Broadcast Voicemail – A Low-cost, High-touch Tactic

Unless you are a hermit or are living “off the grid”, you have likely experienced broadcast voicemail. The most common experience people have with broadcast voicemail is during elections – you check your voicemail messages and listen to a recording from a local celebrity or politician urging you to vote for their candidate.

Some institutions, like school districts, have begun using this technology to alert parents of district school children about specific activities or issues.

However, there is also a solid marketing application in the right circumstances. It can complement other direct marketing tactics for one additional, high-impact touch point. Here are some of the key features of broadcast voicemail.

Key Features:

o Price. You only pay for “completed” messages, and the cost is typically less than the cost of postage.

o Fast & Easy. Most can be set up online to deliver them quickly.

o Automated call list management. Most services have a host of call list management features to meet regulatory requirements and provide back end reporting.

o Delivery Options. With digital advancements in telecommunications, broadcast voicemail systems can be programmed for either “live” delivery or “voicemail message” delivery.

o Transfer options – “press ‘0’ to speak with an attendant”. This allows the recipient to speak to a live attendant instantly for additional information.

But, as you might expect, there are also some restrictions with this technology. Here are some of the “do’s-and-don’ts”:

o For consumer promotions, your organization must have an affinity relationship: either as a customer or as someone who has given permission to receive voicemail messages. The exceptions? Political parties (of course they would exempt themselves) and non-profit organizations.

o Best practice for B2B use is similar to consumers. It is best to have a relationship or permission before sending broadcast messages. However, provided you offer an “op-out” at the start of the message, you can send messages to individuals in a business setting without an affinity relationship.

For your next campaign, keep this unique medium in mind. But like many other media, broadcast voicemail must be used selectively and will work best when integrated with other communications.

For more information on digital marketing tools, or other strategy-based advertising applications, contact DMC Advertising at (262) 523-2000. We are specialists at targeted and measurable marketing programs.