LAWYER ADVERTISING IN YELLOW PAGES?

Advertising fees for yellow page phone books have risen dramatically over the years, quite probably due to an attempt to maintain profits, when faced with fixed printing and distribution costs, while advertisers are spread among competing yellow page books and some advertisers have moved to TV.  Today, for the cost of a full page advertisement in just one county yellow page phone book, a lawyer can advertise on TV and reach a population 20 times larger.  If a lawyer advertises in all of the yellow page telephone books in all of the counties in your area, you would have the largest advertising budget in your market and would be spending enough money to afford almost every station on TV, radio and billboards.

Many years ago, lawyer advertising in the Yellow Pages^® was far more effective.  There were very few lawyers advertising on TV, there was no internet and there was only one Yellow Pages^® telephone book which was extensively used.  Today there are many yellow page telephone books and in some areas there are as many as four or five.  Most households will keep one yellow page telephone book and throw out the others.  No one keeps several books and looks in all of them for a number to call.  Some people keep using old books and throw out the new ones.  Will your ad be in a book that's thrown out?

Since yellow page advertising is printed once per year and cannot be changed until the next year, it is important that you carefully review your advertising to make sure that it doesn't violate ethics rules.  Additionally, this will also be a consideration if you're planning to move your office to a new address and possibly a new telephone number.  Additionally, some people keep using old books.  These are important reasons for using a vanity telephone number in yellow page advertising.

Yellow book advertising should be used by lawyers with large advertising budgets to augment branding on TV, radio and billboards.  Since branding a lawyer name is not recommended, yellow book advertising should brand only the lawyer's vanity telephone number by using very large type and keeping the ad simple.  For instance, "HURT in an accident? Call 1-800-HURT-911" or use the slogan "when you're HURT in an accident, call 911... then call 1-800-HURT-911".

If you use yellow page advertising and have a vanity telephone number, be sure to use it in your yellow page ad.  Yellow page books are printed annually and cannot be changed.  If you move your office to a new address and possibly a new telephone number, a vanity number will avoid clients reaching a disconnected number.  Some people keep using old yellow books and your number can be seen for years. 

Unlike yellow page telephone books where your advertisement appears next to 10 or 20 others, television gives momentary exclusivity.  Only one television advertisement can be seen at a time.  Additionally, broadcasters attempt to separate like advertisers so that two lawyers usually do not appear one after the other.  Furthermore, people with serious injuries are usually either in a hospital bed or in bed at home where it is difficult or not even possible to gain access to a telephone book or the Internet.  Seriously injured people in bed are usually watching TV and will call a lawyer they see advertising on television.

The public's perception of television gets the votes for Most Authoritative and Most Exciting.  Both influential and persuasive, TV wins over other media, in both categories, by a wide margin among Adults 18+. TV scores 81.8% in the Most Influential category, with newspapers a distant second at 8.5%. TV scores 66.8% Most Persuasive with newspapers, again a distant second at 14.2%.

Competition in law firm advertising has become tough.  To compete, you need 1) A memorable 1-800 vanity telephone number that won't violate ethics (The ABA Journal says 1-800-HURT-911® is an obvious example of a phone number that spells out a message.  See: Vanity Phone Numbers Make Your Advertising Less Forgettable by Laura Hodes);  2) You need a simple brand message.  1-800-HURT-911 says when you're hurt in an accident, you need legal help fast.  Our slogan "When you're HURT in an accident, call 911, then call 1-800-HURT-911"^sm reinforces the message;  3) You need exclusive use for your entire TV broadcast market;  4) You need to get more advertising for your money;  5)  You need great TV commercials for free;  and 6) You need 1-800-HURT-911.

You will exclusively receive all calls from your TV broadcast area so you get all the BIG cases.  This is important because in group law firm advertising, cases will not be equally distributed.  If there are five law firms advertising in your group, and there are four seven figure cases during the year, "luck of the draw" will give one law firm two or more of the seven figure cases, while one or more law firms will receive none.

For a limited time, 1-800-HURT-911, Inc. will provide you with with 16 of the best commercials on TV for FREE, forever!  Some companies will charge you $11,000 to $16,000/year for just four TV commercials.

Want info on advertising with 1-800-HURT-911?  See Lawyer Advertising in Yellow Pages & TV with HURT911