Campaign Reporting –

The Cost Per Acquisition or Cost Per Action, is a form of buying advertisements where an advertiser pays only when an action has occurred. The action could be a purchase being made, a form being filled out, etc., however the specific desired action is determined by the advertiser.

In traditional media such as radio and television, a method in advertising referred to as “Pay Per Inquiry” or “PI” allows the advertiser to pay the station or network a predetermined fee only when a sale is made. Regardless of how many times the advertisement is broadcast, the station and/or network would only get paid in direct proportion to the number of items sold.

When advertising online, the Cost Per Acquisition is an online advertising model in which payment is based upon the number of registrations and/or sales. How successful the CPA model is depends on how well developed the advertiser's conversion rates are in conjunction with the advertiser's creative(s) and website content.

Call-To-Action is a phrase often used by Direct Response advertisers. This phrase refers to the idea of making consumers interested enough in their product and/or service that it in turn “calls” them into action by making a sale, filling out a form, registering, going to their website, etc..

In traditional media such as radio and TV, rates for broadcasting time(s) can be dependent on the time of day they are looking to advertise and on the targeted audience. For example, it might be preferred to buy time on air at the end of the traditional business day when people are on their way home or have just finished out their work day. The rates of these coveted slots are pricier but hold the probability of increasing the chances of reaching a bigger audience and increasing sales. Other than time, rates can also differ depending on the station and/or network and what their targeted audience is. If the advertiser is aiming to solicit business from a certain age group, for example teenagers, it would be logical for them to seek out time slots on a station or network that feature programs broadcasted to that specific audience. Advertising is so expensive that it behooves the media buyer to seek out approaches that eliminate as much wasted audience as possible. The more targeted a campaign is, the less waste.

A further contributing factor to the success of implementing action would be through effective copywriting. Copywriting is tailored to the product and/or service being offered and how it relates to its targeted audience. Direct response copy has to be compelling, emotionally engaging, and has to contain a strong call-to-action to have any chance at success. To generate calls, it is suggested that there must have a strong offer and the phone number needs to be in the commercial at least three times.

The Cost Per Click (CPC) is the cost or cost-equivalent paid for each click-through and is also known as Pay Per Click (PPC). It is an advertising technique primarily used online through search engines, banners, pop-ups, emails, and websites. Advertisers bid on “keywords” that they believe their target market will type into the search engine when searching for a certain product or type of service. Advertisers hope that users will type these coveted “keywords” into the search bar and within the result generations, see their ad, click on it, and make a purchase.