September, 7 2010
With fewer sales opportunities in play, competition is fierce. Getting it “write” is the key to your on hold marketing success. It takes the perfect combination of words to your grasp your listening audience which are your callers on hold and convince them to take action. So yes, every word really does count when it comes to crafting the perfect on hold message script. Your company’s on hold message needs to be tight, clear, and compelling—but it must be CLEAR before CUTE!
Let’s start with the “elevator statement”. What’s an elevator statement you might ask? Well think of it like this; being in an elevator with someone and describing to that person who you are and what you offer in that short time of the elevator ride. In other words, a positioning statement that needs to be delivered in 30 seconds or less. Now you also need to add more detail around this and also explain a unique benefit a customer gets when buying from you and your COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. You must clearly understand the difference between a benefit and a feature. Features are the specific bells and whistles particular to a product or idea. Benefits are the advantages callers will gain--bringing recognizable value to a product’s features by illustrating why the features of your product or service should be selected.
Encouraging callers to take action. Did you add into your on hold message script an incentive that makes closing the sale advantageous to your customer? Instead of using traditional manipulation tactics to "close" a deal, encourage callers to act within a certain timeframe by showing them it can be in his/her own best interest.
Your on hold message needs to describe what your company does and for whom, identify the key benefit(s) that drive your customers to purchase your products or services, and demonstrate the advantage you have over competing brands. Infuse creativity into message. Deliver your message in a clever and/or amusing way, and make your ad stand out from the crowd. Use a tone that's appropriate to your audience, and choosing words that belong to that particular genre. The greatest on hold marketing ads are a perfect fusion of three very different modes of thought, expertly combined and presented in a powerfully compelling and persuasive package.
And now that you have solid on hold messaging, it's time to Execute! The key to successful on hold advertising, after being tight, clear, and compelling, is to be CONSISTENT. Marketing is very much like brainwashing—repetition, repetition, and more repetition.