Recently in Advertising Accountability Category

Here is a snippet about vanity numbers from an article on eHow.com, by a contributing writer. 

"Vanity numbers spell out words or suggest words. 1-800-FLOWERS is one of the most widely known vanity numbers and is easily remembered on Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Vanity numbers are a marketing tool that can encourage brand switching. Even if consumers have a favorite restaurant with a local number, they're more likely to call the number they remember first. Vanity numbers are in short supply, and a broker may be required to negotiate a deal with the person who owns a specific number." Read the full article.

We realize it's not a new concept - tracking ad response rates, but we wanted to reiterate the power and level of knowledge that ad tracking, and specifically phone call tracking, brings to you and your business.

Imagine spending thousands on your ad campaigns with no way of measuring the results.  (Yes, a closed sale is a measurement, but you also need to measure in terms of leads generated.)  Knowing how many leads a campaign generates empowers you to make decisions on future ad campaigns and media buys.

Real-time tracking and recording features provide you with the knowledge you need to make strategic decisions when it comes to advertising campaigns; whether it be decisions on creative elements, your offer, the call to action, and the media outlets you advertise with.

With a call tracking service you can hone in on the fine details of who is calling your business, what their average household income is, their average home value, as well as when they are most likely to call your business.  How?  With detailed tracking reports that capture data on each incoming call.  Call tracking reports like:

• Addresses & Demographics will build your lead database.
• Zip Code Summary shows you the hot spots, where your callers are calling from; home, work.
• Repeat Callers Detail reveals who is calling you often, or more than once for information or to hire you.
• Missed Calls is a huge eye-opener for many businesses, they can monitor how many leads they are losing with a report like this.
• Hourly and Daily Call Summary reports show when your business lines are most active so you can determine the necessary staffing levels and monitor response to radio campaigns, TV ads, etc.
• Top Cities and Top Area Codes reports also drill down on where your callers are located.

 

With all of this data at your fingertips, you'll be able to more accurately plan out marketing and advertising campaigns, and get more return for your advertising investment.

 

Find more information about call tracking, call recording, and vanity toll-free numbers here.

Not as many change channels as some may think

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/10/2010 5:14:44 PM

 

Some 86% of viewers stick with a given channel during the commercials, according to a study from the Council for Research Excellence (CRE), which tracked the live TV-consumption habits of 376 adults across over 750,000 minutes.

 

The Video Consumer Mapping study showed little change in viewer behavior before, during and after commercials. The study showed that 11% of viewers change channels during the four minutes before the commercial break, and 13% change channels in the four minutes of programming after a commercial break.  Only 14% change channels during the actual commercial break.

 

"In short, when the commercials come on, people stay with the TV," said RJC Advertising VP/Media Director and CRE Media Consumption & Engagement Committee Chairperson Laura Cowan. "They only go the kitchen if they're hungry, and they don't fight over the remote."

 

The study only followed live television, so DVR viewing--and the practice of viewers fast-forwarding through ads--did not figure into the research.

 

The study was conducted throughout 2008 by Ball State University and Sequent Partners. More general findings were shared in March 2009; those included the fact that adults are exposed to, on average, 73 minutes of real-time TV commercials or promos each day.

 

Furthermore, TV advertising and promotions reach 85% of adults each day.

 

The finding may be seen as affirmation for those in television that ad messages don't fall on deaf ears.

 

"Until now, we did not have any solid data on viewers' behavior during commercials," said NBC Universal Senior VP of Strategic Insights & Innovation/MC&E Committee member Horst Stipp.  "This study fills that gap and shows that viewers pay more attention to commercials than most people assumed."

 

The CRE describes itself as an independent research group that was created and is funded by The Nielsen Company. It's "dedicated to advancing the knowledge and practice of audience measurement methodology," according to its own description.

Toll-free call tracking numbers are powerful 10-digit numbers that allow businesses to monitor and track every lead down to the source.  This is a must for any marketing/advertising manager, director, or executive who is responsible for reporting on their strategy's performance at the end of the day.

