March 2010 Archives

Here is some good news for the radio industry, and for any business who may be using or considering radio as part of their advertising strategy...from Radio Business Report...

http://www.rbr.com/radio/22862.html

Summary:

Radio ad revenue pacings are picking up so rapidly that some forecasters are racing to keep up - while it appears others are just being left behind. Just as there were lots of downward revisions throughout 2009, we can probably expect upward revisions through 2010.

 

Last week's update by Barclays Capital analysts Anthony DiClemente and George Hawkey put them at the head of the pack, with a 2010 radio revenue gain of 7.4% forecast.  It was the second revision of their forecast, having gone into 2010 expecting yet another down year for the medium.

Click on the link above to read the full story...

According to an independent research study, conducted by Infosurv, Inc...

Toll-free Vanity 800 Numbers & URLs In Advertising...

• Consumers have a 45% higher recall rate of vanity 800 numbers over URLs.

• As many as 40% of survey respondents cite "Research the Competition" as their first step after visiting an advertiser's Web site.

• Less than 10% of respondents would communicate with the advertiser as their first step.

• Advertisers will benefit by providing both a URL and a vanity 800 number in their ad campaigns (based on recall rates and online research behaviors, it is essential for companies to include a vanity phone number in addition to their URL in advertising campaigns for optimal lead generation).

• 60% of consumers prefer to dial a vanity 800 number vs. a numeric toll-free to reach a local business.  

Read more research studies on consumer recall rates and vanity 800 numbers in advertising.

Great customer service is often the key to improving and growing a business. Real-time Call Recording will let you listen to recordings of the incoming calls. With a quality-assurance, call recording tool, you can archive calls for playback using an online interface.

 

You should activate and use call recordings to:

 

1. Enhance Sales Training -- Call recordings can be used as training tools to illustrate common sales scenarios and to demonstrate how to overcome customer objections. Information gleaned from recordings can be used to refine sales pitches and identify techniques that increase close rates.

2. Improve Customer Service -- Knowing that calls are being monitored motivates staff to provide a consistently high level of service to your customers. Recordings can also reveal areas in which your sales and customer service staffs require more information about particular products or services to handle customer inquiries better.

3. Increase Efficiency -- Listen to the recordings to assess how long and how often customers are being placed on hold. Get an idea of how many times customers are transferred before being connected to the appropriate person within your organization.

4. Confirm Information -- After a call is complete, you can go back through the recording to verify that you wrote down the customer's correct address or credit card number. This allows you to confirm that the information you took down matches what the customer provided during the call. It saves your next call for constructive follow-up.

 

And, real-time call recording lets you listen to your calls within seconds after the caller hangs up.  Read up on more benefits of having real-time call data, call recording, and advanced routing products that will make sure you're communications system is running efficiently!

By Matthew Noreen

 

Huge companies like FedEx , UPS and FLOWERS® all starting using vanity 800 numbers years ago. If vanity numbers didn't work great do you really believe these companies would continue to use them? Not a chance.

Here's a quick test... what is the 800 number for FTD Florists? Did you know it was 800-SEND-FTD? Good, but not as good as the memorable 1-800-FLOWERS!

 

Tips:

Avoid Number Hybrids

1-800-666-EYES is nowhere near as valuable as 1-800-CONTACTS. People can remember words, not numbers. A hybrid quickly becomes 1-800-something-EYES to the potential customer. A hybrid might be easier to acquire, but try to get creative with a full word.

 

Don't limit yourself to 7 Digits. A lot of good vanity numbers use extra digits (notably 1-800-MATTRESS "and leave the last S off for savings!")

You'll need to get creative. If you have a Dish Network installation business, you might start with a core word like DISH and add prefixes or suffixes to get a memorable number (e.g. 1-800-GET-DISH, 1-800-NEW-DISH, 1-800-DISH-NOW).

