Pay per Call is a form of lead generation rising in popularity. It follows a similar model to Pay per Click advertising. Like PPC, Pay per Call originates from display, video, email and social media adverts.
For these adverts to be more effective, they must be on mobile in order for the Pay per Call mechanism to be direct. The customer sees the advert (ideally on their mobile), clicks on it, and is brought to a landing page. On this landing page, there is an option to call the advertiser (or possibly an intermediary for the advertiser). The customer can then click the ‘call’ button and be put straight through to the contact on their mobile.
In this advertising model, the call made is free to the caller. They will not be charged, and instead the advertiser is the one who pays for the call. The advertiser only pays for the ads when a call is put through. This is why the model is called ‘Pay per Call’.
Pay per Call used to operate through TV, radio and print adverts. The audience for the ad would then be given a number, and encouraged to call it. With the invention and rise of smartphones, this mechanism is becoming more popular. This is because people can access the internet on their smartphones and then instantaneously call the advertiser.
Instead of merely placing a display ad on mobiles that provides contact details, or a form to fill in and a request for a call back, Pay per Call is a far better way of monetising mobile advertising. The response is immediate, and Pay per Call adverts gain a higher ROI than other forms of mobile advertising.
Pay per Call is cost effective, lowers click fraud (which can be a big issue for advertisers using a PPC model) and is good for satisfying urgent needs and requests, such as for a plumber of dentist. All of this reasons show why Pay per Call is becoming more popular as an advertising technique.
