On-the-go consumers have lead the way to smartphones being the most used device when consumers search for information on local stores and services. That shift is rejuvenating the value of phone calls as leads. Calling a business is now just a single click away, an action that is seamless and immediately accessible from the customer’s smartphone.
Consumers love the ease and speed with which to contact businesses and those stores value the quality of calls as leads. Yet businesses often make the mistake of not customizing marketing plans to specifically drive calls, and instead continue using campaigns that were optimized to drive clicks.
The expected increase in calls from smartphones has given rise to several mobile ad developments that cater to prioritizing phone calls as leads.
In this month’s Search Engine Land column, I take a look at Telmetrics’ Answering the Call for Mobile Attribution and DialogTech’s Click-to-Call Playbook for Paid Search to come up with six strategies to drive calls using mobile search advertising. They are:
- Use Call Extensions
- Try Single Action (phone call) ads
- Emphasize your local proximity
- Respond to “near me” queries
- Identify the source of your calls
- Measure calls with call specific metrics
Check out my article on Search Engine Land for a full discussion on each of the above strategies.
