More evidence emerged today that calls are the preferred local performance measurement currency. The call analytics firm Telmetrics released data showing a 160% increase in the number of online local search call programs it monitored in 2013.

So what does this mean?

“The number of marketers adopting calls as a cross-media ad performance metric is growing significantly because digital marketers recognize the value of using call analytics as key engagement and conversion indicators,” said Bill Dinan, president of Telmetrics. “While mobile growth is helping fuel the increased interest in calls, marketers and local search advertising providers can do more to harness the full value that call measurement technology can deliver.”

This is consistent with BIA/Kelsey data that has consistently shown SMBs value calls over and above other lead forms (e.g., clicks, emails, etc.), primarily because calls tend to be low purchase funnel, high conversion leads. The chart below (click on the image to enlarge) from BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ Wave 17 shows calls edging out even in person visits as a preferred lead source.

Calls will be a key coverage area for BIA/Kelsey in 2014. Our senior analyst and mobile guru Mike Boland is currently at work on a major Insight Paper, focused on the latest developments in call monetization.

The post Telmetrics Maps Big Growth in Digital Call Measurement appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

The shift from print to PC was disruptive. The shift from PC to mobile is also disruptive, but the implications are more complex as consumer behavior becomes increasingly multi-screen. Today, half of U.S. mobile searchers begin their purchase research process on the mobile phone, and 46 percent use their mobile phone/smartphone as their exclusive research device.

On the final day of BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local conference, Telmetrics CEO Bill Dinan and BIA/Kelsey Senior Analyst Mike Boland dug into the implications of “Path to Purchase” research conducted in the U.S. and U.K. by Telmetrics and xAd. In addition to running Telmetrics, Dinan is chairman of the Local Search Association.

The Path to Purchase data, which has been covered previously on Local Media Watch, offers a wide range of insights that small businesses and publishers can use as they build their digital presence or advertising/marketing solutions for advertisers.

The data framed a conversation about the growing role of mobile in consumer purchase decision-making. The following are a few of the findings and implications that Boland and Dinan kicked around on stage.

Fifty percent of mobile searchers use their device at the start of the search process, while 49 percent start their search on the desktop. “We are getting into more of a multi-screen world,” Dinan said.

The fact that 46 percent of mobile searchers use mobile exclusively points to a growing role for mobile devices in the path to purchase. “Mobile consumers are starting and staying on their mobile device for research,” Dinan said. “This suggests a growth in device utility and user skill. People are figuring out how to reference data on those devices, allowing them to stay on that device.”

“The PC was a disruptor to print,” Dinan said. “Mobile is sort of a distruptor but in a multi-screen world, it can help all ships rise.”

The migration of desktop to mobile compels publishers to move more quickly. “Many in print world lost the battle of print to online. Some have learned from this. Dex Media, for example, is moving to an actions based concept. That is one of the lessons learned.”

Dinan said understanding how mobile devices work is key to taking full advantage of the mobile opportunity. Making sure location information is at the forefront is critical.

“Mobile is inherently local, and the reason is location. Location is what makes mobile mobile,” Dinan said. “It is an action device about local. If something that is not about local comes along [during a search], I am moving on. So while it is important to be local, it is also important to appear local.”

The post At Leading in Local: ILM 2013: The Path to Purchase appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Leading in Local: Interactive Local Media, BIA/Kelsey’s flagship show, is now set for San Francisco Dec. 10-12 and we couldn’t be more excited. This year’s edition hosts a totally fresh, new slate of industry leaders.

The show opens with BIA/Kelsey research and the dynamic duo of Joanne Bradford and Kara Swisher. Bradford, of course, has pushed local into new realms during her tenures with Microsoft, Yahoo and Demand Media. Now she is applying her knowledge as President of Hearst’s San Francisco Chronicle. And Swisher remains the fearless interrogator that has dominated tech journalism for over 20 years – the last eight spent as cofounder of All Things D, along with Walt Mossberg. Nobody cuts through the hype like she does.

Other top speakers represent our idea of real innovation (and real fun, too.) Startup Rising Author and former Washington Post Digital and Health Central leader Chris Schroeder lends a global perspective to what works with startups. In the same light, Intel senior researcher Lama Nachman – yes, Discovery Channel’s “Curiosity Expert” – talks about developing the next generation of mobile technologies.

Other initial speakers include DemandForce CMO Patrick Barry, talking about the next wave of one stop local platforms; Hubspot SVP Mark Roberge, going deep on sales organization effectiveness; Weather.com VP Denise Chudhy, talking why weather is the true model for national local; Five Stars CEO Victor Ho on the emergence of Transaction Marketing and Point of Sale integration; Groupon VP Sean Smyth on how Groupon leverages its millions of users in new directions; Telmetrics CEO Bill Dinan on how the new metrics are changing local; and Thumbtack CEO Marco Zappacosta on new ways to leverage directory models for leads.

