Just last week, Google announced the launch of Google Website Call Conversions. There’s nothing that validates the value of call tracking and website call conversions quite like Google saying, “Yes, let’s do that too.” Agencies have known it was on the horizon, and now it’s part of every marketer’s must-know toolkit.
If you’re advising clients about their conversion online — which now also includes phone calls — here’s a quick cheat sheet to get you up to speed on the big new world of conversions by phone.
Why Call Tracking and Conversions Are Important
In the local and mobile marketing world, clicks don’t matter — calls matter. Google says hundreds of thousands of businesses are using call conversions now, and with their effort behind AdWords, millions will follow. CallRail tracks the call conversions for more than 10,000 clients. Our internal data reveals a 24% jump in inbound calls for businesses who have been using CallRail for more than a year. It’s true: People really love using the mobile phone to find companies. If you’re not using call conversions for your clients, bring up the conversation.
For an independent professional wanting to track their calls, a simple call conversion tool might be enough. But for local businesses experiencing growth, large or multi-location services business like an auto parts store, attorney, or physician's office, the digital marketer needs more comprehensive, omni-channel data on inbound calls. Today’s call tracking platforms are robust and ready for just that. Consider a white label version that lets you serve your clients from your own very slick interface, with your very own branding.
Below are just a few of the must-have aspects of any call conversion tracking platform when you are looking for an option to support you in your client consulting.
1. Track PPC, SEO, digital, social, and offline marketing with one system.
One of the major drags on your agency’s effectiveness is having to organize and report on too many separate sources of inbound leads. As the world moves into mobile and voice, find a platform that frees you to focus on the campaign and find the numbers in one place.
2. Detailed caller logs.
Simple call conversion systems, like AdWords or similar, only tell you about the price of the conversion. Effective marketing campaigns need more — make sure you’re getting the phone number, call recording, caller ID, location, and the caller's website history for every call.
3. Call recording.
I founded my own marketing agency and can tell you from experience just how valuable call recording is. Record the client’s incoming phone calls to identify leads, improve sales, train your reps, and find holes in your product marketing. In the hands of a qualified agency, this information is golden. I once had a client who wanted to be known for “mercury free dentistry”. Upon optimizing the organic part of his campaign for this term, calls to the business were off the charts. Unfortunately, these people were looking for a free dentist. Without call recordings and detailed caller data, this client might have thought the campaign was producing fantastic results from qualified, prospective patients.
4. Advanced call routing.
Voice marketing and call tracking platforms distinguish themselves with advanced call routing. This means you can send every call to the right destination — as companies, and especially multi-location businesses grow, your agency needs to support different product lines, campaigns, and launches with unique numbers and unique call flow paths. The right call conversion system makes this simple.
5. Text messaging.
More and more customers are communicating with businesses by text. As an agency, you know which of your clients could benefit from this niche feature. Few companies support this, but when they do — their customers love it.
6. Call follow-up.
This feature allows your client to track outbound calls and return calls from the tracking number, allowing your client to make calls using the business phone number from any device. Not having this feature setup can create confusion for the customer — having it allows stay ahead of your clients’ top concerns as they grow.
Google Website Call Conversions and other call tracking systems designed for DIYers are a great way to dip your toes into call tracking.
A recent client of mine gave call tracking a test drive. He said: “We would like for all of our phone lines to work like this. Is that possible?”