 

800 & 888 vs. 877 & 866

Whenever possible always try to establish yourself with an 800 vanity number. It is by far what the public is familiar with. (Although these are getting tougher and tougher to acquire!) When that is impossible, 888 is the second choice. Although not as good as 800, it is still better then 877 and 866.

 

Vanity Name Choice

Select a number that either spells out your industry (800- GOLFERS, 1-800-HEARING, 1-800-INSURANCE) or describes/reinforces the advertising message you are trying to convey (Fabulous Cruise Vacations: 1-800-FABULOUS). Avoid spelling out your company name unless you are sure everyone knows your company name. Stewarts Lawn Care is much better off with 1-800- LAWN CARE then 1-800-STEWART (which could be almost anything - e.g. Stewart's Root Beer which more than 60 locations in NJ, MD, KY, OH, WV, and PA.)

 

Spelling

The number should easy to spell. Avoid the use the letters "Q" or "Z" as they have only recently been added to newer phones keypads.

 

Marketing/Branding

Don't be selective where you use your new vanity number. Make it the front door to your business for everything you do that the public sees or hears. There is a reason why every thing 1-800-GOT-JUNK does places the 1-800-GOT-JUNK number on it (website, trucks, etc.) Same goes for Fed Ex with 1-800-GO FEDEX, they know what a value it is to them.

 

By following these simple tips you are well on your way to excellent advertising execution with a vanity toll free number!

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Noreen

BIA/Kelsey introduces 'Digital Strategies for Broadcasting,' an advisory service for media and technology companies engaged in local broadcasting's transition to multiplatform strategies

 

CHANTILLY, Va., March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- BIA/Kelsey (www.bia.com and www.kelseygroup.com) forecasts local advertising revenues for television and radio to reach $34.3 billion in 2014, up from $29.9 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8 percent. Digital revenues for these media are expected to grow at a 17.8 percent CAGR during the same period, illustrating the continued shift toward digital media. The five-year outlook for local broadcast media is detailed in BIA/Kelsey's 2010 U.S. Local Media Annual Forecast (2009-2014), which is available to clients of the firm's new advisory service, Digital Strategies for Broadcasting (DSB). DSB provides research and analysis on how the changing local media landscape will affect the broadcaster community and its supporting network of vendors and technology providers.

 

"Broadcasters must evolve to participate in more areas of the media ecosystem," said Rick Ducey, BIA/Kelsey's chief strategy officer and program director, Digital Strategies for Broadcasting. "This means developing the right multiplatform and multiple revenue stream strategies, which in turn requires new workflow, partnerships, business models and resources. The mission of DSB is to provide the strategic guidance and market intelligence to the media and technology companies that can help broadcasters successfully transform."

 

DSB clients are companies with a stake in the future of the local broadcast business, including broadcast groups, local TV and radio stations, digital advertising technology and service providers,  broadcast sector-focused financial institutions and investment firms, suppliers and advisors, advertising agencies, and trade associations.

 

"We already provide the most complete view available of local media through our research and forecasts, included in 'Investing in Television™,' 'Investing in Radio™' and Media Access Pro™, as well as our existing advisory services focused on interactive local media, Yellow Pages and directories, mobile local media and online marketplaces," said Neal Polachek, president, BIA/Kelsey. "The addition of the DSB advisory service, which offers access to the top broadcast and digital media analysts in the business, is a natural extension of our coverage and a powerful resource for our clients."

 

In addition to BIA/Kelsey's annual forecast, clients of Digital Strategies for Broadcasting have access to the firm's team of knowledgeable analysts, as well as informative and timely reports covering the subjects that are pertinent to the local broadcast community. Upcoming report topics include:

 

    * Over The Top (OTT) Video

    * Building Cross-Platform Audiences and Revenues

    * Broadcasters Finding Success in Hyperlocal

    * Radio on Mobile Devices: What Are the Business Models?

