Service businesses want phone calls from leads, it really is that simple.  This is because the phone ringing generally means business is growing.  Google has been working for several years to solve this problem for businesses by providing Call Only campaigns. However, it’s very important to note that these advertising campaigns are quite different to the standard pay per click approach, so a unique approach is required if you’re looking for optimal results.  Here are a few tips that can help you get the most of your Call Only campaigns:

Make the Most of Your URL

With Call Only campaigns, you don’t have a landing page nor a headline.  So this fact makes your URL even more important than traditional campaigns.  Therefore, adding a relevant keyword, or even better, a call to action at the end of your display URL can really support your advert.

For example:  website.com/FreeConsult

Start by Bidding High

Although it’s natural to have an aversion to burning through money with AdWords, when you start a new campaign it’s vital you bid high initially for two reasons:

One – this gives you a lot of data and feedback quickly, so that you discover what’s working and what isn’t.  This is vital to start the process of optimising your campaign for best results, rather than being timid at the start and the whole process taking far longer than it needs to.

And two – it’s difficult with AdWords to start down the rankings and work your way up.  You want to try if possible to get in a top position from the start, and then decide where to go from there depending on how things are working out.

Schedule Your Ads Accordingly

You only want to be receiving calls when you can actually service them, of course.  So that generally means during business hours, unless you’re happy to receive calls on your mobile throughout the day, evening, and even weekend.

Depending on your target market, it may however be required that you’re also able to field calls outside office hours.  For example, perhaps you generally deal with consumers rather than businesses, and their most convenient time to call would be before work, lunchtime, and in the evenings.

So you can be as specific with this as you choose.  Perhaps you have so much work at the moment, you choose to either disable your campaign entirely, or target your campaign so that you only advertise for new leads between 8am and midday, to at least help reduce how much work is coming in (a fantastic problem to have!).

Be Location Specific

This is just as important as choosing the correct time.  Are you only able to handle leads in your local area?  Or are you able to support a national or even international audience?  Being very clear on exactly where you want leads from is vital.

These four tips are a great start to optimising you call only campaigns, to help you maximise the return on investment you see on your advertising spend.