09 January 2012 - Marketing Ideas for your Message On-Hold

Your message on-hold program is a very important part of your marketing mix. It represents your business and your beliefs, and it is a platform to engage with your customers. However, when providing us with information for your message on-hold program, you need to think in a slightly different way to what you normally would when you tackle a new marketing project.

Why? Because by the time your customers hear your on-hold messages, they have more than likely seen some of your marketing collateral and know to a certain degree what your business is about. Your message on-hold program therefore gives you a chance to relay information that they may not already know about, or at the very least reinforce the messages that you are trying to get across.

In fact, your message on-hold program is not just a marketing tool, but also a customer service representative - answering your customers' questions. So when providing us with your message on-hold brief you need to put yourself in your customers' shoes. Here are a couple of ideas to consider when providing us with information.

1. Website
Do you have a website? If so, make sure that it is mentioned throughout your message on-hold program. Undoubtedly, your website has a great deal of information, so why not steer your customers in that direction?

2. Physical Address
Are your customers simply calling to find out where you are? Answer their question without even talking to them and have one message explaining exactly where you are located.

3. Secondary Products or Services
Say for instance you are a message on-hold company (yes we are giving ourselves a plug), obviously our core product line is music and messages on-hold for your phone lines, but did you know that we can also do up audio productions for television, radio and corporate videos? Using your messages on-hold to promote a product or service that may not get as much limelight as your core product is a great way of educating your customers and potentially building your bottom-line.

4. Industry Events
Got a big event coming up and want as many customers to attend? Then promote it to your callers on-hold. Furthermore, make it stand out with a different music bed or a sound-effect to really create a feel of what the event is all about.

5. Won an Award
Give yourself a plug and get respect from your customers. Let them know that you are a business to deal with and that you have been recognised for your achievements.

6. Social Media
With over 10 million registered users Facebook is now a place for business! If you have a Facebook page, Twitter or YouTube account tell your customers about it in your message on-hold program. Give them a reason to go and like your page or watch your videos online.

7. Time Specific Messages
Really engage with your customers and freshen up your messages on-hold program with timely messages. If you're an accountant give some helpful tax advice around tax time. Don't let this piece of marketing material go stale - update regularly.

These are only a few points to consider, but make sure you are getting the messages across that are important to your business. Keep in clean and concise and update your messages on-hold regularly. You don't need to overload your customers with too much information in one sitting, do it over time ... I guarantee you will have more success!

Media Messages
2, 2 Spencer Road
Nerang, QLD 4211