The pay-per-call field is saturated with transfers and outbound dialing. What’s more, stricter legal restrictions are being placed on outbound dialing, and navigating the murky waters of compliance is more treacherous than ever before.

Enter what we believe will be the future of the pay-per-call industry: inbound calls. CallThread defines inbound calls as calls initiated by a consumer that are connected directly to the end-buyer without traversing a third-party call center in any way (including through SMS).

The inbound call model limits the back and forth between lead and lead buyer and provides a better overall consumer experience. This is why CallThread by Soleo works primarily in the inbound call space.

We understand the arguments against inbounds: you don’t necessarily own the lead, you want to be sure you are attributed correctly, and it can be challenging to get consumers to call your number. However, we believe that none of these arguments outweigh the benefits of an inbound-first approach to call generation.

The benefits of inbound call leads

Benefit 1 – Inbounds are the cleanest kinds of calls

When it comes to compliance, inbound calls are the least risky kind of call-based lead. In fact, inbounds generally don’t even require verified consent, since consumers give their consent by initiating the call and outbound dialing never occurs. That said, we do use litigator scrub lists to ensure the calls coming through our network are not from known TCPA litigators.

Benefit 2 – Inbounds are more valuable

Both consumer intent and consumer urgency are much greater in inbounds than in outbound or transfer calls. By choosing to call a number, consumers are indicating that they would like to speak to a representative immediately to find a solution to their problem. 

Because consumer intent is so high, inbound calls are much more valuable to buyers, so advertisers are willing to pay more per inbound call than per transfer. This means you’ll earn more per call as well.

Benefit 3 – Inbounds convert more frequently

Due to the high purchase intent of consumers who initiate calls, inbound calls reach their durations and convert into sales more frequently. Because of this, you’ll see more conversions and payouts for your traffic which leads to a higher return on investment (ROI) for you.

Benefit 4 – Inbounds are what brands want

Simply put, a lot of national brands aren’t willing to buy outbounds or transfers. Brands have become accustomed to the quality of inbound calls, and their top priority is protecting their brand and consumer experience. National brands are on high alert to make sure that their call sources are compliant.

If you want to grow, expand to cover a large geographical area, and earn higher payouts from advertisers who are willing to pay for quality, you need national brands in your value chain. Inbounds are how you sell to national brands.

Benefit 5 – Inbounds provide a better consumer journey

A positive consumer journey means higher conversion rates, repeat business, and a better relationship with your buyers. Inbounds provide this smooth consumer journey because the consumer initiates the action when they are ready and are immediately connected to a service provider who can help them.

How to generate inbound calls

If you generate calls through lead forms on a landing page, implementing an inbound call strategy on your landing page is an easy way to monetize your traffic that may not want to submit their information through a form or wait for a reply.

To do this, you will need to work with a pay-per-call partner who buys inbound calls in your key vertical and will assign you a tracking number that connects directly to their advertiser partners. Then, all you need to do is include an additional CTA on your landing page that promotes your tracking number. You will receive credit for any consumers that view your page and decide to call the tracking number.

We also recommend creating a separate landing page which has only one CTA for inbound calls as well as running click-to-call ads in your advertising channels.

The direct tracking number model is not limited to landing page advertising; inbound calls can be generated through carrier traffic or promoting the tracking number through traditional advertising methods.

Be sure you understand your partner’s channel restrictions and be careful to only promote your tracking number on channels that are in line with the advertiser’s requirements. Doing this will help you avoid any compliance and quality concerns with your partner.

Earning more money with inbound calls

If you really want to know why CallThread is primarily inbound calls, we’ll tell you: it’s because inbounds help everyone - both our advertiser partners and our affiliate partners alike - earn more money. Inbounds are higher-quality and lower-risk which means our advertisers see a better return on ad spend (ROAS), but this also means that inbounds are more valuable and more likely to convert so our affiliates earn more money for their traffic.

We want to help you get the most out of your pay-per-call efforts. Join our affiliate network today.