Just this past weekend an associate of ours at Keyword Connects was upgrading his mobile device. As the transaction was concluding, the salesman pointed to a cell phone number on the invoice.
He said, “This is my personal cell phone number. If you need anything, please call me. All I ask is that you do not text me.”
With that comment coming from a representative of a major U.S. wireless cellular supplier and with texting obviously on the rise and in the spotlight, it definitely begs the question, “Does texting top talking to local home improvement businesses?
It’s Not a Yes or No Answer
As cleverly disguised as it is, it is not a simple closed-end question. It’s kind of like visiting the eye doctor. At some point in the exam process, you know he’s going to swing the phoropter (aka the Thingy with all the dials and lenses) in front of your face.
Then he will ask, “Which is better, A or (click) B?
You answer the question, only to hear him ask, “Okay, now which is better, A or (click) B?
Which is better, text or talk?
Which is better, text or talk?This conversation continues until all of the “better” options lead to the best option. The optometrist is trying to find the best solution. Neither he nor you want to settle for a single, “better” option.
Let’s Regroup
We recently posted blog posts entitled, “The World Is Changing and More People Are Using Texting than Ever Before” and “Text Messaging Is Becoming More Important to Home Improvement Companies.” In the latter we clearly said,
“Businesses cannot afford to turn a blind eye to reality. Perhaps the most important reality is that it is possible to reach consumers on their PCs only when they are actually on their PCs. On the other hand, their cell phones go wherever they go. The reality is that if you want to reach customers, you have to reach them where they are.”
Hi! You got my message. Thanks for calling!
Hi! You got my message. Thanks for calling!Let’s Refocus
Texting definitely tops talking when it comes to ease of reaching out to generate leads. In that same post we iterated that,
“The next important reality is that text messaging for lead generation is far easier than most people think it is. In fact, it may be the easiest form of effective communication available today, with an open rate in excess of 95%. Compare that to only 22% of emails. Check this out: 90% of all text messages are read within three minutes of receipt.”
Let’s Reason
Why would a wireless salesman ask customers to not text him? For the same reason that you would not want customers or potential customers texting you. We don’t have conversations when texting. We send messages. We don’t engage people by texting. We touch base.
“U.S. mobile users made 2.46 trillion minutes of calls in 2014, … up considerably from 2008 levels. The volume of text messages rose slightly last year but was still down from its peak in 2012.“
CallRail reported that calls from mobile devices are increasing by 24% annually. CallRail CEO, Andy Powell noted that, “More and more calls are being sourced from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, where you can just touch a phone number and get connected.”
I’m so glad they included their phone number in their text message.He is talking about your business gaining leads by texting – and including your phone number in the text, “where you can just touch a phone number and get connected.”
Let’s Realize …
… that it’s not text or talk that tops the other. The key for home improvement lead generation is not one or the other. It is using one (texting) to encourage people to do the other (talk). When you include your phone number in your text, wireless devices will convert it to a link. That’s baiting the hook. When you send the texts, that’s casting the line. When they click the link, you reel them in.
Texting is better for outbound marketing. Calling is better for inbound. They work best together. To get the best out of home improvement lead generation, learn how Keyword Connects works along with text and talk to fully optimize your lead generation efforts.
