There are several ways of measuring business success. Most businesses and marketers prefer measuring success through organic views, page views and goal conversions — useful, but they do not accurately portray the number of leads and enquiries a business gets, especially when calls are involved.
As much as we spend most of our time browsing the web, not all transactions can be conducted online. One of the greatest yet most underestimated sources of lead generation is phone calls. It has been challenging to track the source of callers, and that gap has shown up in how marketing performance is assessed.
With modern call tracking software, businesses can monitor their marketing efforts in terms of lead generation and identify which channels are working. Call tracking plays several roles, including shaping SEO. Let’s look at how it works and what it delivers.
How to track inbound calls
One of the first things you do when opening a business is obtain a telephone number. That number ends up in many places: your website, magazines, ads. That is a good move — but it has shortcomings.
If your number lives across many platforms, it becomes hard to know which one is generating leads. Picture noticing a lighting problem in the office. You search “lighting solutions”, see a company ad with a phone number, call them, the issue gets fixed. The company can’t tell how you found them — which might even prompt them to pull the ad, thinking it isn’t working.
Through call tracking, the lighting company can easily attribute that call. It allows businesses to track different phone numbers and determine which campaign generated each one. To track a call you need software that records the calls a business receives and surfaces the performance of each campaign.
How does call tracking work?
Let’s say the lighting company has three marketing strategies: ads in local papers, ads on transport, and an online campaign. Call tracking lets the company compare enquiries from all three. They can see which strategy generates conversions, the exact time and date of each call, and the return on investment of each channel.
If transport ads have low returns, the company can shift that spend to online — or the other way around. The end game is to generate as many qualified enquiries as possible.
Benefits of call tracking
Call tracking comes with several advantages. Here’s how they break down.
Assess marketing strategies
Call tracking lets businesses monitor and assess every channel to establish what’s viable. Companies can oversee both online and offline strategies and know where to improve, including which landing pages bring in the most enquiries from organic search.
It also helps with paid campaigns: companies can identify the best-performing keywords. Different telephone numbers in different ads can quickly reveal which creative performs best.
Improve customer service
Call tracking lets you listen back to calls and assess your customer service. A company can see exactly what to improve based on customer handling and feedback.
Save on costs
Most companies spend significant money on channels that yield no returns. Call tracking helps assess campaign channels based on viability. A firm might be investing heavily in offline ads when, in reality, almost all enquiries are generated online.
Maximise returns
Business is about investing, and each investment must yield returns. Call tracking provides the data on which channels to invest in and which to drop — minimising expense and maximising results.
Conclusion
Most businesses depend on Google Analytics to generate goal conversion rates. It has its advantages, but it’s often inaccurate when clients pick up the phone. Call tracking lets companies take charge of their marketing decisions: keep what works, drop what doesn’t.
At Bluelight, we keep up with the latest tracking and analytics updates so you can make better decisions. Book a free consultation today and learn how we can help you.