 

 

This spring, BIA/Kelsey will host a companion conference to the advisory service -- Digital Strategies for Broadcasting 2010 (www.kelseygroup.com/dsb2010) -- which takes place May 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson, in Jersey City, New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan. The conference will focus on the theme "New Platforms, New Revenues" and will offer access to the top digital media executives from across the local media ecosystem.

 

To learn more about the Digital Strategies for Broadcasting advisory service, visit http://www.kelseygroup.com/services/DSB.asp, or contact Steve Passwaiter at spasswaiter@bia.com or (703) 802-2973. BIA/Kelsey will present additional findings from its broadcast forecast in a free webinar on Tuesday, March 16 titled, "Capitalizing on the Shift to Local and Digital Media." For details and online registration, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/200234297.   

 

Additional findings from BIA/Kelsey's 2010 U.S. Local Media Annual Forecast can be viewed online at http://www.kelseygroup.com/press/pr220210.asp.

 

About BIA/Kelsey

 

BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research, Continuous Advisory Services, and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey's annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at www.bia.com and www.kelseygroup.com. The company's blogs are located at http://blog.bia.com/bia and http://blog.kelseygroup.com, and it can be found on Twitter through http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey.

 

SOURCE BIA/Kelsey

What is Phone Call Tracking?  

 

Phone call tracking supplies real-time and detailed phone call analytics reports. Routing of incoming and outgoing calls, duration and racking data on call volume are integrated in the reporting.

Characteristics of Phone Call Tracking

1. Real-time reports are accessible from the web.

2. Multiple campaigns are managed for different clients to see the results of the specific campaigns.

3. Together with web data in Google Analytics, phone calls can be tracked.

4. An online marketing campaign is a way to track phone calls.

5. Inbound leads are qualified, calls are routed and recorded.

6. To introduce the caller, a message is whispered telling who the caller is or where they heard about you.

Organic SEO company that gives phone call tracking reports can help you:

1. Be Market Wise

Since real-time phone tracking dashboards quantifies marketing efforts exactly, phone call tracking helps you to make wiser decisions.

2. Conduct More Sales

Prospects and potential clients who call in response to your marketing and sales efforts must be in focus to be able to conduct more and more sales.

3. Produce More Leads

In each call, the company gets data although the lines are bus, the caller has enabled call blocking for unlisted numbers or no one answers.

4. Save Resources

The company can save financial resources from setting up fees per month and minute charges. The company saves more funds through the available free trainings viewed on the Internet.

5. Recording Calls

The phone calls being recorded are sent to emails.

6. Develop Return on Investment

Control data to turn calls into buyers. Identify click to call ratios. Phone call tracking has a lot to offer in every website and company. The Return on Investment is measured more correctly than before. Organic search, paid search, TV ads, referral from a partner site, referral from a super affiliate, banner campaigns and generic keywords are some of the common channels used to allocate the telephone numbers.

by Tony_Brueski

PROBLEM: You have a friend, colleague or even worse, a competitor who is having phenomenal success communicating with their customers through their radio commercial or marketing campaign... However you're not, or have no idea how to be?

 

We're going to examine one of the many possible factors that could be the cause of this. It could be the "Ease of Contact" between you and your potential customer. This is a problem I see all too often. Its quite simple to fix, unfortunately often times be overlooked.

 

Its very easy to throw away thousands upon thousands of dollars on advertising if your customers don't have a SIMPLE way of getting in contact with you. Even with an intriguing commercial that catches the attention of a potential customer. You will completely loose that open door you've created if you slam it shut with a complex or un-memorable phone number or website. I've had several new customers come to me with this dilemma. I always stress a very simple rule to them: Keep It Simple

 

No one is going to remember "Call 316-672-8901" No matter how often it is repeated. Or "visit double-you, double-you, double-you, dot my business dot com slash great deals slash radio sale". NO ONE, No matter how photogenic their memory will retain this information when they need it. People will hear the random combination of numbers above as just that, a random combination of numbers, NOT a phone number. The brain is not equipped to retain information this way. When trying to recall the web address above, will recall it in the wrong order, often times with words that were never even used.

