Every market is different! All depends on how diluted the competitive field is, and under what headings you choose. In our market, not much competitive pressure (professional anyway). Having over 15 years sales/marketing management experience, display ads DO get called first in CERTAIN headings. My belief is that a well designed display ad that "BRIEFLY" & "EFFECTIVELY" describes the differentiation in your business vs. the competitor can be quite effective. If you're under the Pressure Washers heading, they already know that's what you do. Describe something different you offer.
RE: Mike's point about price shoppers. Only when I decided to go with the larger distribution book that coveres both sides of my county. Poor people price shop. People with money buy value.
Ken, gonna' disagree with you here! Might be true in your market, but in ours, which is PREDOMINANTLY old German & Polish conservative, it's the other way around. The blue collar (ethnic) family that grew up earning a living in the factory to buy a piece of the "American Dream" are our absolute BEST customers, which in turn are normally our highest profit jobs. The affluent are the toughest sell for the type of money we charge for our work. Almost 90% of the time we lose out on these prospects to a lowballer who will not even come close to our quality. OH WELL we always say!! Just my $.02 on that issue.
Yellow Book advertising.........has given us an R.O.I. of $7 - $1 in terms of actual sales vs. expense. We always have to tweek each season, and watch what our competitors do so we can respond effectively. Bottom line is....ALL advertising works!!!!! Just not for every business, all the time.
