How Much Does On Hold Messaging Cost?

Is your current advertising working well, and getting potential clients to call you?

If so, that’s fantastic, but “hold the phone” folks (literally) as the fact of the matter is, things may not be quite as rosy as they appear.

• Did you know that 94% of all marketing budgets are designated to generate phone traffic, yet only 6% is spent on properly handling calls?  – (Inbound Marketing Associates)

• Did you know that 70% of all business calls are placed on hold? – (AT&T)

• Did you know nearly 60% of callers who wait in silence or canned music hang up in less than 45 seconds? – (Call Center Magazine)
  

• Did you know 38% of callers who hang-up, never call back and call a competitor? – (North American Telecom)
  

As you can see, if your outbound marketing strategies are working to get the phone to ring, while that’s terrific, it’s also only half the battle! If you aren’t doing anything to effectively handle the call (since you’ve already paid for it to occur!), then it’s time to rethink how you handle inbound callers. Put simply, lost calls, mean lost sales, lost customers and wasted marketing dollars.

So, let’s talk about the cost of adding professional messages on hold to your inbound marketing mix. Unlike other outbound advertising media, the cost of on hold messages is low and fixed. For example, if you advertise on radio or tv, the cost varies based on time of day, station and market, etc. With on hold marketing, you know exactly what you’re spending for a whole year. Additionally, with radio and tv commercials, the costs also depends on the frequency in which your ads will play, but with on hold marketing, your messages are “always on”, every day. Plus, your hold messages are always heard by a highly targeted audience; people who’ve called you and have an interest in your offerings. This means there’s never any wasted money.

Do you have seasonal changes in your business? Do you run monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly sales promotions? Do you exhibit at trade-shows several times throughout the year? These are just a few of the many things to consider about your business, and how to strategically include them as a part of your on hold marketing mix –  in turn giving you the best bang for your marketing buck!

Like most business services, “message on hold is not one-size-fits-all“.  While a one-time purchase may seem attractive at the onset, the reality is, your marketing needs are always changing, and your callers don’t want to hear the same content over and over. Doing so will eventually frustrate callers, causing you to lose the benefit of your initial investment (often times without even being aware).

The greatest way to benefit from on hold marketing is to have a plan for scheduled message on hold content changes. For instance; a bi-annual plan in which many clients use one production year-round, and a second during the winter holiday season or to highlight special events and promotions. A quarterly message update plan is perfect fit for brands with seasonal fluctuations, events or periodic news updates to keep callers tuned into your marketing message and special offers. Do you own a retail business, or restaurant? Many businesses benefit most when they have a plan for routine on-hold updates to coordinate with their overall marketing strategy — announcing timely promotions, specials, and limited time offers to keep callers informed of your latest developments and drive more sales!

Dollar-for-dollar, on hold messaging simply can’t be beat!

In addition to the low cost and fixed pricing, on hold messaging is also extremely attractive because it serves multiple purposes. It plays a supporting role in your outbound marketing efforts, it silently acts a salesman in the background, it improves your customer service, and it enhances the customer experience with your brand.

Not convinced? Try our risk free custom message on hold demo. This isn’t a brief clip, it’s a custom scripted and fully produced on hold message recording for your brand, for you to audition and evaluate.