Webinar Recap: How to Un-Sink Your Lead Costs

Didn't have time to watch the webinar? Here's the recording and the recap. 

The top 10 takeaways from the webinar

1. Yelp and Google LSA both display your response time, which impacts your rank and whether customers contact you.
2. Hatch integrates with your lead sources so you can respond instantly.
3. Make sure you’re only targeting people “in or regularly in” a location with Google ads, not  “showing interest in”
4. Include a checkbox of your services in your contact us form to reduce unqualified leads.
5. Tools like ActiveProspect can automate lead cleansing and de-duplification, while Hatch AI can automate the lead qualification conversations and even set appointments.
6. Vet your lead aggregators like you would a new employee. Make sure you know what sources they use to collect leads, the lead return policy, and targeting options.
7. Find out about pay per performance options, vs pay per lead. Porch offers pay per appointment.
8. Review results regularly with your lead aggregator. They can throttle certain lead sources up or down depending on your results.
9. Poor results are not always due to poor lead quality. You need to be doing what it takes to convert your leads.
10. This includes multi-channel outreach, lead by text, with multiple follow-ups and personalized messaging—across the entire journey. Which is why automation is a must!

The full webinar recap

Here's the slide deck.

And here's the full recording:

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The recap is here:

Introductions

• The webinar is hosted by Hatch and Porch, focusing on optimizing lead costs. The session aims to provide tips and insights on reducing costs associated with leads that don’t convert.

• Kristen, Head of Marketing at Hatch, introduces herself, mentioning her nine years of marketing experience and her role at Hatch.
• Quinn from Porch introduces himself, highlighting his decade of experience in the lead industry and his role in business development and managing the enterprise sales team.

• Hatch: Described as an AI-powered platform for text, email, and voice communication, focusing on automating conversations that drive appointments and sales, resulting in higher response rates, customer retention, ROI, and employee satisfaction.
• Porch: Covers Porch’s services, including lead generation, direct mail, audience creation, and data hygiene. The focus is on their pay-for-performance products, such as paying per sale, appointment, or lead.

Generating free leads

• Listings: Importance of being on the first page of Google through free listings like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and industry-specific sites.
• Reviews: The impact of positive reviews and responding to them. Tips include asking for reviews and ensuring a steady flow.
• Referrals: The value of a referral program and promoting it. Automated requests for reviews and referrals through Hatch.
• Website: Emphasizes optimizing the website for user experience and conversion, including clean design and clear calls to action. The importance of blogging for SEO and lead generation.

Paying for the right leads:

Vet your vendors

• Focus on sources that provide higher quality leads and understand the competitive landscape.
• Evaluate lead vendors, understand the exclusivity of leads, and ensure alignment with business capabilities.
• It's crucial to thoroughly vet lead aggregators similar to how you would interview potential employees. Understand their industry specialization and lead generation processes.
• Ensure you have the right systems in place to handle a higher volume of leads, including a CRM and communication automation.

Choose the right preferences:

• Lead aggregators like Porch Pro allow you to specify preferences for leads, such as zip codes and job specifics (e.g., interior painting rooms).
• Be prepared for variability in lead quality, as homeowners might use generic terms. Connect with the lead aggregator to understand their lead return reasons and ensure you have a good setup.

Specify your targeting

• Google Ads:
  • When setting location targeting in Google Ads, choose to target people who are in or regularly in your targeted locations, not just those showing interest.
• Local Service Ads:
  • Google Local Service Ads are tied to your Google Business profile. If you have multiple locations, create separate profiles or narrow down to major cities to optimize your presence.

Lead qualification

• Pre-qualify leads with your ad copy to filter out unsuitable prospects. Tailor your ad copy to reflect your service's quality and price range (e.g., use terms like "premier remodeling" for high-end services).
• Use website forms that allow users to check off the services they need to avoid engaging with unqualified leads.

Hatch AI for lead qualification:

• Hatch’s integration with lead sources to automate responses and improve lead management efficiency. The importance of quick responses and consistent listing information to enhance ranking and conversion rates.
• Hatch AI can automate lead qualification, improving response rates and managing lead fatigue. The AI handles initial interactions and appointments, freeing up human reps from the repetitive tasks.
• A customer using Hatch AI saved 48 hours per week by filtering out unqualified leads, demonstrating the efficiency of automating lead management.

Not paying for bad leads

• Lead quality challenges: Even with tools and targeting, it’s common to receive unqualified leads due to various reasons, such as inaccurate form entries or homeowners not being prompt in their responses.
• Program fit: Choose marketing programs that fit your budget. If you have limited funds, opt for performance-based programs where you only pay for results, such as appointments or closed sales.
• Performance-based programs: Porch Pro offers performance-based programs where you pay based on results, such as appointment settings or completed sales. This minimizes the risk of paying for bad leads.
• Tracking and reporting: Effective lead management includes tracking lead dispositions and providing feedback to lead aggregators to optimize lead sources. Porch and Hatch collaborate to ensure accurate reporting and optimization.

• ActiveProspect: This tool helps protect against duplicate leads and can reject unqualified leads in real time.
• Vendor communication: Keep lead aggregators informed about your performance to help them optimize lead sources. Proactive feedback helps in adjusting and improving lead quality.

• Hatch’s Role: Hatch integrates directly with Porch, handling lead qualification and appointment setting. Users only pay for results, and performance data is automatically reported, reducing the manual effort required.
• Attendee asks questions about Hatch AI
  • Hatch AI integrates with calendar systems (e.g., ServiceTitan) to automate appointment scheduling, saving time for sales reps. Future integrations with other calendar systems are in development.
  • For a major windows and doors company, Hatch AI handles initial lead qualification, passing only qualified leads to human reps, thus saving significant time and improving efficiency.
  •  Hatch AI can confirm or verify addresses provided in forms, reducing the need for repetitive information requests.

Increasing lead conversion

Multi-channel communication:

• Modern lead management should involve various communication channels, including text, email, and voice, rather than relying solely on phone calls.
• Direct mail is still relevant and can be effective in conjunction with other channels.

• Integrate different communication channels to maintain context and avoid repetitive information requests. This ensures a seamless customer experience.

Text-first

• Text messaging often yields higher response rates compared to email or phone calls. People tend to respond faster to text messages, which can significantly increase engagement.

Automation and speed:

• Automation tools: Hatch automates text, email, and voice communications. This automation can lead to higher response rates, with some customers seeing response rates increase from 20% to 70-80% after using Hatch.
• Speed to lead: Quick response times are crucial. Hatch’s automation reduces human response times from hours to seconds, facilitating faster appointment setting and better lead management.

Multi-touch communication:

• It often takes multiple attempts to get a response from leads. Hatch automates this process by scheduling multiple touches (texts, emails, calls) over several days to improve conversion rates.

Messaging and engagement:

• Text messages should be concise and focused. Long messages can deter responses. Using simple and brief messaging increases the likelihood of engagement.
• Full funnel approach: Automate communication across all stages of the customer journey, from initial contact to post-appointment follow-ups, to optimize conversion rates and ROI.

Closing remarks

• Poll: Attendees were able to express interest in learning more about Hatch or Porch via a poll.
• Follow-up: Contact information was provided for follow-up, and attendees were invited to reach out with any questions or requests for further information.

• A recorded version of the webinar and a recap email will be sent to attendees. Future webinars on related topics, such as lead fatigue, are planned.