Modern digital marketers have a lot of tools at their disposal when marketing products and services to consumers. While the digital age has brought with it impressive advancements in technology that aid advertisers and marketers, sometimes the oldies truly are the goodies. Online activity is increasing among consumers. That doesn’t mean that the human connection should be left out of the equation. When it comes to comparing lead forms (old school) to phone calls (new school), it’s really no contest. Here’s 5 reasons you should be spending more on phone calls than lead forms.
1) Better Lead Quality
Whether a consumer picks up the phone to call or fills out a lead form, that individual has interest in your product or service. However, the value of these two leads is significantly different. Lead forms are often used by those with lower interest or who are still in the early phases of their purchasing decision. Callers, conversely, are much more interested in getting answers and making a purchase.
This isn’t speculation either. MobileMarketer.com notes that lead forms convert customers in only 2% of cases. That compares to a conversion rate between 25% and 40% for inbound phone calls. This means that phone calls are turning consumers into buyers at a rate 10 to 12 times higher than lead forms. Callers are pulling the trigger to purchase and generating more revenue.
2) Optimized for Mobile
The mobile phone has overtaken desktop searching in many nations, and in most cases this change is permanent. More searching is taking place on mobile than desktop in 10 countries around the world, including the massive economies of the United States and Japan. This matters for your brand because mobile searchers are making phone calls based upon those mobile searchers. These consumers are reaching out to companies directly to complete purchases. Google notes that 71% of mobile searchers make a call to businesses right from search engine results. The inclusion of strong CTAs and click-to-call features increases the effectiveness of mobile phone call leads too.
3) Enhancing Customer Service Capability
Lead forms are often mismanaged by companies, routing to the wrong individuals within the business. Trends in Personalization study states “virtually all (96%) marketers agree that personalization advances customer relationships. Eighty-eight percent say they’ve realized a measurable lift in business results from their personalization campaigns.” Integrating phone calls more deeply into your marketing campaign improves the customer service you provide to your consumers. They get answers more quickly and can gain more detailed information as well. Phone calls ensure that customers have a better experience when dealing with your brand directly.
4) Less Steps to Close
Lead forms haven’t changed much in the digital age. Customers fill in basic information and hit send. What type of response they get varies from one brand to the next, but it all feels rather cold. Companies aren’t utilizing the form submission leads in a timely manner. “In fact, they take 46 hours and 53 minutes to pick up the phone and respond to a lead. And the sales rep who does call, only makes 1.3 call attempts before giving up and moving on. And recent research shows it is getting better, but only slightly” states Forbes.
5) Data, Data, and more Data
One of the most important reasons phone calls outstrip lead forms is data. With the advent of call recording and call tracking platforms, you now get a better overall picture of how your consumers are interacting with your brand prior to contact. Did they see a mobile ad that made them call? Was it a search results ad? Or were they hooked in by social media ads? You can use call tracking platforms to gather data that tells you which ads were viewed, when they were seen, and then adjust your marketing campaigns to continue targeting consumers through the most valuable sales funnels.
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Retreaver will turn a flood of incoming phone calls into the most effective and organized leads in your marketing arsenal.
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