A telephone ad can ring up sales

one ofthese categories, it is best to use your headline to sell your specialty. The company n.rme should be placed farther down in your ad, using large or bold face type to make it stand out. Include your slogan or logo in your ad to aid customer recall of your business.

What do you offer? Use the main body of your ad to tell your prospective customer the full range of products and services that you offer such as dry wall and accessories, hardware, exterior and interior grade lumber, kitchen and bathroom fixtures. plumbing and electrical supplies. If you carry particular brands mention them in your ad, because many customers will be pre-sold on a particular brand name. However, if you wish to include the manufacturer's trademark, you must first obtain permission from the company.

Story at a Glance

Capture customers who let their "fingers do the walking" . . . how to make your ad pull them into your store . the telephone company will assist you co.op funds available.

Because consumers do not have the name of a particular firm in mind, your ad must get across your business's strengths immediately or your prospect may move on to your competitor's ads.

While it would seem that the name of your business would be the most logical headline for your ad, it should only be used under special circumstances, such as ifyour firm is part of a national chain, well-known in the community as a result of extensive local advertising, or descriptive ofthe services you offer, such as "Samson Building Materials" or "H & L Hardware and Lumber Co."

If your business does not fit into

Yellow Pages representatives who coordinate co-op advertising between more than 600 manufacturers of various products and their local dealers can help minimize your own advertising costs and enable you to capitalize on any national promotions the manufacturers sponsor.

Since many people who refer to the Yellow Pages may visit your business without calling ahead first, be sure that your ad clearly states your location and the days and hours that you are open.

Pinpoint your location by mentioning nearby intersections, highways, landmarks or your proximity to other well-known stores. Run a small map in one ofthe bottom corners. Include all your outlets, listing the business hours for each individually if they vary. Extended evening and weekend hours can be important traffic builders, so make a point of mentioning them.

Answering the "Why?" can be the most vital part of your ad, because it tells your prospects why you are different, and why they should come to you, rather than the competition.

To reassure potential customers of your professionalism, include your membership in any trade association. If you have been in business for a number of years, another way to establish your reliability is to state "Serving (name of town) since (year)" or "Over a quarter of a century in (name of town)."

Once you are satisfied with the impact of your advertising copy and its answers to the users' questions, evaluate your ad from the standpoint of design. Is it distinctive enough to leap out visually from the page? Does it look more professional than the other ads on the page?

It doesn't require exceptional artistic ability to create an ad with strong visual appeal. Consider some of the design guidelines used by advertising agencies: o Keep your layouts simple o Use lots of open space o Arrange copy so the eye is led

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