Pay Per Call

How to Start a Pay Per Call Business in 2023

16 min read

July 30, 2024

To start a pay per call business in 2023, you should identify your target audience and niche, choose a reliable pay per call network, create a marketing plan, build a sales funnel and track your performance regularly.

The world has moved online and seems to be staying there for quite some time. As long as business is doing well on the Internet, advertising campaigns will be set up online. In such a situation, marketing professionals choose from a variety of different channels to attract a target audience. Advertisers exploit Google Ads and social media news feeds; they send newsletters and make cold calls.

One of the marketing models that continues to be popular and gain a dedicated audience is Pay Per Call (PPC). It may seem obsolete as more and more adults today prefer to text rather than call, just as their young zoomers and alphas do. However, 60% of consumers still contact firms via phone after finding them on Google. It means that the PPC business remains relevant. Taking into consideration its relatively easy process of launching campaigns and transparent reports, the PPC model proves to be a reliable and well-performing method for generating high-quality leads. Let’s plunge deeper into the subtleties, benefits, and tips for starting a PPC business in 2023.

What is pay per call?

Pay Per Call is a form of advertising that connects an advertiser and a business owner. An advertiser or publisher creates advertising campaigns for a business owner or buyer. When potential clients see the ads and feel interested, they make a call. The call is reflected in the analytical data of the call tracking tool used by a publisher. If it meets the predefined criteria (length of a call, geographic location, conversion, etc.), the buyer pays the advertiser. That is why the process is called pay per call marketing.

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Therefore, to receive and analyze the data regarding inbound calls, publishers need special software. Typically, it is a call tracking system that provides its users with virtual phone numbers for use in various advertisements as well as the ability to track the performance of the campaigns in their online accounts.

There are various types of call tracking systems available on the market. They differ in functionality and price. Here is a list of the key players based on the reviews placed on Capterra and Crozdesk.

  1. ☎️ CallRail: Easy integration with popular marketing and sales software. It is compatible with all modern devices. The team provides all-sided support and tutorials to shorten the learning curve.
  2. ☎️ Dialpad: It is a cloud-based communications system. The functionality includes call routing, call recording, caller ID, and various tracking metrics to gather and analyze call data.
  3. ☎️ CallTrackingMetrics: It is a conversation analytics provider. The solution is fully compatible with all modern devices and browsers. The features allow users to track the calls, analyze them, and improve marketing strategies.
  4. ☎️ Phonexa: A complete toolkit for marketing automation, clicks, calls, emails, SMS, and accounting products. The available features include conversion tracking, lead management, email integration, and others.
  5. ☎️ Dialics: Call tracking software with essential features, such as call analytics, reporting, call routing, and recording. International numbers cover 50 countries around the world.

How does pay per call work?

Pay per call (PPC) is a lead generating system. It works as follows:

  • The company finds an affiliate.
  • The affiliate exploits the PPC software.
  • The PPC system provides tracking numbers.
  • Potential customers see the numbers in the ads online and call.
  • The system connects customers to the company.
  • If the call is successful, the company pays a commission to the affiliate. The success of a call is set by each company individually. It may depend on the length of a call, date, region, etc.

Many companies are offering PPC software today. They compete in the number of features, prices, provided conditions, and coverage. One of the software developers with international coverage is Dialics. The company offers call tracking and analytics software. Apart from pay per call marketing with analytical tools, they provide users with call routing and interactive voice recognition that allow them to deal with multiple calls simultaneously. The Dialics tool can come in handy both for individual marketers and big corporations. It is simple and easily customizable. Besides, the system can become a powerful extension of any marketing ecosystem. Dialics is a young and consistently maturing product. However, it has already gained loyal followers and keeps growing.

Why is pay per call worth giving a try?

  • Little investment. For a start, you need something simple and clear-cut to figure out how things work. You buy a low-cost pay-per-call software that provides tracking numbers and relevant analytics and launch your own pay-per-call business right away. With the analytical data at hand, you will be able to earn your first dollar with the first phone call.
  • Being your own boss. Starting a pay per call business means you rely only on yourself and do not need anyone else. If you use a solution that provides international phone numbers, the potential leads are all around the world while you are cozy on your couch. You start several marketing campaigns, and the analytics in the software show which of them is the most profitable.
  • Fast scalability and growth. When you feel more confident, you are ready to make more money. Finding more customers, hiring people to help you out, expanding the functionality, and moving forward to a marketing agency; there are no limits to the perspectives.
  • International advertising campaigns. With international call tracking numbers, you can try going beyond the borders of your country without spending too much money.

