Click-to-call is an emerging contextual advertising format that will help spark the growth of localized search. It links online users to offline advertisers by combining Internet telephone capabilities. Although it has yet to hit its stride as a platform or even pierce consumer consciousness, the biggest interactive names, like Google, Yahoo, and eBay, are positioning themselves for a future in click-to-call. Let’s take a closer look. Click-to-call ads (CTC) are delivered, like pay-per-click, through standard online search results. They mostly resemble standard paid search ads, too. The user sees the familiar text in a box, except there is an icon that can be clicked to connect the interested party with the designated advertiser via telephone.
This process is fully online until the user activates the CTC functionality by clicking that icon delivered with the ad. Next, the user is prompted to enter their telephone number, which may or may not be already stored with the search engine. Once the phone number is entered, the search engine calls the user and connects the advertiser at no cost to the user. It should be noted that search engines will be adamant about protecting the anonymity of user phone numbers in order to placate any understandable fears of being added to telephone marketing lists. It will be imperative for search engines to build user confidence because trust is precious, especially when introducing new products. Since CTC incorporates phone use through the Internet, VoIP specific companies like Vonage and Fusion will be parlaying their niche of Internet telephony into partnerships with bigger Internet properties, as evidenced by Skype’s sale to eBay. Even an online advertising agency like ICMediaDirect.com has to consider the impact of a “hybrid” service, like click-to-call, will have on search marketing. Isn’t it funny how convergence, the calling card of technological progress, can make the telephone cutting edge? Experts aren’t expecting great revenue generation straight out of the gate, but click-to-call could be at the forefront of yet another giant tech-based advertising expansion.
One area that click-to-call may impact is local search. I believe CTC has enough functionality to ignite the long anticipated surge of localized search as a leading format of small business advertising. For example, if a person finally has had enough of a bad back – where do they go to find a chiropractor, the Internet? Could be. That’s where we can research and get a phone number. Just think what a chiropractor would pay per click of that icon that rings his office and the sufferer simultaneously. And you thought pay-per-click was targeted and relevant? Finding out which businesses will advertise on local search via click-to-call is an easy task – they’re the ones filling the yellow pages of your phone book. These small businesses (think: pizza parlors, law offices, florists) are already heavily vested in local advertising, yet almost none use search advertising because the format has yet to incorporate small business.
It’s believed that there are nearly 15 million small businesses in the United States today and almost none are benefiting from local search the way that it’s envisioned. When geo-targeted search is smoothed out and more popular, and CTC gets rolling, local advertising will realize more convenience and more targeting – and the world will witness another online advertising revolution. Click-to-call is even more targeted than the pay-per-click search format as we know it today. Advertisers are going to pay more for CTC because anyone who takes the time to call is certainly a higher-percentage paying customer than your basic web surfer who indicates interest. While some web surfers may click ads to satisfy curiosity, few visitors will be clicking icons to make idle talk with businesses – as far as I can tell, this isn’t an issue for businesses listed in the Yellow Pages. Click-to-call is a potent ad format and advertisers are going to shell out top dollars for it.
Keep an eye out for developments in this format and be ready to adjust your strategies accordingly. Joseph Pratt Media Analyst ICMediaDirect.com http://www.icmediadirect.com e: joseph@icmediadirect.com
Filed Under Marketing Techniques | Comments Off on Is Click-to-Call what Local Search Has Been Waiting For?
Brad Beiermann Ph.D. How many of you online store owners love selling items with higher profit margins? Higher margins, means more money in your pocket, right? If you are the smart business owner, you have answered yes to both questions. One more question for you.
Why did your customer buy these higher margin, and often higher priced, items from you? Okay, now the answers start to vary.
In truth, customers buy for their own reasons, not ours. We might think we know why they bought it with a certain degree of accuracy, but do we ever really know their innermost reason for why they made the purchase? In fact, most experts will be quick to point out the fact, we never really know 100%. The reason they buy, is often different than reason we thought. No matter what you are selling on your online store, your customer will only buy two things: 1) Solutions to problems, and 2) Good feelings. The rest of this article will focus on the «good feelings» part. When your customer buys from you, they generally feel good about it in some form or another. Proof…Would you spend your money on something (or someone) you did not feel good about? Of course not, we want to feel good about the things we buy. Your customers are no different. So, what is making these folks feel good about buying from you? In short, it is trust. Good feelings come from trust and the secure feelings that come with it. Trust is something earned without a fixed time period. In other words, trust can be built quickly, or it can take a long time to be built. With a product, trust is often built in the form of value. They ask themselves, «Is this a good deal?» If the answer is «Yes» the odds of a transaction occurring goes up greatly. If the answer is «No», you have not won any good feelings or trust from them.
Let’s take a look at this thing called «value» and how it is perceived by your customer. What exactly is perceived value? By dictionary definition — It is the state of worth recognized by interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by the senses. Whew! That’s a bunch to grasp in one reading of that sentence. For the rest of us non-Mensa members, let’s simplify. Perceived value is someone’s gut feel about the worth of a product. It’s our own appraisal based on what we know. The original definition mentions words like sensory, senses, and memory. This suggests we, and our customers, get perceived value from our surrounding environment, or the things we have been directly exposed to in the past. Customers have this inherent feeling before they come to your online store. If you are able to recognize this fact, you are in a much better position to understand your market. If perceived value is ignored during your pricing strategies, that could spell trouble. Last year I helped a friend with a trade show he was having with one of his new products. He had the product, a very unique household lamp, patented and had it being made in the USA for just a few dollars labor. Not bad. The parts used in the lamp brought it’s wholesale price close to eighty dollars. Still, not bad considering this was a unique custom made piece retailing at three hundred dollars. The product was being offered on his website, the number of inquiries and emails he was receiving about the product was mind boggling, literally hundreds a week. This was just for one lamp! It sounded like he had a hit on his hands. During the four day trade show, thousands of people stopped by the booth and marveled at this product. There were people stopping by the booth just to see what all the attention was about. Several TV news stations stopped by the booth to film the product and interview it’s inventor. Customers wanted this product real bad. As the trade show came to a close on its last day, how many units were sold? Zero…None…Nada.
