A website that is strategically designed to generate phone calls is a powerful tool that can help you find very valuable potential customers.
There’s a reason you built a website (or had someone build it for you)… you wanted potential customers to know what you do and to reach out to you for possible jobs.
But being seen online isn’t always enough to convince customers to take that next big step – picking up the phone.
A website that can generate phone calls is particularly important for service or delivery-oriented businesses which service a local audience. For those companies where a phone call can make the difference between getting the sale or not, here are 7 simple tips to help make that phone ring.
TIP #1 – Don’t Play “Hide and Seek” With Your Contact Info
I’m surprised by how often website owners put their contact information in tiny type at the bottom of the page, display it only on one page of the site or bury it on an internal page that the potential customer has to dig for.
How do you expect your website to generate phone calls if nobody can find your phone number?
Unless you really don’t want customers to call you – and if that was the case, you probably wouldn’t be reading this post – make sure that your phone number is prominently displayed, ideally at the top of every single page of your website in big, bold numbers.
If that’s not possible, make a “Contact Us” button clear and available at all times.
And don’t be afraid to share that number everyone, even before your customer gets to your website. Include it when setting up your Google Ads, your social media profiles (and posts), and more.
TIP #2 – Use a Phone Number You Can Answer
There are few things that will turn a potential customer off quicker than when they call a potential supplier and the phone just rings and rings and rings. It instantly signals that they might have trouble reaching you during whatever project they are considering hiring you for.
Yes, your website made the phone ring. But it doesn’t count if they give up, hang up, and move on.
Make sure that the number you publish is ALWAYS answered… if not in person, then by a professional outbound voicemail. This includes recording a professional greeting; do not allow the default “The user you are trying to reach is currently unavailable, please leave a message…” electronic greeting be your first personal interaction with a customer.
TIP #3 – Don’t Just Sit There, Ask for the Call
It’s an old marketing axiom, but it still holds true to this day… you need to tell customers what you want them to do.
Including a “Call Now”, “Call Today”, “Book Your Free Consultation” or even just a simple “Contact Us” beside the phone number is better than just having the phone number sitting alone on the web page.
Imagine your website is like leaving a message for a potential customer, would you just leave a phone number, or would you ask them to call you back?
TIP #4 – Make It Clear What They’ll Get When They Call
It may not seem like it, but sometimes the simple act of picking up the phone can be a daunting task. People are often instinctively opposed to getting the hard sell and may assume that is what they will encounter over the phone.
Be clear about what you offer, whether it is ordering options, appointment setting, or simply answering questions or providing a no-obligation quote.
TIP #5 – Reinforce Your Local Connection
If you exclusively serve a local calling area, reinforce that by using a local number, as well as utilizing such tools as Google Maps to visually display the area your company services (or even a simple listing of your service or delivery areas).
This will appeal to those inside your radius as well as discouraging calls from people outside of your coverage or delivery area.
TIP #6 – Don’t Make Them Pay To Call You
However, if you’re not exclusively servicing a local calling area, offer a Toll Free calling option for people to reach you without having to pay a long distance phone charge.
Despite the fact that many phone plans include a certain amount of free long distance, you cannot assume that your potential customer will use those free minutes on you (if they have them at all).
A toll free number is a small investment compared to the potential business loss of a phone call not made because of long distance charges.
TIP #7 – Give Them Options
Technically, this tip falls outside of the realm of having customers call you, but it’s equally important to give potential clients other ways to reach you.
If they can’t (or don’t want to) talk to you over the phone right away, give them other contact options such as live chat, a contact/ask us form, or an email address where they can send their questions.
Every Call Counts
A simple phone call can be worth hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to a business. If your site is getting plenty of visitors but your phone isn’t ringing as much as you’d like; some simple changes to where and how you display your contact information could make all the difference.