Here are five tricks to easily ensure that you will be able to track response to advertising campaigns (yours, or your client's), and hone marketing efforts to generate more leads:
1. Include a Strong Offer that will Result in Action
Give people a reason to call you and get them to act fast. Include an offer that will make prospects and customers call you NOW. For example: "Call 800-NEW-CARS today to get $500 off your new car."
2. Feature a Vanity 800 Number as the Direct-response Tool in all Ads
To have a successful business, it is imperative that you give people the tools to contact you immediately after hearing a commercial, viewing a billboard, or watching TV. The best way to do this is with a toll-free vanity 800 phone number. Getting someone to call means you are one step closer to a sale. So, get a vanity 800 number like 1-800-FLOWERS. Put the number in all ads, and on all materials. A vanity number that relates to your business will reinforce your brand and gives consumers the ability to contact you immediately. And, research shows that consumers have a 45% higher recall of vanity 800 numbers over URLs.
3. Prominent Placement of your Vanity 800 Number
Put your vanity toll-free 800 number front and center on the screen, and leave it there throughout a TV ad. Mention it at least three times in a radio ad, and make it the focal point of a print ad. Make sure it is easily heard and understood, visible and easy to read, and your ads will pull higher response rates.
4. More Impressions will Pull More Responses
Buy a moderate to heavy ad schedule, whether it be radio, television, print or outdoor, or a combination of many of these channels. Buying more time or space will decrease the cost per ad, and your toll-free vanity 800 number will increase your ability to generate leads and sales. Delivering a consistent message multiple times will ensure consumers remember you. And, if during these economic times you've been thinking of cutting your ad budgets - DON'T! If you need to reduce your spending, just adjust your media buys. Buy smaller print ads, and shorter radio ads, for example. But, realize that maintaining a consistent message in your market means people will remember your business. Cut your ads completely and they'll forget about you, completely.
5. Track and Monitor Calls
Finally, make sure you have a tracking system in place to measure cost-per-lead for your campaigns. This will also help you improve ROI. A complete lead-tracking system is available when you activate a vanity 800 number. Also, have a smooth process in place to handle your incoming calls. Avoid having a prospect call your dealership only to be placed on hold or bounced around to multiple departments until they reach someone who can assist them. A Call Recording feature will come in handy when you want to monitor how reception or sales handle incoming calls. Scrutinize how your calls are answered, how much time callers spend on hold, and how they are greeted by a sales person once connected.
The vanity 800 number is the hallmark of any good advertising campaign. Companies who use vanity 800 numbers in conjunction with other means of advertising such as TV or radio have seen a measurable increase in their customer base.