Plant The Seed Of Interest: Marketing

One important ingredient to controlling the costs of your business is making sure you get the best return possible on your advertising investment.

My next door neighbor is frustrated with his yard. He lives alone, spends the daylight hours in his office and is not interested in planting shrubs and flowers or maintaining them during his limited free time. He does, however, take pride in his property and is willing to pay someone to keep it looking attractive.

He decides to check his Yellow Pages directory to see what services are available, looks up landscaping and finds a large selection of display ads. He is attracted to the ads with the most information and notices that some of the ads refer to an online Yellow Pages. Online Yellow Pages sounds like a great resource so he boots up the electronic directory and clicks on a landscape contractor’s listing.

This online ad provides detailed information on all of the services available, costs, benefits and even mentions a maintenance plan just what my neighbor needs. The online contractor provides the chance to ask questions and look at four-color pictures of gardens. This is the contractor whose print and electronic Yellow Pages ads make an impression on my neighbor and who gets his business.

Lexington Tree Service, in Lexington, Ky., has advertised in the Yellow Pages for 27 years. We needed to build a name for the business when it was first established, so we advertised in the GTE Yellow Pages, said Suzie Curtis, office manager. Now, we use a full-page ad, and we really stand out. We’re the first tree service customers see, and the first one they call on. That’s a competitive edge.

A robust economy, a more educated public, increased home building and home resales provide a favorable environment for growing a landscape contracting business. Last year, 38 million U.S. consumers checked the Yellow Pages heading for Landscape Contractors, making it the 83rd most referenced heading from more than 2,000 headings in the average directory.

And, while many people continue to shop in their reliable print Yellow Pages directories, a growing number of shoppers are also going online. Matrix Information Directory Services forecasts that online users will increase from 57 million this year to 377 million by the end of 1999.

This article discusses how to make your business as visible as possible by using print and electronic Yellow Pages advertising, and how to make sure the consumers who see your ads decide to call you.

Quality and reputation are also critical. You may offer reasonable rates, but does that mean your services and products are lower in quality? Tell people if you are an award-winner, the degrees your employees have, whether you are licensed and insured and any guarantees you offer. Let them know how long you’ve been in business in their community, and whether you are family-owned and operated.

Environmental and health risks worry people today, and customers may be uncertain about the use of chemicals. Reassure these people in your ad whether you offer organic lawn care or adhere to safe technical programs.

Finally, you need to tell people why they should call you rather than your competitors. What makes you different or unique? Do you offer one-stop shopping on a wide variety of landscape services, restore old landscapes or provide video or computerized presentations on design options? If you are after the commercial landscape audience, mention your quantity discounts and follow-up services. And for residential consumers, list any free consultation services you offer.

ATTRACTIVE, SIMPLE DESIGN. A consumer who is looking up landscaping is thinking about appearances.

So it is critical for your Yellow Pages ad to be attractive and tasteful. Studies have shown that even when they have the name of a specific business in mind, many people check the Yellow Pages directory and they could be attracted to your competitor’s ad. Consumers surveyed said they looked at an average of six display ads under the landscape heading.

Printing technology has changed dramatically, so your ad should not look like it did 10 years ago. Ask your Yellow Pages sales rep if the publisher offers any design services at no extra charge. Whether you are creating a new ad or updating your old one, here are some design tips provided by David Roeder, a designer of Yellow Pages ads for 25 years.

• Look at other advertising, especially in the Yellow Pages, but also in newspapers, direct mail, etc. Get an idea of what you like and use that idea in your ad.
• Make your ad as attractive as possible by using good illustrations, an attractive typeface and consider one or more colors.
• Make sure your ad is easy to read and that the phone number, address and location of your business are in large type.
• Consider your audience. Think about the image you want to portray. Illustrate that you are a reliable expert offering quality materials and service.
• If you run other types of advertising, use a consistent logo or artwork so people will recognize your business.
• Contrast your ad design to that of your competitors. If the other ads are all black and yellow, add a color or try reverse type. If theirs are in straight boxes, use a design or illustration on your border.
• Ask to preview how your ad will look like on the page. It could look great standing alone, but get lost among other ads.

After 16 years in the business, Dan Albright, owner, Albright Landscaping, St. Petersburg, Fla., decided to add red to his ad. As a result, he’s seeing an increase in his calls. Because of the type of work we do, I just felt Albright Landscaping demanded more than a black and white ad. I wanted something that would catch our customers’ eyes as soon as they looked at the page. Even if you don’t choose color, focus on the image you communicate in your ad and think about how it appears to potential customers.

