yellow pages: A method to the madness, The

Journal of the American Chiropractic Association, Feb 1999 by Rhodes, Linda S

A related study showed 89 percent of consumers who looked up the heading "Chiropractor" in the Yellow Pages(R) used or made plans to use these services, and 46.1 percent referred to a display ad rather than just a line listing. Of this number, 58 percent were female, 42 percent male, 75 percent owned their own residences, 21 percent were renters, 57 percent had no children, 43 percent had children, 68 percent were married, and 16 percent were single.

Non-metropolitan areas were pinpointed as having a higher frequency of chiropractic callers between the ages of 35 and 44. These individuals were employed in technical, sales, or clerical work; and had annual household incomes of $30,000 to $40,000. It was discovered that consumers most likely to use the Yellow Pages(R) under the chiropractic headings are those who have children 12 to 17 years old (46%), have attended college (23%), are 35 to 44 years old (58%), are employed part time (23%), and are employed in a craft or production job.

Nationwide, 37.4 million references occurred under "Chiropractors DC" and 36.5 million under the heading of "Clinics." In a test market comparison study, some 150,000 consumers in a major metropolitan area of more than 4 million people showed that 9,965, or 7 percent of the test market, used the services of a chiropractor. Although the largest percentage (79%) of the patient base was from individual referrals, the second largest category of prospective patients (19%) used the Yellow Pages.

What You Put in Is What You Get Out

An independent study in 1993 asked consumers to identify the exact information in a Yellow Page(R)s ad that prompted them to call. In order of importance, responses were:

1) Quality (encompasses board certification, credentials, degrees, name and photo, national or state association membership, trained staff, years in business, etc.)

2) Accessibility (hours, emergency number, mall or shopping center location, map, several locations, weekend hours, evening hours)

3) Price (acceptance of Medicare benefits and major credit cards, competitive fees, etc.)

4) Special Services (attorney's letter of protection, auto back pain, bilingual staff, chronic pain, headaches, MUA, massage, medical referrals, modern low-force technique, nutritional support, sports injury, specializing, ultrasound, work related).

Although photographs are high on the list for identification purposes and admittedly draw the eye to an ad, they are not always complimentary because of bad reproduction. Money well spent would be the one-time cost of getting your layout designed by a professional artist-a relatively small outlay that will help to minimize problems and maximize readership, especially since the same ad will be seen for an entire year.

Using a second color, such as red, green, blue, or all three, helps to grab the reader's attention. WIth a smaller ad, use more color if affordable. Generally, use as much color as possible, but use it at 100 percent strength. Shades and screens look washed out on grainier paper stock. Ask your sales representative about buying color at a discount. If you have to choose between adding a color and buying a larger ad, buy the larger ad-except if you are adding color to the largest ad on the page.