Numeric call tracking numbers are perfect for advertising and marketing campaigns that include visual media types, but only if they have a "shelf-life."  This includes newspaper advertising, Yellow Pages ads, online ads, and some direct mail.  Advertisers can effectively track pay-per-click and SEO ad campaigns, test one direct mail postcard against another, and tracking online conversions from their websites, all with these numeric toll-free numbers.

What these numeric tools cannot do is brand.  Only a vanity 800 number can brand your business, like 1-800-NEW-ROOF for a roofer, or 1-800-NEW-RATE for a bank or lending institution.

So, advertising businesses that execute multi-media campaigns need both of these tools.  Don't balk, because it is possible to get them at an affordable price.  Some vanity service providers offer free call tracking numbers with their service so that businesses can maintain a complete lead-tracking system and monitor every advertisement in their campaigns.

For an effective advertising and marketing strategy, incorporate both of these toll-free options - vanity 800 numbers and call tracking numbers - and you'll capture every incoming lead and be able to source it back to the specific advertisement/media buy that generated that lead.  These direct-response tools allow for complete lead-tracking, accurate measurement of ROI, and budget accountability.

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.

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

New Survey from 800response Reveals Consumer Recall Rates of Advertisements

800response (www.800response.com), the leading provider of vanity 800 numbers and web-based call tracking and recording services, announces the results of two recent surveys conducted in conjunction with an online survey firm and research experts. The surveys focus on consumers and measures their recall rates of vanity 800 numbers compared to consumer recall rates of numeric toll-free numbers when featured in advertisements.

 

The study findings reveal that vanity 800 numbers improve consumer recall rates in visual ads by up to 84%, and yield a nine times higher recall in broadcast ads versus numeric toll-free numbers.

 

"The results of the two surveys confirm the overwhelming value of using unforgettable phone numbers as consumer response tools particularly in television, radio, outdoor, and print advertising where they are significantly easier for consumers to recall after even just one exposure in advertisements," says Laura Noonan, vice president of marketing at 800response.

 

84% Improvement in Recall Rates with Vanity 800 Numbers in Visual Advertisements

 

Data shows that when vanity 800 numbers are used in visual media (i.e. television, print, billboard) advertisers can expect to see an 84% improvement in recall rates over numeric phone numbers. Sixty-five percent (65%) of consumers were able to correctly recall a vanity 800 number that was featured in a visual image - simulating a billboard or print advertisement. In comparison, only 31% of consumers could correctly recall the numeric toll-free number in a visual image.

 

Consumers Are 9 Times More Likely to Recall Vanity 800 Numbers in Broadcast Advertisements

 

A second survey measuring phone number recall shows that an audio file featuring a vanity 800 number yields a nine times higher recall rate compared to an audio file featuring a numeric phone number. Of the survey respondents, 72% correctly recalled the vanity 800 number, with just 5% correctly recalling the numeric toll-free phone number in otherwise identical audio clips.

 

"As ad spending continues to grow, the use of toll-free numbers will also rise because advertisers will continue to look for increasing response rates to their advertising, and will need to track their media spending and ad campaigns. Through this study, and past research, vanity 800 numbers are proven to generate higher recall rates. Based on the statistical data we expect the activation and use of vanity 800 numbers to grow as well," says Noonan.

 

Additional data from survey #1 reveals that the majority of consumers continue to associate the 800 prefix as a toll-free phone number, and survey #2 also shows that consumers prefer to dial easy-to-remember vanity 800 numbers when reaching a local business in their market.

 

'800' is the Most Widely Recognized Toll-free Prefix

 

Results confirm that 800 is by far the most widely recognized toll-free prefix among consumers, with a 94% recognition rate. Recognition of the 800 prefix is consistent from 2002 to 2007. However, the 2007 study data shows a decline since 2002 in the recognition rates of 866, 877 and 888 prefixes with just 55%, 56% and 70% recognizing 866, 877, and 888 as toll-free respectively.