Ouch! What happened? The number one comment from customers, «That is awesome!» or «Brilliant!» or «I gotta get one!» The number two comment from customers «Why is this thing so darn high in price?» or «That price seems really high.» Clearly, perceived value was coming into play. So how much did these customers expect this product to retail? One show attendee gave the best clue about the perceived value — «It seems like this would go for about $50 at a store like Wal-Mart.» What is the point of all of this? As you look for potential wholesale suppliers for your online store, it will be important to know about perceived value. Consider the following questions when evaluating a supplier who has made their own product: 1. How has the response been to the price points of the product(s) you are offering? 2. Has the product been market tested at a trade show? How was the response? 3. Does the product sell itself at this price point? 4. Has anyone done a market appraisal of the product? Getting a barometer on the perceived value will be an important ingredient to your online product portfolio. Armed with just a few of these questions, you will have done yourself justice.
Filed Under Internet and Money | Comments Off on Is Your Online Store Barely Making Money?
The internet is unbelievable as a business environment. The whole Google Adsense and Adwords thing, with Pay-per-click and what not…well all of this is making people very rich. Okay, not everyone. But you can generate a substantial second income from this. Put in more time, and you can definitely quit your day job (if you have one…no assumptions here). To be honest, it isn’t that complicated. It takes a little work to get started but, once you can grasp the concepts, you are set. To this end…I have gone through a large number of internet sites that have information on this. There are a few resources that I believe are worthy of your time. I’ll say why below. The marketing on most schemes out there is truly atrocious. Some people will be put off by it; the other group will fall for it.
I am going to try to go beyond that.
It can be hard to see beyond what is staring you blindly in the face (usually in great big red letters). Claims of millions and, nowadays, Paypal account statements with large transfers shown. Basically, these people are trying to sell their products. They have read their own manuals. They know about marketing, about raising hopes in people and about presenting “evidence” of the merits of their products. They exaggerate in some instances; leave out bits that have to do with your own actions. Everybody seems to do this online; however, some of these resources do have real merit, which is why I mention them here. In my experience, it’s the little things that make a difference. You might have everything done properly, but if your introduction is missing the right punch, then you don’t get any sales. The details are important. They can be, and are usually the difference between getting a lot of money and not getting a lot of money. I feel like it’s those that cover these fine points that are the ones you want. “I am better than you, I am a jerk etc, etc” one proclaims on his website.
You can see the angle he’s going for here.
It works though. He’s even had an infomercial done. This means people are buying his product.
This must mean that his tips work…at least for some people.
That’s really all that matters. This one is guide to basically every effective way of making money online, like a lot of others. What makes it really good is that he cuts out a lot of fluff and lays it down like it is. For me, the real clincher is the forum on the website. There are loads of people who are trying this stuff out. They like to talk about their experiences. This means you can see where mistakes have been made and where progress has been made. That’s value. People can repeatedly come back for help and advice. Not too many schemes have something like that in place. The people factor is really important. This sort of thing has been around long enough for others to have tried it. Find out what it’s been like for them. Get a second opinion. Forums are a good place. I know my eyes still ache from all the forums I have gone through. It might not clear up all your doubts, but it will certainly eliminate some bad choices. That brings us to the main point. It really is down to you to follow through. Whichever one you go for, it could take some time for you to start to see real results.
You have to have the drive and fortitude to see it to the end. The investment is not too great, particularly in the context of the potential rewards. How brave are you? There’s a lot of stuff on making money on the internet. You have to be careful.
Most people are just looking to make a buck, but if you can just sift out the dodgy ones, there really is a lot to be gained from the right sources. Good luck.
All of us have a built in desire to succeed.
That goes for those that are already wealthy as well as for those of us that are reaching out for that goal. One of the main problems that most people run into whenever they are trying to in marketing is that it is difficult to overcome being a little guy in their field. This is especially true in those that work from home or are interested in starting an online business. It just seems that most of those starting out are just spinning their wheels. What about the players in the online marketing field? It seems that everything that they do turns to gold . How many times have you wanted to have the success that some of the Internet marketing gurus have enjoyed? Now with the Little Guy Network, you can enjoy the same success. Some of the best programs on the Internet for making money come at quite a cost. Although you can make 100% commissions on many of these, who can really afford to start and market a $997 product? I know that when I was first starting out in business that I would have never been able to put a thousand dollars down on a product. For that reason, many people that are looking for business opportunities are unable to find the success that they desire. That is where the little guy network comes in. They offer the same great marketing package of software products and sales materials that can be used by anyone that is a member. The real difference is that they offer these products with a price tag that is much easier for you, or your sales prospects, to afford. This can really add up to some sales for you, especially when you are involved in such a hungry niche as the business opportunity market. When it comes to step by step marketing help, the Little Guy Network steps up to the plate in a wonderful way. Even if you have never marketed anything on the Internet before, they will take you by the hand and walk you through every step of the process until you are making sales.
This is an important part of the package, especially for anyone that is starting out in business but is a little inexperienced in marketing. The package that they offer comes with everything from the online tutorials to a great front page. So with the sales letter and product that they are offering, the sales will certainly come. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. If you ever felt like a little guy on the Internet, struggling to find your success, you will find the Little Guy Network to be exactly what you’re looking for. Not only will it help you to succeed and teach you all that you need to know to be successful, as you bring others into the system you will be able to ride on their success for a long term business.
