Hypnotists Can Get More Out of Yellow Pages Advertising

Calvin D. Banyan and Alan Saltz

Yellow Pages advertising can be (very) expensive. And yes, it's very competitive. But with a bit of thought and research things can work out very well. Very well indeed!

I know that investing in an ad can be a bit scary, but it's where your potential clients turn to when they're looking for a hypnotist and they don't know which one to call!

In fact:

At least a third of the new clients who come to the Banyan Hypnosis Center for Training & Services, Inc., come from the Yellow Pages!

What that means for you is that, if you have a little more information, you can create a great Yellow Pages ad? one that creates a PREFERENCE in the mind of the your reader, that you are the one they want to call (even though they see your competitors right there next to you).

The challenge that most hypnotists face trying to build their practice, is that they don't understand how to develop ad content that "out-smarts" the competition.

Instead, what they tend to do is copy what the other ads look like and say, believing that they've covered all of the important information.

This only ensures that your ad does not stand out.

It simply blends in like all of the others.

Why? Because when you list the same services and features that your competitors list... you appear as... AN OPTION rather than THE BEST OPTION.

Trust me... you don't want to be "just another option." That's how you get totally mediocre results. You want to be the hypnotist of CHOICE. Placing a glorified business card in the Yellow Pages simply doesn't get the job done!

Listing a laundry list of services and different afflictions "cured" using your methods as the BULK of your ad, will make you look like everyone else. The same goes for just listing all of your credentials. That is what everyone does.

So the question you need to ask yourself is, "How can you stand out in the Yellow Pages?"

For one thing, use a great headline! The first thing you MUST MUST MUST do, is add a HEADLINE to your ad. And, I'm not talking about the name of your practice. I'm not talking about a vague statement like: "Hypnosis Specialist" or "Need Hypnosis?" either.

I'm talking about a headline that grabs your prospect's attention like a flashing siren in their rear view mirror! One that stops a prospect in his tracks, engages him, and makes it virtually impossible to not read more of the ad.

Here are some examples and ideas:

3 Things You Must Know About How Hypnosis Works Before You Even Consider It!
Our Non-Invasive Hypnosis Solutions Have Worked For Over 64 Different Ailments... With Lasting Results!
The Most Asked Question About Hypnosis!
Free Report Answers the 4 Biggest Concerns Expressed by People Considering Hypnosis!

These headlines do what 98% of other ads do not! They DIFFERENTIATE you from every other option in the book. They make you stand out. They ask a question that begs to be answered.

And they all establish you as the expert!

Not so, if the biggest, boldest part of your ad reads: "Pacific Chiropractic Offices."

It's said that the first ad that is seen will be called first... 50% of the time! So, why waste your ad's most precious real estate with a company name, or statement that will go in one ear and out the other! Choose to place something at the top of your ad that you know will jump off the page.

And don't stop until you've done it! You must show a prospect not only that you offer what they need... but WHY they should choose you, trust you, more than anyone else! That makes sense right?

These people turned to your subject heading because they know they need you. They're already considering a hypnotist and they're simply researching WHO they want to call above everyone else!

So don't just list every problem you treat and consider it a done deal. Think of what you offer that no one else does (or that your competitors just don't mention).

Use your potential client's hot buttons! Think of the questions and concerns people address when they call you and address those "hot-buttons" in your ad!

And of course, create an OFFER that gets a prospect to pick up the phone and make contact! Give them something that makes them WANT to give you a shot more than anyone else.

Even if that's simply a free report, article on your website, or DVD about hypnosis and how to increase your chances for long term results! I like to send them to my website or call my free information line. Most of your competitors are NOT doing these things.

When YOU do, you drastically increase the number of prospects who choose to do business with you!

NOTE: Without any doubt, the best book I've read on the subject of Yellow Pages Advertising is written by Alan Saltz.

I've been talking with him over the past few months and aside from being a really helpful guy, I've learned a wealth of information from him.

My advice? Take a look at his website before you make a single change to your Yellow Pages ad.

How to Increase the Response of Your Yellow Pages Ad by 100%...300%...500% or More!

And of course, make sure that you're continually working ON your practice, and not just in it! Marketing makes all the difference. Even the best hypnotist can't make a difference, if he or she doesn't have a steady stream of clients coming through the door. We average between one and two new clients a day at our office.

Well, that about does it. I sincerely hope this was helpful!

One last thing, I just emailed Alan Saltz and mentioned to him that I was going to post this article -- he told me to mention that anyone who visits his website from this article will have the opportunity to receive a comprehensive ad critique from him personally. Make sure you find out how.