Indeed, a lot of things have happened in local in 2013. The rise of collaborative consumption via AirBnB, Uber and other companies combining listings, social media and purchase capabilities might be the biggest thing to have hit the industry. As Interactive Local Media, we’re going deep on collaborative consumption with Airbnb director Joe Zadeh, Lucky Oyster CEO Matthew Berk, and two more great names that we can’t announce yet.

Other superforums will focus on mobile wallets and the rise of digital agencies. In the end, we’ll end up with 40+, hand-picked speakers.

Here’s an initial list:

Joanne Bradford, President, SF Chronicle
Kara Swisher, Co-Executive Editor, AllThingsD
Chris Schroeder, Author, Startup Rising
Victor Ho, CEO, FiveStars
Patrick Barry, CMO, DemandForce (Intuit)
Mark Roberge, SVP, Hubspot
Denise Chudhy, VP, Weather.com
Lama Nachman, Sr. Staff Researcher, Intel
Sean Smyth, VP, Partnerships, Groupon
Marco Zappacosta, CEO, Thumbtack
Joe Zadeh, Director, Airbnb
Matthew Berk, CEO, Lucky Oyster
Bill Dinan, CEO, Telmetrics

We’ve extended our Early DIscount rates through October 2. Please register here to save.

The post Just Announced: Initial Speaker List for Interactive Local Media (Dec. 10-12 in San Francisco) appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

In considering mobile strategies, small businesses are focused on being found, but there are very different issues than simply searching on Google. Telmetrics’ CEO Bill Dinan, speaking at ILM West in Los Angeles today, noted that small business owners all have smartphones, and they are using them in a very different scenario from mobile just a few years ago.

The impact on their engagement with users, and conversion rates, is palpable. Yet business owners still are not maximizing mobile to their best advantage.

“One size doesn’t fit all,” notes Dinan, saying mobile now takes its place fully in a multi-platform world that includes smartphones, tablets and other channels. If a service requires a lot of research — such as reviews –they should be focused more on tablets, he notes.

Travel is an extreme example of a research heavy vertical. Restaurants, in contrast, are smartphone heaven. “Eighty percent convert within a day, and 60 percent convert within an hour,” adds Dinan.

The post At ILM West: Telmetrics Sees Key Differences in Device Usage appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

While pay-per-call usage is growing across all local search media channels, Telmetrics reports today that mobile advertisers and SMB programs are the real drivers of a more than three-fold growth in adoption. The call measurement solutions provider is tracking 348 percent more pay-per-call ads in Q1 2012 than in Q1 2011.

Mobile experienced the highest gains as the number of measured mobile pay-per-call ads jumped more than 30 times since last year. Earlier in 2012, Telmetrics predicted that mobile marketing would drive pay per call. We expect mobile advertising to continue to disrupt traditional advertising investments for all media.

Call durations are also increasing, as advertising providers continue to optimize their local search programs to generate more relevant leads and monetize those leads through pay per call. On average, call durations have increased 20 percent since Q1 2011. In the pay-per-call industry, call duration remains a stable indicator of lead quality. Here’s a breakdown of the call duration by segment:

Mobile-3.5 mins/call

Yellow Pages-2.8 mins/call

Internet Yellow Pages-2.7 mins/call

Paid search-2.2 mins/call

Telmetrics tracks the lead generation quality of local search advertising and pay-per-call programs for publishers and agencies that serve SMBs. BIA/Kelsey will release an in-depth Advisory on the pay-per-call industry within the next few weeks.

The post Telmetrics Reports Mobile and SMBs Are Driving Pay-Per-Call Growth appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

1) Pay Per Call Goes Mainstream With Mobile: An increase in mobile adoption rates has lead to a more familiar mobile knowledge base that will drive pay per call programs, as opposed to the steep learning curve that initially came with online advertising.

2) Mobile Propels Pay Per Action: Advertisers recognize the omnipresence of mobile and the availability of data on its platform. Therefore, they are willing to track and pay for calls, QR code reads, map/directions downloads and any other concrete action that signifies a purchase is imminent.

3) In-App Call Tracking Rises: Expectations are that consumers will continue to create their favorite apps list and use them as a resource for purchasing goods and services, more so than mobile browsers. As a result, advertisers will track the impact of in-app activity on call volumes and sales, including social apps like Facebook and Yelp.

4) Marketers and Advertisers Shift to Mobile-First Strategy: Low ad budgets and mobile tracking capabilities will mean a market shift of companies that will create a digital strategy that focuses on mobile first, before branching out to other platforms that may supply similar metrics.

Last month, we reported that Telmetrics brought its m.Call platform to iOS, giving mobile app developers another tool to monetize apps where high-intent local searches are happening.

At the end of last year, we reported that the Toronto based�call measurement provider had expanded its services in 10 European countries. Although Telmetrics has served North America for more than 20 years, the company continues to reach out to the global local search market. Defining and monetizing the mobile marketing performance model will likely serve an integral role in that outreach.

