A monster $250,000 sale attributed to an on hold message program simply because the customer happened to ask somebody to tell them a bit more about a new service or product they heard about while they were on hold. Well, It happened to one of our customers, and they were kind enough to tell us about it.  We wonder how often it happens and we don’t get the phone call.  We also wonder how often it happens and our customer is not made aware of what initiated the sale.

Although it would be nice for every client to see this kind of return in their on hold marketing investment we do admit that it is sometimes difficult to track your on hold programming’s ROI. The best on hold messaging programs return anywhere between 0 and 10,000% return on the initial investment.   There may be certainly be weeks, months, or even a year whereby it may be difficult to completely and convincingly attribute transactions and sales to the on hold program.  Most likely, sales ‘happened’, but the sale could not be completely traced or attributed to the program.  Or maybe the program content was more designed to make general branding statements or provide educational content to customers on hold. 

However, even if the answer was 0% ROI the reality is that a good on hold messaging program pays for itself quickly.  For a buck or two a day, take into consideration the work that the program is doing in terms of just keeping a customer holding instead of hanging up.  If you don’t have an on hold messaging program, “Silence” on hold is not golden.  People hang up on silence, and quickly at that.  In fact, studies show that 50% of callers will hang up if waiting in silence and a staggering 34% of those will not call back. Do you see an ROI return those ‘beep-beep’ tones that are considered a phone system feature?  Beep tones can drive your callers crazy.  Playing a radio station on hold?  A radio station may promote your competitor, or other businesses which do not pay you to advertise their business to “your callers.” Even a simple music file can get old very quickly or not be to a particular callers liking.

 A ‘hang-up’ caller may very well be an existing customer that calls a competitor.  That’s lost revenue, and it might be big $. So……if you can’t seem to measure the ROI of your program, don’t fret.  Your program is always quietly and certainly paying for itself.  In addition to giving you another avenue to build your brand, it is also functioning as a tool to keeps folks holding.  Other forms of advertising (billboards, direct mail, TV / radio advertising) fill no other function other than to simply advertise.  Your low cost on hold message program is fulfilling a crucial additional function.   So is your program paying for itself?  Yes. Probably in more ways than you’re aware of.  

A web infomercial is either a short or long format commercial about your business or organization that appears on your website or somewhere else on the Internet. Like television advertisements, web infomercials are predicated on the notion that, when millions of people regularly turn their attention to a particular information and entertainment medium, that medium becomes an optimal venue for promoting business interest. However, unlike television commercials, web infomercials are supremely economical for three reasons: they require less production time, they run without end and they're available to Internet users 24 hours a day.
All successful web infomercials share the same characteristics, beginning with focusing on what you're promoting. Focusing on what you're promoting has two basic aspects: choosing the right words and choosing the right images.

The key to creating an effective web infomercial is choosing strong images and presenting a brief list of hard-hitting benefits  that will impact your viewers without challenging their attention span. Web infomercials should also establish branding using the right actors that appeal to your target demographic. And finally, the simplest of all  be sure to end your web infomercial with a call to action. Your web infomercial is designed to generate interest, prove credibility for your product or service offering, and at the same time capitlize on that interest by presenting a call to action. In addition to asking your viewers to take action, be sure to supply them information that makes their action as easy as possible, such as presenting your website address, toll-free numbers, trial offers, warranty or guarantees. 

Virtual Media Group can help your company develop and produce a web infomercial that capitalizes on an ever-increasing Internet audience at an affordable price. Contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-888-345-VIDEO

Why do so many businesses do it ineffectively? 

Upselling (sometimes 'up-selling') is a  sales technique  whereby a saleperson induces the customer to purchase more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale. Upselling usually involves marketing more profitable  service or products, but upselling can also be simply exposing the customer to other options he or she may not have considered previously. Upselling implies selling something that is more profitable or otherwise preferable for the seller instead of or in addition to the original sale. This technique is also known as cross-selling.

Here we are going to give just one example in an industry that is effectively using on hold messages to upsell/cross-sell, and if they can do it – SO CAN YOU!
The pizza industry is a 33 billion dollar industry, so what's the top problem in the pizza industry today? Well according to the top pizzeria chains it’s the telephone.
"According to national statistics the average hold-time is 30 seconds (on hold) per customer".  

Top pizza chains have embraced on hold marketing messages as a way to boost check and ticket averages by providing phone customers a marketing message before they talk to a staffer. They say that such messages not only help customers affirm their purchasing decisions, but they often steer them to upsell specials or additional menu items. In fact, according to a recent study, 42 percent of customers who hear about the specials in a message will order that special.

Director of telecommunications for Louisville, Ky.-based Papa John’s , labeled the pizza chain's hang-up tally the "abandonment rate." In an effort to lower its number of hang-ups, the company launched an eight-store trial of an on hold marketing message system. The results from the test, he said, are conclusively positive. I've been excited about this since day one," said Leonard. "In my mind, the test is over. I'm convinced this is a valuable benefit to us."

The on hold messages can be customized to push salads or sandwiches at lunch, family meal deals at dinner time, and multi-pizza deals in conjunction with ball games.Pizza operators have reported check average increases of $1.50 when using a marketing message. When the average pizza store does 2,500 to 3,000 transactions per week, think of what that can do to your profits."