When writing on-hold messages, simply providing information about your business isn’t enough to keep callers interested. To make your messages truly effective, it’s crucial to engage your audience, by focusing on your audience’s needs, goals, and what resonates with them—what marketers often refer to as “hot buttons.”
Engage Your Audience: The Power of Asking Questions
Involving your audience by asking questions is a powerful strategy. When you ask a question that touches on their concerns or desires, it does more than just deliver information—it prompts them to think and engage mentally with your message. For example, asking, “Are you looking for ways to save time on your daily tasks?” directly taps into a common pain point, making the listener more attentive and involved in the message. This involvement increases the likelihood that they will remember and act on what they hear.
Storytelling: Making Messages Stick
Incorporating elements of storytelling into your on-hold messages can also enhance their effectiveness. Just as storytelling engages different types of learners and helps people remember information better, framing your messages as brief narratives can make them more impactful. For instance, rather than simply stating what your product can do, share a short story about how it solved a problem for a customer. This approach not only engages the listener but also helps them visualize how your product or service could meet their needs. Research suggests that people are more likely to remember and be influenced by stories than by facts alone (Harvard Business Review).
Brevity Enhances Retention
Keeping your messages brief and focused is equally important. Short, concise messages are easier to understand and more likely to be retained by the listener. When a message is clear and to the point, it leaves a stronger impression, helping to reinforce your brand and encourage further interaction.
Contrast with a One-Sided Approach
Contrast this with a one-sided approach where the focus is solely on what you do, rather than on the listener’s needs. A message that only talks about your services without engaging the listener may come across as self-centered and less compelling. This approach often results in lower engagement because it fails to connect with the caller on a personal level.
You’ll keep them more engaged
By asking questions, incorporating storytelling, and focusing on your audience’s needs, you make your on-hold messages more interactive and memorable. This not only keeps callers engaged but also positions your brand as attentive and responsive to their needs, ultimately leading to better customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates. How can you do it? Click here and let’s talk,
or simply call us at (800) 862-8896.
