Valuable Insights from Call Tracking

Every website has a purpose, but that purpose should depend on how potential customers are supposed to interact with the business and its website. Is the business something new and will there be a learning curve to guide visitors to complete a desired action? Or, does the business provide something immediate? Or, is there a high level of research involved before the potential customer decides whether or not the business meets their needs?

All things to consider when building and designing the website, but also when determining the metrics to watch closely. Because Google Analytics understands that every business and its customers have specific needs, so the Google Analytics Technology Partners Gallery offers add-on solutions to help business see the information that means most. The hidden gem in the gallery of available solutions is call-tracking.

What is Call Tracking?

Call tracking is the ability to track how many website visitors land on the website and then call the business.

“Call tracking enables you to assign a different phone number to each of your marketing campaigns (online and offline). Each of these numbers will then be forwarded to your main business phone number, allowing your staff to answer as if the call were made directly to that line. By using call tracking, you can compare the phone traffic generated by each line in order to determine which of your marketing strategies are most effective and which are not yielding a satisfactory return on investment” (Hawkins, 2014)

As digital marketers, we have a tendency to get focused on the digital side of things and we may forget that digital efforts have an effect on the offline world. Call tracking is one way to bridge the gap between digital and offline.

“Call tracking in some form has existed since telephones were first invented and used for business. While it was rudimentary compared to current methods, businesses have been asking, “How did you hear about us?” to first-time callers for a century. By asking their customers how they discovered the company, business owners could attribute the client to specific actions or campaigns” (Lyden, 2017).

Call tracking has now evolved to the digital space. Now, you can track exactly where a person is calling from, how they found the businesses information to call, and sometimes what keyword they may have used to find the website (if applicable). It is a more robust way of understanding the key question businesses ask during the initial call, “How did you hear about us?”

Who Benefits from Call-Tracking?

All business across various industries can benefit from the information call tracking would provide. But, there are specific industries that may rely more heavily on call-tracking because of the nature of the business or how customers normally interact with the business. For example, the medical industry may see a high volume of callers versus website visitors converting directly on the site. Depending on the practice, the medical needs may be more immediate. The website visitor will be more inclined to call and speak to someone, especially If it is a sensitive topic.

Yes, there are some industries that will benefit more. But, every company that has their phone number accessible to the public, especially within the marketing efforts, should implement a phone call tracking system.

How Call Tracking Can Improve Marketing?

Call tracking fills in the gaps between online and offline conversions. “For most businesses, their goal conversion rate is generated by Google Analytics and this isn’t a fair comparison if conversions are coming from telephone inquiries” (Skelton, 2014). Call tracking will allow a business to understand all the possible actions their potential customers will take to interact with the company.

This is also a major win for calculating ROI. If a business can fully understand where their customers are coming from, on and offline, then the business can understand where to focus their marketing efforts to attract more customers. It also allows the online and offline tactics to work together in a seamless way to achieve the same goal of meeting the business objective.

Popular Call Tracking Systems

There is a whole library of platforms available to fit a company’s call tracking needs. Each platform offering different packages, analytical options, call services and more. A few platforms that are a part of the Google Analytics Technology Partner Library include:
  • CallRail
  • Infinity Call Tracking
  • Keymetric Call Analytics
  • WhatConverts Call Tracking and Analytics
  • MediaHawk
  • Call Box and more.

If your business will include a phone number on any of the marketing materials (i.e. the website, business cards, emails, etc.), it would be wise to implement some kind of phone call tracking system. Without it, that is precious analytics that could be lost. Your business would be missing out on learning how another group of customers interact. It is simply a missed opportunity. Even if callers do not make up a large portion of the business contacts, it is still important for a company to fully understand their audience in order to better serve them.

Resources
Hawkins, E. (2014, July 17). Benefits from a Call Tracking System for Your Business | Call Tracking and Analytics. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from https://www.callrail.com/blog/how-your-business-can-benefit-from-a-call-tracking-system/

Lyden, C. (2017, May 05). What is Call Tracking? Who Can Benefit from Call Tracking? Retrieved February 12, 2018, from https://www.callrail.com/blog/what-is-call-tracking/

Skelton, Z. (2014, January 03). What Is Call Tracking And Why Should I Care? Retrieved February 12, 2018, from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-beginner-guide-call-tracking-care/83173/

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