On Hold Marketing Boot Camp: 30 Seconds to More Sales! (Part 3)

Welcome to part 3 of our “On Hold Marketing Boot Camp”.  In part 1 and part 2 we covered much of the background info about on hold marketing such as: Caller Abandonment, On Hold Statistics, The #1 Mistake to Avoid, Creating A Positive Audio Brand Image and Why You Need to Improve the Caller Experience or Else! And, what you’ve finally been waiting for is here!  How to increase sales and generate real revenues using on hold marketing.

In part 3 we’ll cover:

Achieve More Sales in 30 Seconds (Or Less!)

Turning Words Into Dollars (It’s All In The Script Baby!)

1. Achieve More Sales in 30 Seconds or Less!

As a business professional, you’ve undoubtedly explored numerous advertising initiatives aimed at increasing your bottom line and helping you stand out from the competition. However, with tight marketing budgets and limited resources, the task of effectively promoting your products and services has become increasingly challenging.

In real estate, the mantra is “location, location, location,” but in marketing, it’s all about communication, communication, communication. 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 the question; What are your going to do, now that you have their attention?

Think about this. A person who calls your business has some interest level in your offering otherwise they wouldn’t have called in the first place. So, who else is more than likely ready to make a purchase? And, they may just be willing to buy more if you inform them of your additional products and services.

With On Hold Marketing You Can:

• Cross-sell products and services

• Highlight special offers

• Promote Seasonal Changes

• Advertise Trade-shows or Upcoming Events

• Drive traffic to your website and social media channels to grow your fans/followers/viewers

• Announce grand openings or new locations

The above is just a very brief list of the literally hundreds of ways you can use music on hold marketing to make money at your business. But, if you want to generate more inquiries and generate revenues, then you must remember this one important thing – if you’re going to make those magical waiting moments seem worthwhile, you had better not waste those precious seconds of your listening audiences’ time.

Here’s just one example of how On hold marketing messages are used by pizza restaurants to increase their per sale ticket average:

A customer calls into a pizza parlor at the dinner hour. They are place on hold while the staff attends to another caller. While they’re holding, they hear about the cheesy-bread special for $1.99 with any order. They weren’t thinking about cheesy bread when they called, but it’s beginning to sound good. When the staff member returns to the line to take the callers pizza order, the caller also places an order for cheesy-bread. All thanks to the power of on hold.

Now may be you’re thinking big deal, an extra $2 order. Well, the average pizza parlor during a night shift receives 175-250 calls. That could mean an extra $500 just in that shift alone. The average pizza parlor is open 2 shifts (12 hours per day). That could mean an extra $1000 per day. Most pizza parlors are also open 7 days per week, which means a potential extra $7,000 per week, and potentially nearly $365,000 a year in cheesy-bread up-sells alone. Not too shabby!

Certainly results vary, and I’m not saying every business is going to generate an extra million dollars this year as a direct result of their on hold marketing system. But, Pizza restaurants use it for up-sells, heating & air-conditioning companies use it to up-sell maintenance contracts, retailers use it to sell more goods, and a national auto parts chain location generated a $10,000 sale during the first day of installing their on hold messaging service.

Savvy companies know that on-hold time can be a goldmine in making connections with customers and prospects, reaching listeners with engaging, relevant, and meaningful information about your business. There are so many beneficial ways to generate revenues by having a robust on hold marketing strategy, that it’s difficult to list them all. With a professionally produced, up-to-date “on hold” message program, you can create “real” sales opportunities with a healthy return on investment, and generate revenue opportunities – all with just the push of a (hold) button.

2. Turning Words Into Dollars (It’s All in The Script Baby!)

As noted above, in real estate the mantra is location, location, location… and in marketing it’s communication, communication, communication…Well, when it comes to on-hold marketing the mantra is, it’s all about – “the copy, the copy, the copy!”

