For Tax Preparation Agencies, Inbound Consumer Calls Trend Higher In January Than April

The most consumer call activity regarding tax preparation services happens during early January, not April, according to a Marchex Institute analysis of more than 40,000 calls to a sample of tax preparation service providers. This means tax preparers need to optimize their online advertising campaigns and get them running strong earlier in the year to fully benefit from the potential to close new sales.

This year’s peak window for calls occurred during the week of January 9 ^th, with 25% of the phone calls occurring between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The average length of these phone calls was 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

“As we analyzed the data from our tax preparation clients, a surprising realization presented itself,” said Rafael Jose, Vice President, Marchex Call Analytics. “Tax preparation inquiries spike dramatically in early January and reduce steadily until early April. This counter-intuitive behavior presents a fantastic revenue opportunity for advertisers that prepare and optimize their campaigns for early-bird tax filers.”

Based on this Marchex Call Analytics data, advertisers in the tax preparation service industry should consider:

1. Optimizing next year’s advertising campaigns accordingly for this earlier opportunity

2. Beyond preparing for a surge in calls/traffic during April, reallocate yearly budget and prepare for the same occurrences during January

3. Call advertisers can help convert January leads by tailoring the content of their Integrated Voice Response (IVR) systems to match the needs of early bird tax filers

About The Marchex Institute

The Marchex Institute is a team of senior analysts and scientists dedicated to improving the digital call advertising industry, and to publishing research and reports based on more than one billion minutes of anonymous call data.

About Marchex

Marchex, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCHX) is a leading mobile and online advertising company that drives consumers to connect with businesses over the phone and provides in-depth analysis of those connections.

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