 

You may reason with yourself, "If its important to them, they will remember it... Right?". Wrong.

 

Often times radio advertisers will connect with hundreds if not thousands of potential customers. However, only a fraction will become real customers because only a few were able to recall the information needed to follow through. Because all too often, this information is poorly communicated. However, hundreds if not thousands, WANT TO FOLLOW THROUGH. Although many can't recall how to due to poor communication.

 

SOLUTION #1 Simple Number. There are some GREAT vanity number services out there. Services that can give you numbers like - 1-800-NEW-CARS to 1-800-NEW-HOME. Using numbers like these, or a SIMPLE web address in your radio advertising is a KEY to the success of your business.

 

Plus some vanity number services provide you with AMAZING tracking data on every single person who calls your number. Everything from their address, household income, time of call, date of call, medium from which they got your phone number, and much, much more. All of which is great information to have when it comes to building up a customer database, and track effectiveness of a commercial campaign. Even if your not having your commercials produced through us, feel free tocontact me for a recommendation on some great vanity phone number services that could transform your advertising!

 

SOLUTION #2 Simple Web Address. This one is simple. If you sell chocolate, try to have a web address such as "lovechocolate.com" or "eatchocolate.com". Something simple and physical. or "http://www.ignieseandsons-chocolatefactoryandtours.com" or even worse "ignieseandsons-chocolatefactoryandtour.com/radio". With the thought of adding the "/radio" to help "track" your marketing. Doing this tracks nothing other than the fact that people don't know how to spell the name of the business, remember the dash between words and the slash radio at the end.

 

Even if you have an existing website, the $5 a month it may cost to buy a referring domain to your existing site could be worth it 1000x over if you give your customers a simple address to remember.

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Brueski

There are five levels of engagement to meet with the components of the advertising strategies you develop:

1. Awareness: A vanity 800 number will help foster awareness by enhancing the branding component of your ad campaigns. For example, using a number like 1-800-NEW-ROOF reinforces the type of services a roofing contractor provides, and will build awareness of the company over time if used consistently in advertising and promotions.

2. Consideration: Many consumers are more likely to consider a purchase from a company who offers a toll-free phone number, and a vanity one at that. Research studies show that 60% of respondents who are presented with the option of dialing a local phone number from the Yellow Pages, or a vanity 800 number, will choose the company who advertises the vanity 800 number.

3. Purchase Intent: Getting a prospect to call an easy-to-remember phone number brings you that much closer to having a solid conversation, and building a relationship.

4. Purchase: Strong relationships and a level of comfort are two major factors consumers take into account when they decide which business they want to purchase from.

5. Loyalty: With a branding vanity 800 number, your customers will easily remember how to contact you, and will call your business in the future when they need to re-purchase or schedule a service.

The Five Most Dangerous and Expensive Advertising Mistakes Dealers are Making in 2009 - By Bill Park of CBC Ads

Running a highly successful advertising program has never been more important for your dealership. Gone are the days when wasting fifty percent of the ad budget was a running joke, and not knowing which fifty percent was the punch line. Having a well-planned and executed advertising program is crucial--in fact these days it can make the difference between failure and survival.

Turning a profit in 2009 is proving to be harder and more complicated than ever. Owners face obstacles ranging from age-old challenges like finding and retaining good staff, to new and complex hurdles like maintaining floorplan financing and becoming Red Flag compliant. Even with a firm handle on those areas, no aspect of dealership management is more critical--and potentially treacherous--than advertising.

Tier III advertising always has been a tricky business. But for years, thousands of dealers have done a perfectly good job handling their own programs. Now, with the automotive world and the media world both turned inside out, more and more dealers are making the same critical advertising mistakes. With stakes this high, the mistakes couldn't come at a worse time--unless you're the competition!

How can dealers avoid such mistakes? Understanding them is the first step. Then planning a consistent strategy to avoid them is the next step. Enlisting the help of a top-flight ad agency also can be an enormous help--but be careful. Some agencies still promote self-serving interests of their own like overspending, so caveat emptor.

