Call tracking technology has been around for decades and is no longer an expensive, mystical black box. Dozens of software vendors and affiliate networks exist solely to help marketers and publishers integrate call tracking metrics into website and marketing analytics packages.
A consumer that is willing to dial a phone number is actively asking for more information…
So why is it such a foreign topic to some of the most seasoned marketers and ad agencies? My hunch is that clients haven’t been clamoring for reliable, integrated call tracking metrics because they don’t yet understand what’s possible.
Get the advertisers up to speed and all of a sudden they will be asking their agencies about their call tracking capabilities. Don’t believe me? Look what’s happened in the SEO and social media industries. All of a sudden, nearly every web design company, PR firm and marketing consultant offers SEO and social media services because informed clients won’t hire anybody that doesn’t understand how to integrate the diverse disciplines.
The majority of web contacts are phone calls
In my experience, 50-75% of web contacts arrive via phone. The more expensive or complicated the product, the more likely it is that consumers will prefer to pick up the phone to call instead of sending a blind email. It’s partially due to a lack of confidence that email forms will work properly or that recipients will respond in a timely manner. I also suspect it’s partially due to privacy concerns over sharing email addresses and other personally-identifiable information over email compared to a more anonymous phone call.
Phone calls convert better
Data are scarce and usually anecdotal, but some affiliate networks and call tracking providers claim that phone calls convert at 30-50% compared to 1-3% for clicks. Even if that’s a best case scenario or not true of every campaign, a consumer that is willing to dial a phone number is actively asking for more information and advertisers can engage them in a more active conversation.
Find the true ROI for your campaigns
Many web marketers only track the clicks and conversions generated by email forms or other online conversion points simply because phone calls are not automatically injected into their web analytics package. If you ignore phone call volume and conversion data, you’re failing to account for the true ROI of your campaigns. Woe be to the marketing manager who doesn’t factor call data into their analysis and budgeting decisions.
Beat your competition
If your competitors are not yet utilizing call tracking, now is your chance to gain a leg up and market to your shared prospects more efficiently and effectively. If the competition is already integrating call tracking data into their marketing plans, you can bet they are on the path towards undercutting your profitability and swiping your potential customers with more effective marketing.
Your clients will demand it
Given that most marketing agencies are not offering call tracking services, forward-thinking shops can gain a competitive advantage by integrating the extra layer of tracking data for clients. It’s the perfect time to offer call tracking as a value-added service or charge a premium for it and make a heftier profit (and provide better results, which is what you should be focusing on anyway).
CC Photo credit: Loops San on Flickr