Market research

Before starting any new business, a profound amount of preparation should be undertaken. Careful planning is 30% of success. You have to be precise in what you want to achieve with your campaigns, who your target audience is, which countries they live in, where they are online, and how to reach them. With an understanding of your goals, you can immediately skyrocket with the first campaign.

1. Choose the business domain: The PPC model will perform well in industries that allow customers to order a service over the phone or have a phone consultation. The business domains may include both local and international enterprises:

  • Auto insurance
  • Health care
  • Home services</li
  • Financial services
  • Hospitality business
  • Legal advisory

2. Determine marketing channels: After choosing the business domain, it is important to select the most productive marketing channels to promote your PPC campaigns.

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3. Segment the audience: Audience segmentation is crucial for successful marketing. Selling a product to a middle-aged company owner or a young hipster demands two distinct promotional approaches. That is why you need to understand the following details about your potential buyers:

  • age and income level
  • preferable web resources
  • favorite communication channels
  • devices in use
  • hobbies and interests

How to set up a pay per call campaign?

1. Choosing the network

Before setting up a PPC campaign, you have to find a business owner who is willing to pay for the leads. It can be done in several ways.

  • You can try finding clients on Google. If a business is advertised on Google, it means they are interested in new traffic. Most companies do not generate leads themselves but rather rely on the services of media agencies. Therefore, you can contact them directly and offer your services. Another way is to provide them with free lead generation services and then announce your prices after some time has passed. This way requires more effort, but you will definitely gain trust in your competence.
  • Another option is to turn to affiliate networks. They contain offers for advertisers and publishers to run PPC campaigns and earn money. You can try finding your clients there and bringing them customers for commission. Selecting offers on well-known networks is safer and less time-consuming than reaching them through a Google search. However, the number of publishers dealing with affiliate networks is large, which is why you are likely to face serious competition, especially if you are at the very beginning of your career.IVR Design
  • Finally, you can blend the two above-mentioned options. Why limit yourself to only one channel if you can try both of them? Creating a reputation as a mighty publisher will eventually pay off. Business owners do not change publishers if they provide them with a steady flow of potential customers. That is why you can earn money with offers from affiliate networks and promote yourself by sending direct proposals to businesses found on Google.

2. Configuring a tracking system

Pay Per Call campaigns should be customized, and their results should be regularly monitored. Call tracking providers are successfully used for both purposes. The call tracking software available on the market differs in price and functionality.

Dialics.com is clear-cut software with transparent functions and working processes. The leads will not cost a fortune, and you will be able to earn more with little investment. A free trial period is a possibility to get to know everything and make the final decision. Besides, the team behind the product is ready to show the demo and explain all the peculiarities.

To gain access to the call tracking system account, a business owner or marketing affiliate must first register online. After the account verification, preferred virtual phone numbers (local, mobile, toll-free, or international) should be purchased, and the account manager should assign them to the ad campaigns. Thus, the magic of lead generation begins.

3. Optimizing for success

Regular maintenance of your PPC campaigns will bring you perfection and the necessary hands-on experience. Make sure you monitor and optimize your marketing efforts in a timely manner.

  • Follow the analytical data regarding inbound calls in the call tracking system. Fish out the keywords, complete the target audience profile, and analyze customers’ journeys.
  • Analyze and enhance your PPC business. As the campaigns progress and the number of clients grows, you may want to look into the more advanced features of the call tracking software. For instance, interactive voice response and call routing can help deal with simultaneous calls. Further developmental steps may include implementing text messages, voicemail, conversational intelligence, and so on.
  • Starting a small PPC business may eventually lead to a profitable media buying agency. So think globally and apply relevant assessment metrics to your campaigns.

How to promote pay per call offers?

Pay Per Call is growing in popularity among various types of businesses. Companies that imply phone interaction with their customers, such as insurance or travel agencies, home service businesses, or auto repair shops, may significantly benefit from pay per call offers. These are the most popular types of PPC offers.

