The ClickPoint Blog: Lead Management, Sales and Marketing Insights

What is Pay Per Call Marketing?

Written by Anders Uhl | May 1, 2023

Pay Per Call Marketing

Pay-per-call marketing is a powerful strategy that enables businesses to generate valuable leads and enhance customer satisfaction. It utilizes interactive voice response (IVR) systems, call routing and tracking, and affiliate networks to track incoming calls from potential customers. This article covers the various aspects of pay-per-call marketing, including its benefits, how it works, and the technologies involved.

Pay Per Call Marketing: An Overview

What is Pay Per Call?

Pay-per-call is a type of performance marketing that tracks source-specific phone numbers. This tracking allows marketers to measure the success of specific advertising campaigns. This type of call tracking is similar to link tracking in pay-per-click campaigns.

By assigning unique phone numbers to ads, specific campaigns can be analyzed. This allows the channels, ads, or keywords generating the most leads to be identified. This approach is especially beneficial for industries where customers prefer phone contact, such as healthcare, insurance, financial, legal, and home services.

Pay Per Call Software

Pay-per-call software is an essential tool for businesses implementing pay-per-call marketing strategies.

It allows marketers to create, manage, and track pay-per-call campaigns, providing insights into the performance of their advertising efforts. Unique phone number assignment, call tracking and recording, and advanced reporting enable businesses to optimize marketing spend and increase conversion rates.

Some pay-per-call software will integrate seamlessly with IVR systems and CRM platforms, ensuring a streamlined and efficient workflow.

DNI

Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI) is a vital component of pay-per-call marketing that further enhances the effectiveness of these campaigns.

DNI assigns unique phone numbers to each visitor on a website or landing page, according to their source. A specific advertisement click or a keyword search can trigger a number assignment.

This allows for a deeper understanding of which marketing channels, ads, or keywords drive the most phone calls and conversions. Ultimately this leads to more informed decisions and a higher ROI.

Implementing DNI in pay-per-call marketing enables businesses to track phone calls like web links track clicks.

By analyzing DNI data, marketers can optimize campaigns and allocate resources more effectively. They can then focus on the channels and strategies that generate the highest quality leads. This level of granularity is crucial for businesses that rely on phone calls as a primary source of leads. It empowers them to make data-driven decisions and maximize the impact of their pay-per-call marketing efforts.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Speech Recognition

Interactive voice response (IVR) is a crucial component of pay-per-call campaigns. It enables automated phone systems to interact with callers through voice inputs and touch-tone keypad selections. IVR systems use speech recognition to understand caller inputs and provide self-service options or route calls to appropriate departments or agents.

IVR systems help businesses manage high call volumes by automating routine tasks and providing pre-recorded information. They can also collect data from callers to improve lead generation and customer satisfaction. IVR software helps to optimize contact center operations and ensure that calls are routed to the most suitable agents or departments.

The Role of Call Centers and Contact Centers in Pay-Per-Call Marketing

Call and contact centers are critical in managing and optimizing pay-per-call campaigns. Call centers may also use IVR to route calls to agents or departments based on the caller's needs and preferences.

By closely monitoring call center operations, marketers can identify trends and patterns that can inform their marketing strategies.

Affiliate Networks and Pay Per Call

Pay-per-call affiliate networks connect advertisers with publishers or affiliates who can drive phone calls to their campaigns. These networks provide a marketplace to find affiliates with the right audience and traffic sources to generate leads for their campaigns. Affiliates, in turn, can earn commissions for driving phone calls to the advertiser's unique phone number.

Working with pay-per-call networks offers several advantages for performance marketers. These networks typically provide tracking and reporting tools, helping marketers measure the success of their campaigns and optimize their strategies. Additionally, working with affiliates can expand the reach of pay-per-call campaigns, tapping into new audiences and potential customers.

Lead Generation and Pay Per Call Marketing

Pay-per-call marketing is an effective lead-generation strategy that allows businesses to connect directly with potential customers. Tracking incoming calls from unique phone numbers allows marketers to identify which channels and campaigns are most effective in generating leads. This data-driven approach enables businesses to optimize their marketing spend, focusing on the channels that deliver the best results.

Furthermore, pay-per-call marketing allows businesses to engage with customers on a more personal level. Speaking directly with a live agent can provide a better customer experience than interacting with a chatbot or browsing a website. As a result, pay-per-call campaigns can lead to higher customer satisfaction and more successful lead generation.

Managing High Call Volume with IVR

One of the challenges of pay-per-call marketing is managing high call volumes. IVR helps businesses tackle this challenge by automating routine tasks and providing self-service options to callers. By utilizing IVR technology, businesses can streamline their call center operations and ensure that callers receive efficient and effective assistance.

IVR systems can provide pre-recorded information, collect data from callers, and route calls to the appropriate departments or agents. This helps manage high call volumes but also improves customer experience by connecting callers quickly with the right resources.

AI Enhanced IVR

AI can significantly enhance IVR phone systems, improving efficiency, personalization, and customer satisfaction. AI natural language processing (NLP) enables IVR to accurately recognize complex phrases and intentions and respond more effectively.

Another important aspect is intelligent call routing. AI-powered IVR systems can quickly analyze a caller's intent and route their call to the most appropriate department or agent.

Sophisticated lead distribution systems like LeadExec allow for complex AI call flows. These call flows can use human-like AI voices so that live voice recordings are no longer needed.

AI Sound Studio

An AI sound studio allows you to create custom call flows using male or female voices in any language. Sophisticated sound studios will allow you to choose the emotion of the voice to create the best possible user experience. 

Call Routing and Pay Per Call Campaigns

Effective call routing is essential for the success of pay-per-call campaigns. Advanced routing algorithms and strategies ensure incoming calls reach the right destination. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction, as callers receive the assistance they need promptly and efficiently.

Some common call routing strategies used in pay-per-call campaigns include:

  1. Skill-based routing: Calls are routed to agents or departments based on skills or expertise.
  2. Geographic routing: Calls are directed to agents or departments based on the caller's location.
  3. Time-based routing: Calls are routed to agents based on the time of day or the day of the week. 

Benefits of Pay-Per-Call Marketing

Like any call-based, inbound lead generation, pay-per-call campaigns tend to have higher conversion rates than click-based campaigns. Leads from inbound calls, therefore, sell at a premium. Call tracking allows marketers to sell live leads in real-time and maximize campaigns based on results. This all allows for higher lead quality and increased ROI.

Conclusion

Pay-per-call marketing is a powerful strategy for businesses seeking to generate valuable leads and enhance customer satisfaction.

Performance marketers can track, manage, and optimize incoming calls by leveraging interactive voice response systems, call center technology, and affiliate networks.

Effective call routing, utilizing live agents, and working with pay-per-call networks, give businesses more value from their leads. With the right approach and technology, pay-per-call marketing is a game-changer for businesses where phone contact is preferred.

Learn more about LeadExec lead distribution software with pay per call.