While a majority of companies rely heavily on collecting quote requests and contact form submissions, that alone isn't necessarily going to land you the sales you need. 

Don't forget that forms still require a follow-up call. However, a salesperson may or may not be able to reach the actual person who inquired. Conversely, with an incoming call, the prospect is already on the line. Most salespeople mention they prefer calls to emails and other forms of electronic communication because they are confident they can close the sale if they speak to a person on the phone, with the potential for an upsell.

We've all become quite familiar with the content of a typical quote request or contact form submission. The questions and needs within the forms are typically addressed throughout the course of several email exchanges. These exchanges pose an unnecessary inconvenience for both parties when a single phone call will do.

The following content provides a few solid ideas to drive more, quality phone calls through your paid search efforts.

Call Extensions for All Campaigns

Far and away, the easiest way to drive phone calls is to utilize call extensions. Call extensions provides a convenient way to implement your business' phone number with your ad copy. Both the Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising platform offer this feature.

The cost of a click on a call extension is no different than the cost of a standard click on an ad. However, a click on the call extension sends a searcher through to your phone lines instead of into your website. You can even schedule extensions to show during times when representatives are available on the other end of the phone to answer the calls, avoiding wasted spending on unanswered calls.

A useful tip to keep in mind when utilizing call extensions is to make sure the phone calls are being routed to salespeople or staff who are trained to field questions related to the products and services you are advertising. Also, it is wise to designate a call duration minimum of 30 or 60 seconds, as a qualification to count a call as a conversion. Counting the first call and not subsequent/duplicate calls is also good practice.

Call-Only Ads & Campaigns

An alternative to call extensions is to set up and run call-only ads. With Call-Only ads, your business' phone number is always present and is the sole way a potential customer can reach you, since a click on a call-only ad places a call rather than landing someone onto the website.

There are a few things you should know specific to Call-Only Ads prior to running them:

• Call-Only Ads will only show on call-capable devices and not desktops.
• The first headline is the phone number, which means call-only ads don't have as much copy as an expanded text ad. 
• While extensions like locations, structure snippets and callouts show up with this ad format, sitelinks, unfortunately, will not be displayed.

Use your best judgment before immediately jumping into a call-only campaign, because the content you have worked so hard to craft may be left behind. Yes, you may get more calls but the quality may be less than desired.

Bid Adjustments for Calls

This ties into the previous 2 methods that we’ve discussed, call extensions or call-only ads. Bid adjustments for calls allows you to adjust your bids to give priority to phone calls. Doing so will affect how frequently the call extension and call-only ad is served.

Ads within Google Maps

Another quick and painless way to acquire more leads is through Google Maps. An advertiser can easily connect their Google My Business (GMB) listing and Google Ads accounts and locally target campaigns. Targeting a specific radius around the listing/s is also straight-forward. When a person is within Google Maps and is on their mobile device, that signals urgency - and you'll no doubt want to be targeting that user and getting them on the horn.

Phone Call-Focused Calls To Actions

It pretty much goes without saying, but in order to get someone to call, you should have that as a call to action within your ad text, whether via a headline, in the ad description or other. Experimenting with text outside of "Call Us Today" will be very beneficial. You'll want searchers to know there is indeed someone available to field their call.

Call Optimized Landing Pages

When the majority of advertisers are pointing users to a specific landing page, it stands to reason that the page should facilitate and entice phone calls. This means the phone number should be easy to find (both on desktop and mobile devices), prominent, and clickable. Utilizing a heat mapping tool is also a good idea to understand the best placement of the number on your website. 

Track On-Page Calls & Import Them as Conversions

Often overlooked, tracking phone calls once a user is on the website, should be considered as part of your campaign’s repertoire. Shameless plug, maybe, but we at Ecreativeworks provide solid suggestions on call tracking tools that pitch info back into Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and social platforms.

Monitor Call Quality & Close More Deals

Before you arrive at the point where you are receiving a larger volume of phone calls than in the past, monitor the quality of your calls to make sure that they are meeting your expectations. Excluding existing customers is always an option, to ensure your reps aren't spending more time with current clients than potential new clients.

I'd like to tie this in with the previous section by stressing the importance of a call tracking software. Evaluating call recordings, assessing call durations and getting straight answers from the staff responsible for answering the calls can make a huge difference. And on the flip-side of that same coin, if there are call scripts being used, do these scripts require improvements? Are the representatives sticking to the scripts and handling the customers in a manner aligned with your business's core values? Definitely something to look into and think about more deeply.

If you would like additional advice, further paid search insight, are interested in having an audit performed on your Pay-Per-Click account or if you have any questions about driving more phone call tracking, schedule your free consultation with Ecreative today!