By 2018, BIA/Kelsey estimates that mobile search will generate 73 billion calls to businesses in 2018, up from 30 billion in 2013. This trend indicates a major shift is underway in the tech and media worlds: the tighter embrace of phone calls as a lead form for paying advertisers.
This tremendous increase in commercially oriented call volume to businesses and the resulting opportunities for local media companies is the primary focus of a new BIA/Kelsey insight report, Phone Calls: The New Currency of the Smartphone Era.
This tremendous increase in commercially oriented call volume to businesses and the resulting opportunities for local media companies is the primary focus of a new BIA/Kelsey insight report, Phone Calls: The New Currency of the Smartphone Era. The report explores the increasingly sophisticated world of call monetization, from how to capitalize on it to best practices and its potential value in the coming months.
A few of the report’s key takeaways include:
- BIA/Kelsey estimates $64.6 billion is spent annually across media on localized ads to generate calls to businesses.
- The growth in call volume works well with local business’ sentiment towards calls, with SMBs naming them the most valued form of incoming leads according to BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ survey.
- BIA/Kelsey predicts an explosion in commercially-oriented call volume to businesses. Mobile search alone will drive 73 billion calls per year by 2018.
- One of the driving forces behind the growing importance of calls as currency is the growing sophistication of call analytics, to measure call quality and gain strategic insights from call data.
- The value assessment of calls is highest in local verticals that place a high value on new customer acquisition, for example appointment-based local verticals such as financial services, home services, and professional services (lawyers, doctors)
Please email info@bia.com for more information.