What follows is a list of the five most dangerous and expensive advertising mistakes dealers are making in 2009. If one or more of these situations applies to you, consider taking a long, hard look at your program--and work to change your ways. You'll be glad you did!

Mistake #1: My Customers Listen to THAT??
Do you really know your customers? Consider for a moment you may not know them quite as well as you think. Sure, you probably know dozens, if not hundreds of customers by name. But do you know their favorite radio and television stations? Do you know how many visited your website prior to purchase, or their favorite cable networks or their favorite sports? Do you know your dealership's number one vehicle purchased by women over 45 with household incomes below $75,000 who didn't consult a newspaper prior to purchase?

You're not alone if you don't have this information at your fingertips. But did you know you could easily have access this kind of data? Consider the enormous benefit of setting up a modest, in-house customer research program that would provide you with all the above information and more. Think about how valuable this information would be in deciding where to direct your precious advertising dollars. Is such a research program expensive? Not necessarily, and it's much more accurate than a dartboard.

With ad budgets tighter than ever--and with more than ever riding on every spending decision--it's imperative dealers know everything they can about their customers' demographic profiles and media habits. Imagine discovering where you're wasting that fifty percent of your ad budget... and where you're not.

Mistake #2: Never, Never, Never Give Up.
An alarming number of dealers these days are deciding their best approach to advertising right now is to shut it down completely. Bad idea! No matter what the state of the economy and no matter how slow your sales may be, giving up on your advertising is a deadly mistake. It's like not watering a plant and still hoping it grows.

The severe and lasting effects of advertising asphyxia on your dealership brand can take months to reverse--and you'll probably pay extra in the long run to buy back the mindshare you gave away for free. The most important aspect of any successful ad program is consistency. Notice how most successful dealers always seem to be 'out there' with their advertising? It's no accident. But when you break your consistency, it's like waving a white flag to the competition and saying, "Here, come take my customers--you can have 'em!"

Mistake #3: Online Overkill
Without a doubt, the Internet has revolutionized the way people buy cars. And without question, dealer websites and a growing number of online enterprises have forever changed the way cars and trucks are sold. What's alarming, however, are the growing number of dealers devoting most or all of their budgets to the Internet.

It's a mistake to view your website as advertising--because it's not. Instead, think of your website as your online sales arm--an electronic extension of your showroom--a portal for sales, service and financing. Traditional advertising is what drives traffic to your website--the same way it drives traditional foot traffic to your front door.

Similarly, online pay-per-click and search engine marketing programs are legitimate ways to increase your presence on search engines like Google and Yahoo, and online lead providers like Autobytel and Cars.com match buyers directly with your inventory (usually for a hefty price). But it's arguable that even these services aren't really advertising--as technically they're structural enhancements to your online sales arm.

Regardless, what's important to know is this: dealers who move their ad budgets '100% online' are essentially canceling their advertising. Moreover, such moves generally seem to be connected with a budget reduction--as if this maneuver can completely take the place of traditional advertising while saving fifty cents on the dollar. No matter what the motive, it's a dangerous and misguided move--like a major league baseball team deciding to put only catchers on the roster. If you're thinking about this measure, think twice!

Mistake #4: Media Missteps
Making a killing at the auction is one thing, but getting killed by your own media buy is something else.

Many dealers are at their best when wheeling and dealing, yet in no way does this ability automatically qualify them as good media buyers. Skilled media buyers are highly trained professionals who are worth their weight in gold when negotiating with media reps.

Why? Simply put, they regularly and routinely save clients thousands of dollars. They make media buys go further, they bring added value to the bottom line, and they put precious dollars back in clients' pockets. And the best buyers make it look easy.

Media buying, however, is anything but easy. More and more dealers have come to learn this the hard way. What's more unfortunate are the many dealers who continue to believe they're media buying magicians, when in fact the trick's on them.