NEW ENHANCEMENTS. Teresa Keenan, GTE Directories director of market integration, pointed out that it is very important to consider the services and products a publisher offers. Today’s consumer is looking for more information than ever, and interactive directory services, including electronic Yellow Pages, can add value to your advertising investment.

Some publishers offer consumer information lines that give advertisers the chance to update their ad, sometimes as often as once a month. Customers looking up Landscape Contractors in the Yellow Pages see a box beneath the heading with the local Quick Tips® information line phone number and four-digit codes for selections on topics such as who to call and services offered.

QuickTips information is provided by national professional associations. Advertisers can purchase sponsorships of individual or multiple tips, and callers have the option of being connected directly to the retailer.

Another service offered by some publishers enables advertisers to include their own brochures in a package which is delivered with the new directory. The advertiser can select the neighborhoods, choose delivery based on a variety of demographics and can even send out advertising only to people new to the area or to new housing developments. This is a form of direct advertising, but it eliminates postage costs and guarantees delivery with a trusted directory.

BROADEN YOUR CUSTOMER BASE. In a recent study, conducted by Find/SVP, a market research group in New York, Internet users said they use online technology because of the tremendous amount of information available.With an online ad, you can offer detailed information about the variety of services you offer. You can actually show various landscape designs and gardens visually.

Online advertising also offers the flexibility of updating information often, easily and at low cost. You can change your message to reflect sales and seasonal promotions. Your message is available to consumers any time of day, and they can ask you questions or even place orders electronically.

There are a wide variety of online options that landscape contractors might want to consider for their business. Here’s where a Yellow Pages publisher can help.

The purpose of our interactive directory, called SuperPages®, is to link buyers and sellers, said Mike McMahon, GTE Directories national sales manager. Spending money on a web page without being part of an online directory is like opening a business without hanging a sign out front.

According to McMahon, the typical online Yellow Pages user may be your ideal customer. Studies show these users have household incomes of more than $50,000 and a higher than average education level.

ONLINE OPTIONS. Online Yellow Pages offer a wide variety of options that can cost as little as $25 a month, depending on the publisher. Here’s an example of the options offered by GTE:

• Basic Listing your business name, address, phone and fax number and a map to your location are listed free under one category. SuperPages contains free listings for more than 11 million businesses.
• Fact File this information is accessible via a hyperlink from your Basic Listing and can include information to help potential clients match your business to their needs, such as business hours, products and services offered and the payment method accepted. This costs $25 per month.
• Display Advertisement a full page display ad above your Fact File giving you space for additional information and a graphic display. The cost is $35 per month, which includes the Fact File, with a one-time setup fee of $210.
• Home Page a simple website providing up to three pages of text, graphics and hyperlinks. Cost is $45 per month and a $400 one-time setup fee.
• Custom website a professionally-designed, custom-built website of unlimited size. Provides more information than a Home Page and gives you your own storefront on the World Wide Web. Cost is based on functionality and design requirements.
• Banner advertisement billboard-type ads that appear across the top of web pages. The banner ad is also linked to your businesses’ home page or website. Rotating site is shared by a limited number of advertisers. Cost is $500 per month and a $50 one-time fee if you provide the banner.

CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF. If you’ve decided to give the Internet a try, you’ll find there are a large number of expert electronic designers, programmers and software companies available. Yellow Pages publishers that also offer an Internet presence provide one supplier who can integrate both printed and electronic advertising, can produce, write, design, program and maintain ads and promote them to consumers.

Spend some time surfing the Internet before you make your decision. Take a look at an online directory such as the SuperPages service (http://superpages.GTE.net). And, find other landscape contractors advertising online.

A Gallup survey revealed that consumers 30 to 49 years old accounted for 83 percent of landscape installation/construction sales. Americans 50 and older accounted for nearly half of all expenditures on homeowner landscape maintenance services.

Users of Yellow Pages are more likely to be over age 35, have a college degree, and an annual income of more than $40,000. People new to an area also tend to use Yellow Pages.

Plan your Yellow Pages advertising carefully, and you may attract these consumers to your business.

Harriet Meyers is a freelance writer and public relations consultant in Columbia, Md.