%. TV scores 66.8% Most Persuasive with newspapers, again a distant second at 14.2%.

Just as buying something wholesale or in large quantities, your cost per person reached from advertising is reduced when you buy media that reaches more people. Broadcast TV reaches many times more people than a county-wide yellow page book and therefore costs much less per person reached. In the New York DMA (broadcast TV market), there are 29 counties reached by TV. If there was only one yellow page book in each county, you would have to advertise in 29 yellow page books to reach the same geographic area as TV. Unfortunately, there are several yellow page books in each county. Smaller community yellow page books produce even less of a return on investment because they reach even fewer people. Many lawyers have found out that for the cost of a full-page advertisement in just two county-wide yellow page books, you can advertise on TV with a respectable budget and reach the population of an entire DMA.

Today, due to the large number of lawyers advertising on TV, potential clients are being diverted away from yellow page books. Additionally, in the field of personal injury, the problem is compounded. Seriously injured people are usually in bed in a hospital or at home watching TV. Lawyers advertising on TV reach potential accident clients long before they can even
get to yellow page books.

When lawyers first began advertising, there was only one yellow page book. Now there are commonly three, four or even five county-wide yellow page books and several village, community or neighborhood yellow page books as well. Some advertisers have even lost their position in the Yellow Pages because they signed a contract with another yellow page book not realizing it was a different book and they couldn’t afford two books. Because a consumer will typically keep one yellow page book and throw out the others, the question an advertiser faces is which yellow page book to advertise in or to advertise in all of them. Will your advertisement be in a yellow page book that’s thrown in the garbage? I keep only one book and it stays in the closet, rarely used. Today, I use the Internet instead of a yellow page book.

While there was once only one Yellow Page book in town receiving 100% of yellow page advertising revenue, they are now losing a large share of that revenue to several competing yellow page books, but their operating costs remain fixed. All of the yellow page book companies must print and distribute the same number of books. Unless all advertisers advertise in all three yellow page books, the publishing companies have to increase advertising fees thereby increasing the cost of reaching a yellow page consumer. In an effort to increase revenue, yellow page books have even begun creating new real estate to sell including advertising on the covers, spine, tabbed pages and even Post-it Notes style ads. These high visibility advertisements also divert yellow page consumers from regular full-page advertisements.

Simply stated, there was once only one yellow page book in town; it was cheaper to advertise in the book; there were fewer lawyers advertising in the book; there were few lawyers advertising on TV; the Internet was not what it is today; and there were far more people using the Yellow Pages than there are today.

So what’s a lawyer to do with yellow page advertising? If you’re one of the three or four largest advertisers in your market with an advertising budget large enough for a substantial TV advertising campaign including billboards and radio, you may want to consider advertising in all of the yellow page books. If you’re not one of the largest advertisers in your market, my suggestion is to discontinue advertising in yellow page books and to spend your money on TV. If you have a 1-800 vanity telephone number available and extra money in the budget, you should also advertise on billboards and radio.