Often times when we’re consulting with a first time client, and we’re reviewing information for their message on hold script development, they usually want us to come up with messages that are literally a laundry list of the products/services they offer. Remember this – laundry lists are for dry cleaners! We’ve all heard radio ads for an automobile where the announcer reels off 20 different features? You don’t remember them all. Don’t bother with long lists.

You’re better of selecting the one or two most compelling benefits and focusing on them if you want to generate more revenues with on hold marketing. If you want to generate revenue and drive more sales, sell “benefits, not features”. A successful advertisement gets a consumer to buy a product or service. This product or service can be a necessity, such as auto insurance, or an indulgence, like the new triple cheeseburger at the local fast food restaurant. Either way, the ad must motivate and ultimately lead to action by the consumer.

Writing effective on-hold ad copy, involves much more than banging out hundreds of words on a keyboard. On hold messaging calls for brief, but straight to the point effective, ear-catching snippets of information. As much as possible, your message should be original because you’re establishing your brand to your customers as well as prospective ones. I mean who isn’t tired of listening to all those bland phrases like, “We are your one-stop-shop”, “Our friendly staff are here to help ” or “We’ve got it all here…”?

Within mere seconds your message should be attention grabbing, otherwise the listener might not stick around. We recommend strong, open-ended questions that are pertinent to your company and/or industry, which the caller can relate to.

Here are a few examples:

• Are you paying too much for car insurance?

• Is your home as safe as it could be?

• When is the last time you enjoyed a really good burger?

By posing a question like this, right out of the box, the listener could be compelled to want to hear the answer, and the rest of your advertisement.

Message On hold Script Example:

Would you like whiter teeth, fresh breath and better oral health in just 90 seconds or less? The “XYZ” electric toothbrush features over 300 ergonomically shaped bristles, so within seconds you can clear away all plaque fast, even from the rear of your mouth. All for less than the price of a regular toothbrush. Now, you can be photographed knowing that you are going to have the whitest set of teeth in the photo, be confident that you don’t have bad breath when talking to a co-worker, and you can relax when someone leans over to you for an intimate chat. We’re so confident that you’ll love it – We offer a 100% money-back guarantee. This month only, when you order one toothbrush, you get a second free. Tell your representative you want to take advantage of our BOGO offer, or order online at xyztoothbrush.com/bogo. You can also access this special offer by joining us on facebook or twitter.………

Notice the structure, and the creative elements included. Opening statements that grab the listener’s attention, identifies a problem, presents a solution, and of course there’s a compelling offer and a call to action. Let’s break down the copy shall we.

The opening hook:

Would you like whiter- brighter teeth, fresh breath and better oral health in less than 90 seconds.

The Why?:

Why is it important? it’s a necessity item that everyone needs (well, hopefully). Why should they be interested? It provides better results than traditional products, it’s fast and it costs less. Why should they buy it from you? 100% money-back guarantee. Why should they buy it now, rather than later? Order now, get a second one free.

The Close/Call-to-Action:

This month only, when you order one toothbrush, you get a second free. Tell your representative you want to take advantage of our offer, or order online at xyztoothbrush.com/specialoffer
In the example above, the copy tells the caller, to inform the representative they wish to avail the offer, and just for added good measure, we also tell them to take action online at the xyz toothbrush.com/bogo website, or they can also access this special offer by becoming a fan of follower to facebook or twitter, thus also helping to promote and grow your social networks.

Crafting effective  on hold messaging is different from creating any other form of advertising. It’s important to strike a balance between creativity and functionality. The script can make or break your message on hold. Once you know how to pull out the benefits and connect them to the emotional desires of the consumer, and provide an effective call to action, then you’ll have powerful message on hold that sells more.

So, in part 3 of our On Hold Marketing Bootcamp, we’ve armed you with the information needed on how you increase sales and generate revenues. Now, the remaining pieces of the puzzle in part 4: “What You Need to Get Started With On Hold Marketing” and “How To Choose the Right On Hold Provider for Your Brand.”