Let’s Talk About Robocalls – and Why They Give Marketing a Bad Name (Infographic)

 

Have you been getting spam or robocalls every day? I have.

I use T-Mobile so the caller ID reads “Scam Likely,” which is helpful. Needless to say, I don’t pick up.

Or the call number identified may have my area code – from Connecticut – and even the first three numbers of my phone number, so it looks like the call is local.

But I moved to Florida. So I know it’s a scam.

Why am I talking about this in a marketing strategy blog? Because this is a form of marketing – like texting/SMS messaging. And it’s profitable for those who do it because even though the response rate is really low, the return on investment is high.

According to Business Insider, as of 2021, for a company that’s looking for buyers – or scam artists – “if just one out of every 10,000 calls turns into a qualified lead, at a going rate of $7 per lead, an hour of robocalls will pull in $1,750 in revenue, neatly doubling their investment.”

I didn’t realize until very recently that some people think of marketing like, well, pond scum. It surprised me to learn this.

Why?

Because I’ve always thought of marketing as getting your name out there to solve the problems that people have. If you have a product or service that solves a problem – and you show it to the person who has that problem – aren’t you actually doing a good thing?

Yes, I think you are.

• If you’re selling roofing services, someone who has a leaky roof needs you.

• If you’re selling software that automates a manual process, the person (or team) doing that process manually needs you.

• If you’re helping other businesses to make more money, those other businesses need you (and that, by the way, is what good marketing does!)

Marketing is not robocalling. Even if some businesses use robocalling to do their marketing.

As a consumer and a business owner, I find robocalling abhorrent, especially since it often preys on unsuspecting or vulnerable targets (such as seniors). I’m against it, morally. When done well, and morally, marketing moves your business forward. If you have a question about this, please reach out to me and let’s chat about it.