Mythbusters: Banishing the rumors about pay per call

Still a skeptic about the value of call tracking as part of a PPC campaign?

We’re not surprised. A number of myths still plague the PPC marketplace, probably because the methodology is relatively new and it can sometimes seem too good to be true. But the facts don’t lie, and research shows PPC can very effectively maximize your ad spend and ROI by funneling interested callers to your business — keeping you from diverting advertising dollars into unprofitable channels, audiences, keywords and/or messages.

Mobile use, of course, is the driver behind PPC. And BIA/Kelsey predicts calls to businesses from mobile devices will reach an annual 162 billion by 2019; already, 54 percent of all calls to businesses are from mobile marketing.

“If you’re not using mobile marketing to attract new customers to your business, don’t worry,” writes Jamie Turner, CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com. “Competitors are already using it and are getting those customers instead.”

Now about those pervasive PPC rumors:

Myth No. 1: It’s expensive. In reality, the cost of toll-free service is at a near-historic low. The incremental costs of tracking software are very reasonable, and the resulting ROI is almost always worthwhile. Studies show PPC typically drives in quality leads that result in a 30 to 50 percent conversion rate.

Myth No. 2: It’s complicated. Not true at all if you work with a service like Dial800 that provides all needed products and services. You simply choose effective phone numbers, place them in ads, install the software (no hardware is needed) and mull the real-time, easy-to-understand data provided.

Myth No. 3: Switching my phone number will confuse customers. No changes are needed to your existing phone systems or numbers, and callers won’t notice any routing delays. Further, your customers likely don’t remember your current non-vanity number, says one study.

Myth No. 4: You don’t need pay per call if you have pay per click. Calls are 10 to 15 times more likely to convert to revenue than leads from the web and filled-out forms, says one study, perhaps because consumers tend to research products online and then phone in purchases. Calls also tend to be more effective than clicks at converting “bottom-funnel” leads in which the customer is close to a buying decision, especially when the product requires some explanation from a salesperson. In addition, Pew reports, 15 percent of Americans still don’t use the internet at all.

Myth No. 5: The best numbers are already being used. Dial800 has more than fifty-thousand 1-800 numbers from which to choose, and businesses may share the same number if they are not competing in the same geographical area.

Myth No. 6: It’s harmful to SEO. As long as you don’t use call-tracking numbers in online directory listings, your PPC campaign can only benefit your SEO.

In short, there’s no reason not to give call tracking a try. You’ll very likely find it isn’t too good to be true after all. For more information, visit www.dial800.com.