The Marketer’s Call Tracking Playbook

Mark Kosin

7 minute read

Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz is quoted as saying “If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven’t done anything today.” While his words may have been originally directed at football players gearing up for another game, the sentiment couldn’t ring more true for marketers. In the rough and tumble marketing world, you’re only as good as what you can deliver in the here and now.

That means always equipping yourself with the best assets to win each campaign. In today’s smartphone-centric marketplace, consumers are becoming predisposed to connecting with new goods and services via their phones—a call to any business is now just a click away. As a result, a critical weapon any marketers’ arsenal has to be some form of call tracking software. While the basic duties of call tracking may be well-known, there is a broad array of advanced functions that can help marketers gain a big advantage.

For those looking to go the extra yard by mastering a variety of campaigns, increasing quality conversions, and maximizing their ROI, we are pleased to present the marketer’s call tracking playbook.

Hot Routes: Tracking Multiple Campaigns

Like a quarterback eyeing a number of receivers to complete a pass, most marketers don’t limit themselves to a single campaign to achieve their goals. You’re usually handling many different campaigns covering a variety of advertising methods, from email blasts to billboards to native advertising on social media. Most likely you’ll be looking to employ some paid search as well, as Google has shared that “51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone.”

How can you best manage all these campaigns or—even more critically—account for leads that come in from different channels? Market-leading call tracking software can go a long way in this regard, not only letting you monitor every campaign via an all-in-one platform but helping you know which campaign delivered which call. From monitoring online ads to using local tracking numbers for geographically-targeted campaigns, you’ll have a firm grasp on precisely what led each caller to dial your number. And you can use advanced call analytics to gain insight into the totality of the customer’s journey, so you’ll know if they decided to call only after visiting your website and seeing an ad on the train. Having a complete understanding of how your ads perform in the field is vital to developing a successful game plan.

Practice Makes Perfect: Perform Better Tests

With the tweet of a whistle, a coach can have his squad run the same play over and over until he’s certain they have it down pat. In marketing, you only have so many opportunities to get a campaign right. But with call tracking software, it becomes that much easier to take advantage of A/B testing for different marketing strategies. Customizable phone numbers let you try multiple approaches depending on any number of variables. Run one promotion on email and a different one via paid search, or run two different campaigns across multiple channels in two separate metro areas. By getting to take your campaign through the A/B testing ringer and get quantifiable results, you’ll get a clearer perspective on which strategy will ultimately net you more conversions.

Handle the Call Blitz Like a Pro

Ultimately, a key function of call tracking software is the ability to handle inbound calls. Even after all the preparation, so much of your campaign’s success weighs on how well you can convert leads into sales. That is where you can utilize the full potential of your call tracking platform’s features.

Call Routing: All incoming calls will likely interact with your call tracking software before anything else, so it is imperative to have a system that understands caller needs and can connect them with the right person. This is where having a top-tier call routing system is critical. To begin, you need software that uses a sophisticated feature like Interactive Voice Response to greet callers and gather important information. Then, an effective Automatic Call Distributor can guide that call to the best department to handle each caller’s request.

Call Recording: After calls have been successfully routed, one feature you’d be smart to take advantage of is call recording. An advanced call recording system is invaluable to any business hoping to maximize their conversions. Like a football team watching tape of the previous week’s game, getting a reviewable record of your calls gives insight into what drives a consumer to convert or not. It also affords company leadership the opportunity to evaluate customer service performance. You can learn from mistakes, build on successes, and optimize all aspects of your caller-representative interactions.

Call Analytics: To ensure you’re getting the most out of your call tracking software, confirm that you’ll have access to the data treasure trove that can be delivered with Call Analytics. When the calls start rolling in, not only do you have multiple potential leads to convert, you’re also getting tons of information on individuals who have responded to your campaign. By utilizing Call Analytics, you can get incredible insight into what demographics your campaign is connecting with, and where it may be missing.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball: Know Your ROI

Ultimately, your performance as a marketer will be determined by your ROI—and the last thing you want to do is come up just short. Luckily, with the right call tracking software you can run the numbers to see exactly what is working and what isn’t. Call tracking software goes a long way towards developing a more complete understanding of ROI attribution, and can produce detailed reports to let you see the real story behind all of your campaigns.

You can showcase the true value of your incoming calls to team members and be confident in the campaigns you’ve led because the numbers will back it up. Call tracking software also comes through in the clutch by offering Real-Time Reporting, which lets you see up-to-the-minute data on campaign performance. By focusing your attention to campaigns as they happen, you’ll put yourself in a better position to catch issues or double-down where necessary. Staying on top of things while running your campaign will lead to a better ROI when all is said and done.

As technology continues to evolve at a rapid clip, it has never been more important to equip yourself with the best-developed tools to manage your campaigns. It’s critical that marketers stay ahead of the curve, and there’s no better way to do that than by utilizing the most advanced call tracking software available and a solid call tracking game plan. That way you can stay focused on the next big thing.

To learn more about how call tracking software can improve your ROI, get in touch with Phonexa team members about setting up a consultation today.