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A common startup marketing question relates to Yellow Pages ads:  Should I get one? 

I know some practice management companies tell you not to bother, that you will get patients by referrals.  But where do you think the initial patients come from, the ones who refer?  Some of them will be coming to you from a Yellow Pages ad.

As usual, the value of a Yellow Pages ad depends on the area.  If you are advertising in the greater Chicago book, you’ll probably become lost in the pack unless you specify your area FIRST.  For example, “Oakbrook Chiropractor” might be your headline.  In a smaller city or town, a phone book ad might be a great way to get people to come to your office the first time.  I talked with a recent grad who says he gets several people a week from the phone book.

Of course, if you talk with book ad placement “coordinators,” they’ll tell you that you must place the biggest and and in color, because their marketing research shows these ads sell the best.  But don’t forget this research is very generic, covering everything from pizza places to air conditioner repair. 

So what do you think?  Should chiropractors place big ads in the phone book?  Should you place a big ad the first year and cut back?  If you have a positive or negative experience with Yellow Pages ads, let us know.

Next post:  content of YP ads.

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Date: Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 8:13 am | Category: startup marketing | RSS Feed: RSS 2.0 feed.
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