Ring Ring … Ring Ring … Call Measurement Platforms Take Off

We’ve seen a marked increase in the number of inquiries we’ve been getting from clients regarding the use and implementation of call measurement platforms. We have long believed that the “call” is a critical element of any local search model since so many SMBs place significant value on the phone call.

Here in California, Valley Yellow Pages has been pounding the radio airwaves with a catchy round of advertising with the memorable jingle, “we make the phones ring, we make the phones ring.” Couple the trends we’re seeing among our clients with the news that the YPA recently added an industry expert in the call measurement industry — Bill Dinan, president and CEO of Telmetrics — and you get the sense that a real live transition is under way in terms of the way the directional media industry wants to demonstrate value to its advertising customers.

Where calls are generated is a big question, and our analyst team will be paying close attention to it over the coming years. We’ll also be studying the flow of calls, and will be watching for the tipping point when more calls will be generated via a mobile device than a desktop or laptop computer. When you add the wrinkle of which inbound call is more valuable or more qualified, you begin to see the complexity of the issue. Look for the YPA — with new board member Dinan — to increase the transparency and understanding of this critical element of the local search landscape.