The Marchex Blog

5 ways to know if you need call tracking

As a marketer, you’re more than aware of the need to quantify marketing results. Whether to justify spend, maximize budget or make a case for more resources, proving return on investment (ROI) is widely accepted as a basic marketing function. For strictly digital campaigns, Google Analytics and other tools may be enough. For buying journeys that include phone calls, technologies based on call tracking can help complete the attribution picture.

Call tracking closes the gap when customers go offline in their chain of engagement from first click through final sale. Combined with online analytics, it’s a dynamic tool that affords a 360-degree view of marketing performance.

Here some questions to help you decide if you need call tracking:

1. Do you depend on calls for sales?

Despite the online revolution, purchases made by phone are still a big channel for some of the most-recognized brands. Offline sales remain predominant in highly personal, high-commitment sectors like insurance, travel and high price tag products. If call response is a big contributor to your bottom line, then call tracking can help you amplify its impact and effectiveness.

2. Are click-to-call ads integral to your marketing?

With a smart phone in nearly every consumer’s hand, mobile click-to-call ads have become key sales drivers.  If you use click-to-call ads, call tracking can provide visibility into these calls.

3. Do you have the call staff to successfully close?

Calls are only as good as your ability to convert them to sales. Getting phone shoppers to follow through with a sale requires a trained staff of agents equipped with scripts that inspire a purchase. Advanced call tracking solutions deliver deeper insights like conversion rates based on high-intent keywords to help you optimize scripts used by call agents.

4. Do you keep selling after the sale?

When your customers go offline, do they disappear from your metrics radar? If your marketing systems can’t tell the difference between shoppers and buyers, you risk alienating those who’ve already purchased by sending inappropriate follow-up solicitations. Call tracking enables you to follow buyers through to purchase, whichever path they take.

5. Is your marketing driven by data?

Call tracking delivers a wealth of click-to-call response and conversion metrics as detailed as those available for click-to-buys. Keyword and call-pattern analyses provide call quality data you can use to continually improve buyer experiences and optimize the path to purchase.

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, consider adding call tracking to your toolset; gain insights for offline channels of your buyers’ journey and use them to optimize your marketing programs.

To learn more about the advantages of call tracking, download the e-book, Getting Started With Call Analytics.