• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Analytics & Conversion

But Wait, There’s More! 3 SEM Lessons From Infomercials & Direct Response Media

The $150 billion infomercial industry uses lines such as, “but wait, there’s more” and “if operators are busy, please call again” to create a sense of urgency and boost response rates. Given marketers’ success advertising on television, what lessons can you apply to your online marketing efforts? Let’s explore the following three principles: Your customers […]

Elan Mosbacher on July 7, 2011 at 11:54 am
  • More

The $150 billion infomercial industry uses lines such as, “but wait, there’s more” and “if operators are busy, please call again” to create a sense of urgency and boost response rates.

Given marketers’ success advertising on television, what lessons can you apply to your online marketing efforts? Let’s explore the following three principles:

  1. Your customers make purchases over the phone
  2. Your sales will increase as you improve response time
  3. Your advertising effectiveness will improve if you measure what works

Now, how does each of these ideas apply to online marketing?

Customers Buy Over The Phone: Make It Easy For Them To Call You

On TV, an infomercial’s primary call-to-action is generally “call us now.”

On the Web, your ads and website should also display a phone number, inviting eager buyers to contact your sales team.

This is especially important for service professionals, local businesses and other companies that require a sales dialogue to close new business.

Since initiating a phone call from a smartphone is much easier than filling out a website form, displaying a phone number in your ads and on your website will become even more important as the use of smartphones continues to grow.

Customers Want To Talk Now: Improve Your Response Time

Infomercials create a sense of urgency by claiming “offer ends soon,” “supplies are limited,” or “call now and receive a second absolutely free.” When someone actually calls, sales reps answer quickly before the caller loses interest and hangs up.

The same principle is true for online marketing. When a prospect calls to learn more, you should connect that lead with a sales person as fast as possible.

For example, franchises should geo-route phone leads to the nearest store and an emergency plumbing service should forward calls based on a schedule of the plumber on call. The more quickly you speak with a lead, the more likely you are to make a sale.

Measure Your Advertising Results: Consider Phone Call Conversions

Do you need to optimize ad spend, increase lead flow, demonstrate value, or improve lead quality?

For any of those goals, measuring response rates is a critical piece of the puzzle. With call tracking software, you can measure these metrics as effectively for phone calls as you do for online conversions.

As you begin to measure phone leads, you may be surprised to learn that:

  • Traffic sources that generate few online leads deliver many phone leads.
  • Websites with phone numbers generate more leads than those with just a web form.
  • Your best leads call because they want to speak with you before making a purchase.
  • Your marketing efforts generate more leads than your web analytics software reports.

Advertisers have successfully used call tracking numbers in TV ads to measure results for many years, while search engine marketers have generally favored web analytics software.

Recently, there’s a resurgence of interest in measuring phone leads from online campaigns, as businesses realize that the phone is often the preferred channel of communication for their most valuable business opportunities.

Stock image from Shutterstock, used under license.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Elan Mosbacher

Related Topics

Channel: Analytics & Conversion

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

Available On-Demand: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

Next Event: Sept. 14-15, 2021

Available On-Demand: March 2021

Available On-Demand: October 2020

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms
  • Selecting a Customer Data Platform For Your Organization: The 2020 Gartner Market Guide
  • The Complete Guide to Web Core Vitals
  • The New Era of Automation in SEO
  • Nielsen Annual Marketing Report: Era of Adaptation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Drive Customer Engagement with the Power of Personalization
  • 7 Use Cases That Prove Why You Should Implement DAM
  • Accelerate Your SEO & Content Marketing Program with 4 Key Milestones
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Attend SMX For Only $199

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok