In the past, tracking the source of inbound leads was a matter of asking the lead over the phone “Where did you hear about us?” and writing that down.

The problem is, of course, that most of the time the data isn’t written down or business owners don’t necessarily know what to do with that data. In 2022, lead tracking technology has evolved to the point where, when implemented correctly, you can tell how a customer learned about you, when they learned about you, and also gain insights about what to do with that data.

In this blog post, we’re going to break down call and lead tracking, and why you need call tracking for your business if you expect actionable marketing insights to support your business growth.

What is call tracking?

Call tracking is the process of assigning a unique telephone number to a specific marketing campaign, ad, or channel/source. When someone calls that number, call tracking software records information about the call including the caller’s phone number, location, and other metrics if available.

This data can then be used to track how effective different marketing channels are in generating leads and sales.

What are the benefits of call tracking?

There are many benefits of call tracking, but some of the most important are:

Determining which marketing channels are generating more leads and sales: if you are running 3 marketing campaigns, one on Google Ads, one on Facebook Ads, and another with a directory partner/display advertising partner, then implementing call tracking can help you determine which of those ads is most effective and where you should increase or decrease your ad spend.
Pinpointing the effectiveness of specific campaigns or ads: If you’re unsure about which campaign is more effective, then call tracking can help you determine whether a campaign is worth continuing or not.
Gathering data about customer behavior: call tracking software can also track things like how long a caller stayed on the line, what keywords they used to find your business and more. This data can be used to improve your marketing strategy going forward.
Provide actionable insights for future marketing efforts: call tracking data can help determine what marketing efforts are most effective in driving call volume and leads. This information can then be used to focus future marketing campaigns on the channels that are providing the best ROI.
Identify bottlenecks in your sales cycle: by recording calls or tracking direct ROI that can be attributed to your calls, call tracking can help you identify any bottlenecks in your sales cycle so that you can address them and improve your sales process.

What types of businesses benefit most from call tracking?

If your business is fielding phone calls every day and has more than 2+ dedicated call center employees, then call tracking is definitely going to be valuable to you.

If your business is in one of the following industries, then call tracking is probably going to be a game-changing marketing insight tool for you:

Home Services
Professional Services
Property
Legal
Health/Medical
Business Consulting

If your call center is smaller than that, call tracking isn’t as crucial but it can still be beneficial if used properly. With the types of results we’ve been able to gather for clients in the past, you might end up actually needing to hire more support staff!

What types of businesses won’t benefit from call tracking?

There are some businesses that simply don’t need call tracking. For example, an eCommerce website wouldn’t necessarily need call tracking because they don’t field any phone calls.

Another example would be a business that works primarily with a network of distributors instead of direct end-users, call tracking would be less beneficial because they don’t field any phone calls from their end-users.

If you’re not sure whether call tracking is necessary for your business, feel free to reach out and we would be more than happy to help!

Regardless of whether or not your business would benefit from call tracking, every business would benefit from lead tracking.

Can I implement digital marketing without call or lead tracking?

Yes, but implementing a digital marketing campaign without call/lead tracking is like trying to get a basketball into a hoop from 2 full courts away… blindfolded, in the dark. You get the picture.

Without proper call or lead tracking, you can’t identify how successful a campaign has been, what ad/channel is more effective in driving call volume and leads, or any of the other benefits call tracking can provide. Yes, you could still implement a campaign, but you won’t know whether the campaign is costing you money or making you money, and how much money it’s making you (if it is!).

Essentially, by running a campaign and not tracking calls or inbound leads for proper attribution, you’re leaving money on the table.

How do I implement call tracking for my business?

Don’t worry – Revved Digital will help you set up call tracking so that when we’re working our magic, you have 100% clear and transparent insight into how effective our marketing efforts are.