How Phone Numbers Help Search Marketing

You're driving out in the sticks and one of those ominous red warning indicators lights up...  not knowing any nearby business names or numbers, what do you do next?  Smartphones and tablets might offer salvation, but it's unlikely you want to read a whole bunch of reviews or dig through the search listings to find a suitable auto shop. You simply want to place a phone call to the nearest business and get the problem resolved. Here's where memorable phone numbers align with the likes of Google and Bing to help your search marketing efforts in this situation (and thousands of others!)  

Phone Numbers in a Digital World

In the case of many kinds of companies, from insurance agents to home improvement and restaurants to vehicle repair shops, a quick phone call is all a customer wants. Despite the ubiquitous, always-on nature of the digital world, plenty of industries still rely on simple phone calls to connect with potential customers and close new business. Strangely enough, this explosion of new media channels has driven many people back to traditional methods. Despite an overwhelming number of online platforms and forums to engage with, we're finding that the desire for a telephone call and person to speak to is stronger than ever. Related: 7 Stats Showing Customers Still Want to Call A recent comScore study demonstrated that local searches on a mobile device are highly likely to lead to consumer action, such as visiting a store or placing a phone call. Almost half of all searches related to the service, restaurant and travel sectors wanted to find a business they hadn't yet visited. More importantly, 78% of those using a mobile device went on to make a purchase, as opposed to just 59% of desktop searchers.  As a result, marketers are rediscovering the inherent value of a phone call and putting call conversions at the heart of their marketing. Furthermore, SEM is no exception to this renaissance. [search-tag]

 

How to Use Phone Numbers to Help Search Marketing

Tens of billions of phone calls are made every year in the United States, according to BIA Kelsey Group. That increases every year, as more mobile devices are sold and tablets/laptops become increasingly adept at handling call activity.  For example, more calls are made using voice over internet protocol (VoIP)-based services and reliable Wi-Fi calling is making apps on desktop and tablets more viable for placing calls than ever before. Meanwhile, consumers are beginning to ditch their fixed landlines in favor of smartphones, which expands their ability to call whenever and wherever they have a need. More than a quarter of the U.S. population now use their mobile device as their only phone, according to Pew Research. That same stat inflates when only Gen-X and millennials are taken into account, meaning the trend is only likely to accelerate as those generations become the dominant purchasing groups. This promising trend extends to pre-call searches. Those searches are often for local businesses, which is where we come to phone calls driven by search engine marketing.  Marketers are discovering that the best place to reach these consumers - or, more accurately, how to encourage them to reach out to you - is over the phone. The ability to place calls directly from online search results and within websites is linking the traditionally separate activities of web browsing and talking to a business.   When calls are just a click or mobile device dial away, the contact details need to stand out. For most businesses that means using a vanity number that pops out of the crowded search results and is easy to remember for those who want to place a call later on. Making the most of these evolving consumer behavior patterns means that marketers should work on getting unforgettable phone numbers into the heart of their advertising. This includes search ads and banner/display ads, which can just as easily fade into the background of search results or a website without something to make them "pop". With a broad distribution and increased exposure to a memorable custom number, ads suddenly stand out and call volume increases, leading to more chances to sell to your customer. The bottom line here is that there has never been a better time for marketers to leverage these opportunities to reach potential buyers at the intersection of digital and dialing. A custom number makes this happen. By promoting phone numbers across common search engines, mobile apps, display ads and VoIP channels. The liberation from landlines presents a major opportunity for marketers to unleash the power of a custom phone numbers. Rather than just focusing on the phone book or buying a bigger print ad, companies can get creative about the places and ways in which they integrate phone numbers into ads. Moreover, click to call functionality and other advanced call features open up tracking and reporting that has not been available until recent years. Taken together, capitalizing on these various channels provides an exciting way to increase call volume and can even open up new revenue streams, in the case of mobile apps and new web platforms.