Paid ads

We begin with paid advertisements since businesses acquire their first clients instantly after placing an ad with this approach. The most important traffic producers are search engines such as Google and Bing. You may draw your potential consumers even closer to you if you include a call option in your ad. The goal of the campaign is to drive immediate traffic to your website. The analytics of Pay Per Call show the keywords that were googled, and with this information at hand, marketing agents can optimize their ads and adjust them to the most frequent requests.

Facebook lead forms

Another placement for your ad with a CTA button is Facebook. There are around 2.9 million users monthly, according to Statista.com. So, there will definitely be part of your target audience. Depending on the aims of the campaigns, there are several methods to configure the “Call Now” option. Lead forms are designed to attract cheap leads. However, the quantity of leads you receive does not always equate to the number of sales you close. Someone may accidentally press the "Call Now" button without intending to purchase your product.

Landing page forms

Landing pages are created to respond to a specific request, such as learning more about a service or obtaining advice on insurance conditions. When you offer a phone number on a landing page, potential customers have more time to get familiar with your product or service. They are guided through the page, getting to know your product or service, and preparing for conversion. That means they are really interested in it if they decide to make a call. Besides, you will have data about which of your landing pages and key phrases were the most productive.

SEO

Organic traffic is the cheapest and most reliable. Yet, it’s the longest process. Before search engines start taking your business seriously, you need to take care of your website, blog content, do the research, and gradually create your expertise. Performing technical SEO audits and eliminating bugs will also be very helpful. Besides, you should be really careful with local SEO, as Pay Per Call campaigns imply a different phone number on different sources, which may lead to search engines getting confused about your business and banning it from the results. Dynamic number insertion may be the solution here. We have touched upon this issue in a recent post. So, Pay Per Call will show you which of the campaigns are the most effective, but it may negatively affect your local SEO. Stay alert and prioritize your goals.

Display advertising

These include banners, videos or text boxes appearing on websites. Usually, they are bright and eye-catching. The Pay Per Call model allows you to assign a different phone number to each banner. With inbound calls, you will receive analytical data that you can use to optimize your campaigns. You will be able to turn off unproductive ads with one click and without taking risks.

Offline campaigns

Luckily, we get to live our real lives from time to time. Pay Per Call fits into any of the offline methods of advertising, be it a radio or TV commercial, printed press, billboards, or leaflets. Those methods require more effort, and they are significantly more pricey. However, this form of advertising can work well for building brand awareness, attracting clients from a particular location, or targeting a more mature audience, as they prefer traditional information channels. Offline ads can be quite informative and provide you with useful data about your target audience’s preferences.

Tips and tricks for pay per call success

  1. Conduct customer surveys: Send your leads questionnaires or offer them an automated choice on the phone to specify what exactly they are looking for in a product or service. Ask them what they like or dislike about the product. It will allow you to create more precisely targeted ads and improve customer satisfaction.
  2. Provide your leads with more information: Create a landing page or blog where potential customers may learn more about your product and become more convinced of its quality. Some people need time to study the information and dispel all their doubts. So help them out.
  3. Create mailing lists: Encourage leads to share their emails with you. Most advertisers stick to some particular business domain; that is why building a list of potential audiences will make the process of lead generation easier in the long run. Besides, those leads can be further used for targeting lookalike audiences.
  4. Learn, test, and get better: Any business that is run online is prone to rapid changes. New tools appear, advanced marketing methods drive firms forward, and customers vote for cutting-edge technology and flawless customer service. So, keep your marketing models up to date and ready to implement any new trend.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that current clients prefer texting and internet conversations, phone calls remain reliable for phone consultations, organizing meetings in showrooms, and scheduling doctor's appointments. As a result, the Pay Per Call business model has become extremely popular in the fields of healthcare, insurance, legal advice, and home services. The call tracking technologies' very simple setup and low learning curve make PPC an appealing option to generate money. Furthermore, with a lot of hard work and dedication, it is feasible to expand a small business into a large affiliate network, turnkey marketing agency, or call center. However, it is critical to choose the right domain, believe in what you do, and devote significant time to monitoring and optimizing the outcomes.

Feel free to request a demo of the Dialics call tracking software. Our team will be happy to show you around. A free trial period allows our clients to make a well-thought-out decision. We care about our clients and the safety of their businesses.

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Comments (4)

GhostApril 6, 2022
I would doubt that the scalability is fast. You need time to get to know how the software operates. But in general, I agree that PPC is a very handy tool.
ElApril 18, 2022
A very informative and inspiring article. Thank you!