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Henry Ford said people could buy any color of Model T - as long as it was black. It's similar with phonebook ads: The phonebook company dictates the timing and placement your ad, and if you don't like it, too bad. But phonebook ads are no longer the only game in town. If you prefer more control over your ad, you really should consider Web advertising.

Six major advantages separate online advertising (like Google AdWords or MSN AdCenter) from phonebook ads:

1. On the Web, you don't lose visibility to the same old companies that hog half a page in the phonebook. In Google AdWords, the most popular form of Web advertising, all ads are of equal size. You CAN beat the big boys.

2. You can modify your info whenever you want. If you move your location or change phone numbers, you haven't wasted money on an ad that no longer leads people to the right place. You also can stop paying whenever you'd like, just by pausing or canceling your ads.

3. You decide exactly where your ads appear. Unlike the phonebook, the Web allows you to display your ads worldwide, in one specific zip code, or even within a half-mile radius of your business location. 4. You determine how much you pay at a given time, as opposed to paying money upfront or being put on a payment plan for an ad that hasn't brought you any business yet.

5. It's easier to capture people's names. In the phonebook, you don't know who's seen your ad. On the web, even if people aren't yet ready to invest in your services, you can at least gather their names, contact them, and cultivate them into your newest clients.

6. People don't have to haul out the phonebook to find you; it's more convenient for them just to type in a few words at their computers.

It's not an either-or matter. It's all about your return on investment: If you've found phonebook ads bring you all the business you want, keep them. But with Web advertising, rather than building your ads around what the phonebook company finds convenient, you can sculpt and perfect your ads based on what brings you the most business.

This is one in a series of columns by Attleboro resident Philip Rozek, which will show local business owners how to use free or very low-cost methods to bring in paying customers from the Web. He specializes in delivering customers from the web. He can be reached at 508-308-4040.