Negotiating with the media is like walking through a minefield riddled with trade agreements, sponsorships, contracts and packages. One misstep can cost thousands of dollars--all the more reason to leave the media buying to a professional. Need one final good reason to hire a media buyer? You won't believe the time it saves you!

Mistake #5: Playing Favorites
Finally, it should go without saying that allowing personal factors to unduly influence advertising decisions is extremely ill-advised. Unfortunately, it's also quite common, and therefore bears mentioning here.

Think twice before devoting a big chunk of your ad budget to a particular radio or TV station simply because it's what you like. You or your sales staff may listen to Sports Talk all the time, but how often does your average customer? The answer just might be never!

Also, set strict, personal limits on accepting tickets, gifts and trips from the media. After all, why would you want to promote even the hint of a quid pro quo arrangement?

Be very careful becoming outspoken on political matters as there's no telling how many people you'll endear and how many you'll anger.

Should you be thinking about hiring a celebrity spokesperson, think twice, then a third time, then a fourth time. Then proceed with the utmost of caution. Even with a very popular athlete or entertainer, you must honestly consider the downside risks of associating this individual with your dealership. Remember, anybody can look pure as the driven snow today, then tomorrow have compromising pictures turn up on the Internet, become embroiled in a messy divorce, go through a lengthy drug trial, or get traded to your team's evil cross-state rival.

Bottom line, maintaining a creative, consistent and cost-effective dealer ad program is no small task. Yet having effective advertising month after month is absolutely essential. Avoiding these five mistakes will greatly improve your probability of success--and in 2009, success is the only good choice left.

--Bill Park is CBC Advertising's Senior Account Executive and a 17-year veteran of retail automotive advertising. CBC (www.cbcads.com) is a full-service ad agency working with dealers large and small throughout North America.

It's hard in today's business world, where the number of home-based businesses and entrepreneurs is growing, to stand out.

If you're starting up a new business, then you'll need to do some advertising, right?  And, if you want people to remember your business, you'll need an unforgettable response tool in those ads, whatever media format they take on - radio, TV, print, direct mail, signage, billboard, vehicle wraps - the list goes on and on.

Don't think that driving people to your website alone is the only way to go.  Research shows that a combination of a vanity phone number PLUS a URL in advertising will generate the best response rates.

So, add to your checklist of Best Business Practices, to include a vanity 800 number in your advertising and marketing strategy.  When you do, you'll get more incoming leads, build your brand, increase your recognition in the marketplace, and be able to track those incoming leads with a call-tracking platform so you can start to build a lead database.

Get More out of Your Ad Budgets...7 Ideas for Stronger Ads:

 

1. Commit to an advertising campaign that integrates several media formats, but maintains the same call-to-action throughout all pieces of the campaign.

 

2. Clearly state the call-to-action - what it is that you want people to do. For instance, "Call 1-800-NEW-SKILLS to learn more about our accelerated culinary programs."

 

3. Use a direct-response tool in all pieces of the campaign that is easy for buyers to remember and easy to track, like a toll-free vanity 800 number.

 

4. Analyze the response rates to your overall advertising efforts by monitoring your campaigns with a call-tracking platform.

 

5. Track the Cost-Per-Lead of your campaigns based on the cost of the overall campaign versus the number of leads the campaign generates. This is easy with a call-tracking system. Most vanity 800 number and call-tracking providers offer a campaign summary tool.

 

6. Build a strong lead database, learn more about your prospects, and market directly to these contacts. A toll-free service with a call tracking system will capture each incoming caller's name, address, and demographic profile, including average home value and household income based on the caller's location.

 

7. Stay top-of-mind. Develop campaigns that keep your name in the market place, and in front of people on a regular basis. If you have to cut back somewhere, buy smaller newspaper ads, mail post cards instead of letters, run shorter radio and television spots during non-peak hours. Smaller ads and shorter spots allow you to stretch budgets and maintain a presence in the media for a longer period of time.

