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The Headline is the Key by William Howard Horrocks There's a common misconception regarding how people read yellow Page ads. (I'm specifically referring to yellow page display advertising). People assume that the reader starts at the top of the page and simply reads the page, noting the most positive features of each ad, until they find the dentist who offers just the right benefit or who has the most positive features, and then calls that dentist. Au contraire! I'm afraid the process is somewhat less orderly and rational than I've described. The process goes more like this: scan the page until something catches their attention. (This could be a headline, a photo, a color, etc.) Then zoom in on the ad that caught their attention and read some of that ad. Then go back into scan mode and repeat the scan/zoom sequence until they're tired of looking at yellow page ads and make a call. By this time, they feel they have enough data to make a decision. As an exercise, open the Yellow Pages to the dentist section and scan over the ads and see what catches your attention. Try to take the viewpoint of a potential patient looking for a dentist. If you find a headline that holds your attention (in a positive way, of course), you may be looking at a 'good headline. So what makes a good headline?
Here's a list of contributing factors: 1. The headline is different, in some meaningful way, from the headlines surrounding it. If most of the ads say that the dentist is modern, friendly and caring (or words to that effect), then it doesn't do much good to use these words in the headline. Bear in mind that modern, friendly and caring may be a perfect description of the dentist and may also be what patients say they are looking for in a dentist. But that doesn't get the headline read, which is all that matters. 2. Of course, the headline could read "We treat snakes,'' which would be different and achieve high readership, but the reader would feel tricked and reject the dentist. So the headline also must offer a real benefit and, in short, make sense. 3. The headline must offer an uncommon benefit, or offer a common benefit in an uncommon way. "Modern Painless Dentistry'' is becoming more and more common, but this is still uncommon enough to get attention, unless you're practicing in Los Angeles . Or, I should say, the concept of painless dentistry is still new and uncommon enough to use in a headline, but to simply say ''Modern Painless Dentistry'' is too generic and won't grab the reader's attention. However, if you're practicing in a small town and you are the first dentist to use air abrasion and electronic anesthesia, then by all means shout it from the rooftops, so to speak. An example of a headline that offers a common benefit in an uncommon way would be: ''Dazzle 'em with your perfect smile," which offers the benefit of the perfect smile in a way that is rarely seen in yellow page ads.
So, now I need to explain why I've written this essay on headlines: I may be proposing an unusual headline for your yellow page ad (or direct mail piece) and I want you to have the theory behind what may seem unusual or even off-the-wall. Remember, I fully understand that you are a doctor, and with this in mind, I would never propose advertising which I felt was inconsistent with a completely professional image. However, the time is long past when you could simply say, "John Doe, DDS, Quality Dentistry'' and attract new patients. The advertisements shown are some examples that have proven successful for my clients.
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