Thomson Directories pay-per-call idea ‘puts advertisers in control’

Thomson Directories is introducing a groundbreaking pay-per-call advertising service that it claims will revolutionise the advertising model for directories publishers.

Rather than paying a flat rate to advertise in directories, businesses will be able to pay to receive a specific number of calls and to choose when they are available to receive them. The ads will carry special enquiry numbers that put people through to a business or service.

Thomson has set up a standalone division called Calls You Control to offer the service, which will also analyse the calls so that businesses can see how valuable each one is to them.

Thomson sales director Adam Beamish has been made managing director of Calls You Control. He says: “As customers only pay for the calls they receive, this is a low-risk and very accountable way to generate enquiries.

“The pressure on marketing directors to be accountable for their advertising is immense but this service puts them in control.”

The Calls You Control ads will feature in a number of directory categories that traditionally generate high volumes of calls, such as insurance, finance and trade supplies.

Each ad will show just one contact number and calls will be routed through a telephone system which connects the caller directly with the customer.

Beamish adds: “One of the reasons businesses like Google have been so successful is that you pay when you get a response.

“All the emerging markets now are about paying for responses. That’s the new model.”