 

When Given a Choice, Consumers Prefer to Dial a Toll-free Vanity 800 Number to Reach a Local Business

 

After viewing an image that simulated a Yellow PagesTM advertisement, survey data also shows that 58% of respondents prefer to dial a vanity 800 number to reach a local business, rather than dialing a local or toll-free numeric phone number.

 

"Knowing that consumers can better recall vanity 800 numbers in multiple advertising media, and that 58% of consumers prefer to contact a local business by dialing a vanity 800 number, further proves the benefits available to advertisers who utilize a vanity 800 number. These surveys demonstrate that vanity 800 numbers are the strongest consumer response tools available according to recognition and recall rates," says Noonan.

 

Details of the Surveys: Two electronic surveys were distributed to 1,500+ opted-in respondents. Both surveys were executed through a market research firm, Infosurv, Inc. and e-Rewards, an electronic survey provider. Data analysis was conducted in conjunction with Scott Stevens, Associate Professor, Mathematics Division of Information Technology & Sciences at Champlain College located in Burlington, VT. For more information on the surveys, please contact Jeanne Landau at jlandau@800response.com or visit http://www.800response.com/news/pressreleases/ConsumerRecallRates_20080121.html. The study is available in PDF for download.

 

About 800response: 800response maintains the widest selection of Custom 800 numbers available today, and offers these dynamic lead tracking tools to optimize advertising expenditures for businesses nationwide. Custom 800 numbers are proven to substantially increase response rates. For more information, visit www.800response.com or call 1-800-NEW-SALES.

Call Tracking Is Easy and Produces Great Results

21 Feb 2010 • 07:08 AM • Business

 

Tracking business incoming and outgoing phone calls helps companies in many ways, is easy and inexpensive to set up, and provides proven results in several areas. Many different businesses from a wide range of markets are using a call tracking service. Realtors, hotels, mortgage companies, and lawyers have used the system and increased customer loyalty as a result. Working with available technology can be of great benefit to large and small businesses alike.

 

Using this call tracking system permits the company to maximize investment returns and change mere leads into increased sales. It also measures customer response to the various advertising techniques being tried, breaking it down into data that can be managed and compared, line by line. Doing these things will support decisions based on cost per lead and avoid waste. Another benefit of this strategic tracking is to measure staff performance. The owner can easily listen to sales pitches given by workers to increase constructive criticism for improvement. This can multiply motivation and productivity within the company, and also eliminate staffing problems.

 

Capturing data from phone system usage is easy and requires no special equipment. This does not require changing your phone service, either. Simply request the toll free numbers you would like to use and insert these numbers in your print media, website, TV spots, coupons, and radio advertising. Next, when customers respond to your advertising the calls are smoothly forwarded to the business owner and the ad and call data is collected without any involvement of the proprietor. Then, when it is convenient, log into the account, listen to calls, analyze data received, and make better decisions for your company.

 

All of this provides the results you need. Easily follow trends in your industry, identify issues with employees, see which ads are the most profitable, know where your calls are coming from, and receive an email alert when you have missed a call. These gain the trust of your clients and improve your conversation ratings. Generate more effective leads and stop wasting money on campaigns that don't work, all while using the same equipment you've always had. 

Call Tracking software comes with toll-free vanity 800 service.  Set up a Custom 800 number, like 1-800-NEW-CARS, which is easier for people to remember than a numeric toll-free, access call-tracking data, and improve your overall advertising campaign performance and easily monitor your ROI.

Just thought I'd share a short list of the vanity 800 numbers we have available in inventory for your business, or for your clients if you're an advertising agency.

800-BETTER-SMILE
800-BETTER-SKIN
800-NEW-CAREER
800-NEW-CARS
800-GOOD-ADVICE
800-PREOWNED
800-ROOF-PRO
800-WE-FINANCE
800-NEW-LOAN
800-GET-WINDOWS

Toll-free vanity 800 numbers are proven to generate more incoming calls to your business.  They are more easily recalled by people, and they are trackable.  That means you can measure advertising performance and track return on investment.

You can make the most of your advertising campaigns by incorporating a vanity number as one of the direct-response tools in your creative materials.  Combined with a URL, a vanity 800 number makes for a solid ad that will get results.