Is Your Brand an Ostrich When it Comes to Callers On Hold and Inbound Marketing Opportunities?

Hindsight is 20-20! We’ve all heard that expression before, but what exactly is its meaning? The definition is: “to be knowledgeable about an event after it has happened, ie: an individual has a realization about the event that should have been obvious all along, and/or things are “obvious” that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly that at the time of choice. Since most reports indicate (albeit at a slower pace than most of us would like) the economy is showing signs of improving and with less stagnation, which has been giving business owners  a ray of hope for some light at the end of proverbial the tunnel.  It has also been giving many business owners “hindsight” about how they handle their callers, and their inbound marketing techniques, or lack thereof, which has caused a surge in seeking an on hold solution. 

The #1 excuse businesses make about not having a professional on hold marketing system is that they “don’t place callers on hold”, or that “they don’t keep callers on hold for very long”.  Really? You must be an ostrich then, because if you think this way, then you most definitely have your head in the sand!  That’s like saying people never wait in line at my store, or my customers don’t really care about quality or price. Why have display ads throughout your store then, if patrons are only there for a short period of time? Hence the huge wake-up call for many businesses who had previously been acting like an ostrich, and have decided that it’s time to get their head of out of the sand as it relates to on hold advertising opportunities.

Why the sudden shift in thinking? Because, when it comes to callers on hold, it’s about quality, not quantity! The plain and simple truth is, whether the duration of a caller’s on-hold time is long or short, it doesn’t really matter. It’s what you do with that time that counts. Businesses spend  4+ million dollars on a 30 second commercial that airs during the Superbowl.  Think about it for a moment…. There’s a lot that goes on in that brief 30 seconds, much of which is designed to get you to make a purchase, have brand recall, or simply to get folks talking about your brand around the water cooler.  And, all of this is accomplished in just a mere 30 seconds or less.  So, I pose this question: “ If a caller is on hold even only for 15 seconds, if they hear something about your brand while waiting and it causes them to make a purchase, or act upon an offer mentioned while on hold, then was it worth having a marketing solution to fill that 15 seconds of targeted hold-time? You betcha!

Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages such as digital billboards, mobile text message ads, etc. and it’s becoming increasingly challenging to get people to pay attention to and care about your message. This is where on hold messaging offers a real opportunity to break through the clutter. Why? Because, audio content has a distinct advantage:  Audio is “eyes free” content! When you utilize on hold marketing, you’re not competing with others to gain the attention of your prospect.  You already have their undivided attention, so it’s time that you capitalize on it.

Capturing the hearts and minds of the audience has always been what marketing is supposed to be about. But given the fragmentation of channels and proliferation of brand touch points over the last decade, marketers have struggled to coordinate, integrate, and measure the relative impact of their activities across a radically altered marketing landscape. This has savvy marketers refocusing their efforts on creativity and the big ideas that can have a real impact on their business as it relates to inbound marketing opportunities. So, whether you have long or short hold-times, or whether you place a lot of callers on hold, or just a few – does that justify not investing in a marketing tool that helps you make the most of that time?

Opportunity knocks! But guess what? Opportunity also Calls!  Are you answering the call, or is your marketing on mute?