And, repetition is the key to retention!

Advertising and media channels are ever-changing. This makes finding the right advertising mix a moving target. All the while, many businesses still rely on their sales teams, gatekeepers and receptionists to track where their leads are coming from - not the best way to accurately measure advertising response in an increasingly complex advertising environment.

 

To effectively track response rates your advertising needs to include a response measuring tool. There are several out there, and some are easier to implement than others.

 

Here are five tricks to easily ensure that you will be able to track your ad response, and hone your marketing efforts to generate more leads and sales.

 

1. Include a Timely Offer and Strong Call to 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 right away. Put a deadline on a current promotion, or tell them what they will get right now from your service. For example: "Call 1-800-NEW-FLOOR to receive $100 off your first order."

 

2. Use a Phone Number as the Direct Response Tool

 

It is imperative to the success of your business to give people an easy way to contact you at once after hearing a commercial, viewing a billboard, or watching TV. The best way to do this is with your phone number. Getting someone to call means you are one step closer to making a deal. By offering a phone number, you are offering a one-on-one customer experience - giving prospects a direct route to your selling team.

 

3. Feature a Vanity 800 Number as the Direct Response Tool in all Ads

 

The phone number will not be much help if folks cannot remember it (really, who has a pen handy when hearing a radio ad, or seeing a billboard?). Get a vanity 800 number, and make it memorable, like 1-800-NEXT-HOME. A vanity 800 number that relates to your business, in this case real estate, will assist in reinforcing your brand, delivering a consistent message, and will always give consumers the ability to contact you immediately (and is also great for word-of-mouth referrals). Plus, someone who hears your radio ad featuring 1-800-NEW-HOME may be looking for a house three months down the road. They will recall your vanity 800 number from the radio ad and call you before they call your competition!

 

4. Prominent Placement of your Direct Response Tool

 

Feature your vanity 800 number prominently on the screen, and leave it there throughout a television commercial. 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.

 

5. More Impressions will Pull More Responses

 

One-off ads will not work. Make sure you (or your agency if you use one) have a moderate to heavy ad schedule, whether it be radio, television, print, outdoor, or a combination of many of these channels. Buying more time or space will decrease the cost per ad, and your vanity 800 number will increase your ability to generate leads and sales. Delivering a consistent message multiple times will ensure consumers remember you.

 

Finally, if you can find a vanity 800 number that correlates with your business type, for example a real estate agency and 1-800-NEW-HOME, or an auto dealership and 1-800-NEW-AUTO, then snatch it up quickly! These numbers are rare - and hard to come by. They can cost your business as little as a few hundred dollars a month, and they can increase your incoming call volume two or three-fold. And, we all know that more calls equals more opportunities for sales.

 

Laura Noonan has 16 years of experience in the vanity 800 number and telecommunications services industry. She coaches hundreds of clients each year on using toll-free vanity 800 phone numbers as direct marketing tools to increase advertising response rates. Laura can be reached at lnoonan@800response.com or by calling 800-NEW-SALES.

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Noonan

Advertising On The Radio - Keep It Simple

By M. Bruce Abbott

Let's say you spent good money on a brochure. Several pages filled with features, benefits, facts, figures, call to action, contact info...oh yeah, paragraphs about who you are, what you do....the different services you provide, your product offerings...and the list goes on and on. Everything you believe a potential client would need or want to know about your business. Now you are interested in advertising on the radio.

 

Here's a great radio advertising tip -

 

Don't let your radio commercials end up like your brochure.

 

Advertising on the radio works best when it is simple and effective.

 

First...a given. If you are going to advertise on the radio, make sure you have a product that has demand. In another article we discuss the topic of Direct Response Radio Advertising Mistakes: A Product No One Wants. With that said, lets move on to advertising on the radio assuming there is demand for your product or service.

 

Simplicity is the key to effective direct response radio advertising. Face it, when you are buying fifteen, thirty, even sixty seconds worth of radio advertising, you don't have the time to create an audio brochure. Radio advertising is a powerful advertising medium, but can it work for you?