The post Telmetrics Predicts Mobile Marketing Will Drive Pay Per Call appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

The Toronto-based call measurement firm Telmetrics today announced a major expansion of its business into Europe, launching its solution in 10 markets. The launch follows a six-month beta test in which Telmetrics proved out the value of its service for search engines, agencies, publishers and other local search providers.

Telmetrics has been provisioning call measurement services in North America for more than 20 years. Europe has not been quite as active as North America in using call measurement, but that has been changing as more and more traditional and digital local search operators move to ROI or performance-based models that require precise measurement.

“There is global demand for call measurement as local search activity in Europe heats up and ad providers recognize the value of phone calls as a key performance metric. After a six-month beta and localized due diligence, we are now set up to support ad providers operating in Europe,” said Bill Dinan, president, Telmetrics. “Proving ad performance and monetizing ad results is crucial to global local search success and we are excited to expand our leading solution beyond North America.”

The markets in Telmetrics’ European rollout are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Telmetrics has its heritage in providing call tracking for the Yellow Pages industry, which remains a key constituency. In recent years the company has expanded well beyond its base to serve the wider local search constituency. In the past year, we’ve written about Telmetrics’ making deals with Yelp, Vendasta and others.

The post Telmetrics Expands Globally appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

If getting customers to pick up the phone is the first priority for SMBs, the second is vetting caller traffic to distill quality leads from noise … and to understand the drivers behind each activity. “Bridging the online-offline gap” is emerging as a critical component of SMB reputation management. VendAsta is now incorporating call tracking intelligence from Telmetrics into its white-label reputation management platform that publishers can offer to their local clients.

In addition to monitoring customer reviews across social networks and online review sites, VendAsta’s Step Rep will now offer a layer of speech-to-text call tracking through Telmetrics’ Voice Trends that will enable deeper understanding of  customer sentiment through keywords spoken and call duration, location, demographics and time.

VendAsta’s ultimate goal in this integration is to paint a comprehensive picture of consumer interactions with SMBs. This connects online presence to offline lead generation in a more holistic reputation management solution. It also allows businesses to build off of phone conversations to push into social media and deal-a-day offers through a deeper understanding of met and unmet customer demands.

BIA/Kelsey forecasts that local advertising spend on ERPM will reach $3.5 billion in revenues by 2014, and several major brands — Marchex, MerchantCircle, ReachLocal (through SMB Live), Yext (Yext Rep), Yellowbot and others — are lining up to compete for these SMB dollars. 

Telmetrics President Bill Dinan told BIA/Kelsey that VendAsta’s move into call tracking represents an important step in the company’s “drive to distinguish” in this crowded sector. “The wave of the future in local search is that you have to specialize in somthing.”

StepRep is one of many white-label products that VendAsta offers for publishers to rebrand for their local merchants. The Saskatchewan-based software provider offers a daily deal white label called Daily Deals 3S that has been picked up by both DirectWest in Saskatchewan (MySaskDeals) and Winnipeg publisher EX Finder (EZ Deal). Its suite also includes a social recommendation engine to validate consumer reviews through users’ personal networks.

The post Telmetrics Rings In Call Tracking for VendAsta's Rep Management appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

If getting customers to pick up the phone is the first priority for SMBs, the second is vetting caller traffic to distill quality leads from noise … and to understand the drivers behind each activity. “Bridging the online-offline gap” is emerging as a critical component of SMB reputation management. VendAsta is now incorporating call tracking intelligence from Telmetrics into its white-label reputation management platform that publishers can offer to their local clients.

In addition to monitoring customer reviews across social networks and online review sites, VendAsta’s Step Rep will now offer a layer of speech-to-text call tracking through Telmetrics’ Voice Trends that will enable deeper understanding of  customer sentiment through keywords spoken and call duration, location, demographics and time.

VendAsta’s ultimate goal in this integration is to paint a comprehensive picture of consumer interactions with SMBs. This connects online presence to offline lead generation in a more holistic reputation management solution. It also allows businesses to build off of phone conversations to push into social media and deal-a-day offers through a deeper understanding of met and unmet customer demands.

BIA/Kelsey forecasts that local advertising spend on ERPM will reach $3.5 billion in revenues by 2014, and several major brands — Marchex, MerchantCircle, ReachLocal (through SMB Live), Yext (Yext Rep), Yellowbot and others — are lining up to compete for these SMB dollars. 

Telmetrics President Bill Dinan told BIA/Kelsey that VendAsta’s move into call tracking represents an important step in the company’s “drive to distinguish” in this crowded sector. “The wave of the future in local search is that you have to specialize in somthing.”

StepRep is one of many white-label products that VendAsta offers for publishers to rebrand for their local merchants. The Saskatchewan-based software provider offers a daily deal white label called Daily Deals 3S that has been picked up by both DirectWest in Saskatchewan (MySaskDeals) and Winnipeg publisher EX Finder (EZ Deal). Its suite also includes a social recommendation engine to validate consumer reviews through users’ personal networks.

The post Telmetrics Rings In Call Tracking for VendAsta’s Rep Management appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.