Print Pay-Per-Call, Lead Gen Made Easy.

I recently read two articles in FOLIO: that had to do with challenges publishers are facing. These pieces focused on the issues and elements of ”lead gen” programs. At first, based on the purported topic, I was excited to have a look. I was thinking the articles would be, at least in part, about what we do at Mediabids -namely pay-per-call, print advertising (a.k.a. ”lead gen.”)

Well I quickly learned that the author had likely never heard of pay-per-call, print advertising. Right or wrong, the ”print” world is overly obsessed with their digital platforms. I get it. Print readership isn’t growing but at the same time news and media consumption via digital channels is way up; the digital audience is increasing. Digital also allows publications to more actively engage with their readers and this is a very good thing, usually. But the print edition is still very important, in terms of the brand and the user experience for a certain segment of a publication’s audience. At Mediabids, especially relative to the lead gen programs outlined in the FOLIO: articles, we offer ”lead gen made easy.”

According to the articles in FOLIO:, traditional lead gen efforts (like CPL and CPC campaigns) can easily be ”margin dilutive.” In other words, they’re too much work, especially relative to the payout per lead. This can be an especially difficult challenge when the advertiser ”wants to syndicate a terribly boring or low-level report and wants CEOs to read it in droves.” CPL campaigns are labor intensive and time consuming on the front-end (sales, establishing targets and success metrics, landing pages, site integration, creative etc.) CPL campaigns are, more or less, high risk ventures for the publication.

CPC campaigns, on the other hand, are far less work and a much lower risk. The client and the publication agree on the cost-per-click beforehand. The publication delivers the ad against the desired audience; success or failure is more dependent on whether or not the ad creative/offer strike the right note. However, CPC campaigns are generally low margin, race to the bottom price competitions. The risk is lower so the reward may be ho-hum.

At Mediabids, we offer no hassle, lead gen made easy. Our 30-40 advertisers pay per call (a unique call that is 60 second or longer.) The payouts are already negotiated by us. The call tracking and reporting is all done by us. The print ad sizing is done by us. In other words, there’s no upfront time or costs to publications. Last, you don’t have to worry about the low conversions you usually see with CPL and CPC campaigns. Print calls convert! Generally speaking, if we have a campaign where qualified calls are ONLY 30% of the gross call total, we know there’s a problem at the call center. This can usually be remedied to quickly push the conversion higher. Many of our campaigns convert at 50% or more. Meaning for most of our campaigns, the majority of calls are payable actions.

If you’re at the point where you’re focusing more on your digital product, then a no cost way to generate additional revenue from your print side should be very attractive. If you’re about ready to give up on lead gen altogether, contact us at Mediabids to see if ”lead gen made easy” is for you. Alternatively, if things are muddling along or even going great, why not try something new? Whatever your current situation, our print pay-per-call, lead gen program is well worth your time to consider. It’s not CPL. It’s not CPC. It’s high-conversion, pay-per-call, print advertising. In terms of your lead gen efforts, there can be a smooth road ahead.

-Jim Jinks