 

Yes it can. You just need to make sure your direct response radio advertising campaign is just that...DIRECT. When advertising on the radio, get right to the point. What is the problem your potential customers face? What is the solution? (Hopefully this is where you have inserted your company name). What benefit does your company provide that solves the problem? And most important of all...what would make me choose your company? Here is where the irresistible offer comes in. Direct response radio advertising is rooted in a foundation of "what's in it for me". Give me reason to call. A free offer...free sample...free estimate...deep discount...money back guarantee...whatever your feel is important to your potential customer. This offer helps "grease the skids" and provides a strong incentive to call or click.

 

And speaking of calls and clicks - If you are advertising on the radio, you must make your call to action clear, concise and memorable. In other words, if you are driving to a toll free number, make sure you are not advertising some random ten digits that are difficult to remember. Use vanity phone numbers. Vanity phone numbers provide sticking power in the listeners mind. What will you remember more - 1-800-I-ATE-A-BUG or 1-800-428-3228 (plus the extra useless digit)? You can use a combination of vanity numbers or words and number for tracking purposes. If you are directing your radio advertising campaign to a URL. Make sure it's a simple domain name. No long URL's with dashes and slashes and long strings of weird variables. Simple works better. And again, you can use a variety of simple domains for tracking. And make sure you mention your number or URL at least a couple of times throughout the radio commercial.

 

So what have you learned here?

 

When advertising on the radio, keep it simple. Get directly to the problem, the solution, the benefit, the irresistible offer, and the clear call to action. Keep this simple structure in mind, and your chances of success when advertising on the radio dramatically increase.

Some good advertising tips to avoid losing callers to your competitors...

Toll Free Number Tricks: Preventing Prefix Misdials

By Nick Gowdy on February 26, 2010

We've all misdialed - swapping a couple digits or mashing multiple numbers by accident. We get connected to some random stranger who sounds nothing like who we were expecting, and we fumble for an embarrassed explanation before hanging up.

 

With 866, 877, and 888 prefix toll free numbers, the main cause of misdialing is in the prefix. 800 numbers have been around considerably longer than these other numbers, so "8-0-0″ is the default in the minds of your customers. If they don't have your contact info handy, there's a risk they might fill in the blank with the wrong prefix.

 

Here are some easy ways to prevent prefix misdials.

 

1. Split the Prefix Up

 

There's a growing trend among businesses that use 866, 877, and 888 toll free numbers to strongly emphasize the second two digits by breaking the prefix into two parts. This way, customers can't gloss over it and go straight to 800 in their minds. For example, instead of reading a number in a tv commercial or radio spot as "1-866-555-1212″, instead use, "1-8-66-555-1212″ (one, eight, sixty-six, five-five-five, one-two-one-two).

 

This practice does add a little complexity, so it typically works best when used with an attractive word-spelling or repeating-digit vanity toll free number that is already easy to remember.

 

2. Get an 800 Number

 

Occam's razor - the easiest answer is often the best one. If you're worried customers might be misdialing your toll free number because it's not an 800 number, the simplest solution is to, well, start using an 800 number. You'll need to update your advertising, your website, and anywhere else your toll free number is floating around, but once you do you'll be worry-free moving forward.

 

The supply of available 800 numbers is as low as it has ever been, causing some toll free providers to start charging outrageous premiums or stop selling them altogether. Not to worry, we've made it easy for you to choose an 800 number of your own for just ten bucks.

 

3. The "Superfecta"

 

Some businesses are really really worried about misdials because they fear competitors might pick up a similar number with a different prefix to try and confuse customers. To prevent this from happening, they pick out a toll free number that is available in every prefix and get them all. For example, why stop at just getting 800-555-1212, if you can get 866- 877- and 888-555-1212 as well and point them all to the same virtual phone system? Some might call this method overkill, but it definitely works.