On Hold Marketing.
On Hold Messages.
On Hold Advertising.
On Hold Music.
These are all terms that are commonly used interchangeably to describe the services of having some form of Audio playing on a company’s telephone system to callers when they are placed “on hold”. But these are very different services and solutions.
Basic Definitions:
Marketing: – “Marketing is the process or act of bringing together buyers and sellers.” – Wikipedia
Advertising: – “Advertising is paid, one-way communication through a medium in which the sponsor is identified and the message is controlled.” – Wikipedia. We would also add, Advertising is usually integrated into a larger Marketing campaign.
Message: - “Message in its most general meaning is an object of communication.” – Wikipedia
Defining On Hold Music & On Hold Messages:
On Hold Music is defined as playing pre-recorded or streaming music on your telephone system to callers while they are on hold.
On Hold Messaging is the simplest form of adding audio to ones telephone system, next to Music only. Generally, On Hold Messaging will consist of a basic set of statements read by a voice talent, designed to, reassure callers, deliver apologies for being on hold and deliver basic information about the company they are calling, (i.e. hours of operation, location, etc.). These prerecorded messages will then be mixed over a single music track to create a “looped on hold production” where the music is faded in and out at preset intervals while the statements are read. The average length of a “looped on hold production” varies between 2-4minutes before repeating itself.
An average statement within an On Hold Messaging campaign may read like:
“Thank you for calling XYZ Company. We are located at 12345 Main Street near the shopping center. We appreciate your patience while on hold and someone will be with you momentarily.”
Defining On Hold Marketing:
Before defining On Hold Marketing I think it is important to further define marketing itself. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia defines it by saying; “In popular usage, ‘marketing’ is the promotion of products, especially advertising and branding. However, in professional usage the term has a wider meaning which recognizes that marketing is customer centered.” They also go on to define two different types of Marketing:
- “Strategic Marketing attempts to determine how an organization competes against its competitors in a market place. In particular, it aims at generating a competitive advantage relative to its competitors.”
- “Operational Marketing executes marketing functions to attract and keep customers and to maximize the value derived for them, as well as to satisfy the customer with prompt services and meeting the customer expectations. Operational Marketing includes the determination of the marketing mix.”
You may have noticed we have not yet defined On Hold Advertising, and it may be obvious as to why at this point. Advertising is one of the functions of Marketing, and to solely focus in on the Advertising aspects would also mean you are missing the bigger picture at hand.
On Hold Marketing is the use of spoken words and music, to create customer oriented audios for a telephone system, which promotes current advertising and branding campaigns for the company. Additionally it must further attract and keep customers and maximize their perceived value of doing business with ones company by adding educational, customer service related announcements. And by providing case studies and testimonials it will also lower potential customers’ perceived risk of doing business with a company. On Hold Marketing encompasses both: Strategic Marketing, by creating a medium of marketing that your competitors may be overlooking or using incorrectly and Operational Marketing, by creating a customer focused marketing campaign.
The Difference in Statements:
An effective On Hold Marketing statement may read like:
“XYZ Company is holding public hearings on proposed service reductions and fare increases on June 5, 6, 11 and 13. visit www.CustomMicroSite.com for more information.”
Or
“Help improve XYZ Company by participating in a quick survey by texting KEYWORD to 32075 on your mobile phone.”
Or
“Receive $25 off your next purchase by entering keyword DEMO at OnHoldReward.com ”
After reading the three examples you should be able to clearly note the differences between On Hold Marketing and On Hold Messaging (see Defining Music On Hold & On Hold Messaging). On Hold Marketing provides a professional customer oriented and engaging statement that is designed specifically around your customer’s expectations and needs while they are on hold, whereas On Hold Messaging is a simple and basic statement about your business that may or may not have any relevance at all to your customers while on hold. In addition true On Hold Marketing creates a way for your business to track and measure the profits generated from the medium.
On Hold Marketing Statements require research to be done on what type of potential customers and customers are calling you, what the most common calls are about, what other types of marketing you are currently utilizing, what products and services are most important, etc. On Hold Marketing Statements also needs to be closely monitored and updated on a regular basis.
Many callers may become “numb” to your On Hold Marketing campaign if it is left static without being updated or refreshed on a regular basis, we recommend updating some of the statements a minimum of 4 to 12 times a year. By updating your statements you insure that the On Hold Marketing campaign is always Customer Centered with current information thereby creating better odds of seeing a higher ROI (Return on Investment).
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