One of the most overlooked marketing strategies may be how you engage and interest consumers who call and are put on hold. Creating a welcoming environment for callers is just as important as that you offer in your business location.

To create effective and interesting audio marketing messages, it’s vital to appeal to your target audience. For your on-hold messages to be effective, it’s just as important to establish an interesting approach as it is for your in-store location. Here are several tips on doing just that.

man on-hold

Do Your Research

Before formulating your plan, estimate the length of your average hold time. This can affect both the length and impact of your program. After all, the point is to keep callers on the line until they can be served.

You already know your clientele, so base your message style on that information. Consider their ages, your location, products, services and other factors. Don’t waste time apologizing for putting your customers on hold – they probably expect that. Instead, try to engage them with what you believe will interest them.

Maintain Interest

Your on-hold messages should contain much of the same information you provide in your advertising and in-store marketing efforts. Keeping your branding message consistent is crucial to your overall marketing plan.

Avoid being repetitive in your message. Nothing bores a customer more than a rerun. Whether checking prices on promotions or inquiring about a specific product or service, chances are consumers will call again before finally visiting your business. Because the average hold time is from 30 seconds to a minute, callers should hear a variety of information. In addition to being regularly updated and seasonally relevant, it’s important to add variety.

This not only offsets on-hold boredom, but may engender some interest in products or offers they didn’t originally call about. Changing a phone message as often as you update your other advertising makes good sense.

Using Music

Music has historically been the stronghold of the on-hold environment. Successfully integrating the right music with your marketing message is vital. Don’t fall victim to the mistake of mismatching the wrong genre of music with your customer base. Professionals such as those at Realty Radio are experts at integrating your music, your message and your brand into on-hold marketing messages.

  • Overly long music breaks: Unless you’re extremely knowledgeable about the musical tastes of your potential customers, this can get tricky and boring very quickly. Your callers will zone out or hang up. Most consumers on hold prefer diverse music combined with messages.
  • Music genre: As a business owner, you probably understand which type of music your in-house customers prefer. Make the same good choices for your callers. It can help make the on-hold experience far less frustrating.
  • Legally licensed music: Never resort to using a recorded message with unlicensed music playing in the background. Always ensure you play the same legally licensed music on your on-hold messaging as you do at your business locations.
  • Poor sound quality: A good on-hold marketing message is seamless. Bad audio is not only distracting, but a complete turnoff. Hiring a professional team will not only help you craft the right message, it will encourage callers to stay on line.
  • Short musical breaks: You know the range of your customer base, which includes being aware of the types of music they prefer. Providing a mixture of musical genres and messages will engage a wider variety of consumers. Your music can’t be everything to everyone unless you deal with a very specific customer base. Depending on your average hold time, one or two background tracks should work.

Fresh Marketing Ideas

Consumers are calling your business for a reason, so it’s up to you to keep them interested in staying on the line. From your front door to your phones and website, every point of contact is important. All calls are an ideal opportunity to escalate the sales of your services or products. Nobody ever said on-hold messages should be dull.

  • Take full advantage of each season. You know your seasonal calendar and your potential customers.
  • Let callers know what’s going on. Tell them what’s new, what’s about to happen and consider introducing something new that may raise a few eyebrows or some word of mouth benefits.
  • Watch your message phrasing. Try not to be awkward or too trendy. Stay on point.

Leaving a customer on hold does not have to be a boring, frustrating experience. Taking the time to engage and attract them, maybe before they even enter your location, might be well worth the effort. Choosing the right professionals when combining a serious business-based message and your customers’ favorite on-hold music is more than half the marketing battle.