Google Tests Click-To-Call Service
Search engine giant, Google has announced that it is testing a new product, which gives consumers a free and immediate way to speak to advertisers on the Google search results page.
The new initiative will allow users to click on the phone icon in the results page and then enter in their phone number. Once the “Connect for Free” icon is activated Google will call the provided number, when it is picked up the caller will automatically be connected to the chosen advertiser.
Call-to-click is a step on from pay-per-call, which was described at the recent Ad:Tech London conference as the next “big idea” in online marketing, with industry experts highlighting the potentially massive advertiser base of companies without a online presence who could benefit from the technology (see Pay Per Call The Next ‘Big Idea’ In Online Marketing).
Pay-to-call allows advertisers without a dedicated website to cash in on online advertising by providing internet users with a freephone number which customers can use to contact advertisers directly.
Assuming advertisers are equipped to answer large call volumes, getting customers on the line can enable salespeople to convert prospects into sales, rather than relying solely on promotional material to convince customers. Having an immediate dialogue with customers also enables easier up-selling of more expensive or profitable products.
According to Stuart Veale of venture capitalist firm Beringea, the likeliest companies to benefit from pay per call advertising are firms which rely on reservations and bookings, as well as those offering complex or tailor made products such as mortgages. “Customers would rather have a one to one conversation,” he said. “Booking over the phone is a much less infuriating process and customers are much less likely to drop out half way through.”
Google recently Google launched a separate content bid service for its search marketing tool Adwords, with the new system integrated into the existing AdWords campaign management interface and available to all advertisers, allowing them to set one price when their ads run on search sites and a separate price when they run on content sites (see Google Launches Content Bid For Adwords).
Google: 020 7031 3000 www.google.co.uk/