Understanding Call Tracking Numbers: What They Do and How They Can Help Your Business Succeed

Have you ever had a call from a prospective client and wondered where they saw the number to call? Where are they located? What in particular about the advertisement made them want to call you? 

Here we explain the basics of call tracking and help your company gain attribution for calls and data to optimize campaigns. 

What Are Call Tracking Numbers?

Call tracking numbers are a way for your company to record phone calls to gain data and insights, giving your company the information it needs to know who responded to certain advertisements and when. Call tracking numbers assign a local number to a business phone line so when the “new” number is called, it forwards the call to the business line. The new number is tied to technology that allows businesses to track caller information, such as the type of phone, location of the person calling, and name. As well as call details such as date and time and duration of the call.

How Does Call Tracking Work?

Call tracking phone numbers can be programmed to link online activities such as clicks and page views to calls. Allowing companies to know which marketing activity drove the most traffic to their website, which keywords led to engagement and which conversations turned into conversions. 

A cookie (a cookie is a small piece of data that a server sends to the user’s web browser and tracks the number of visits and activity on the website) is generated per visitor and this records the visits to the website. A different phone number is then assigned to each unique visitor on the website. The visitor then calls the unique number and the call tracking software records the user data. Call tracking software can then merge phone call data with visitors’ digital activity, enabling businesses to have a complete view of the customer journey, original source and much more. Call tracking allows you to:

• Create trackable phone numbers for any campaign
• Collect and report on leads from any campaign
• Automatically organizes all lead contact information

Why Are They Important and How to Use Them

Companies most frequently use call tracking to optimize paid search, marketing campaigns and digital marketing activities, personalize the caller experience and enhance the end-to-end customer journey by unifying online and offline data sources. The big benefits that many call tracking users see are reduced cost-per-click (CPC) on paid search, reduced cost-per-acquisition (CPA), and increases in return on ad spend (ROAS). 

To understand any campaign’s success, call tracking should be used for both online and offline marketing efforts. From solo direct mail, shared mail, postcards, social media, etc. 

How Direct Response Media Group Can Help

Without call tracking, it’s difficult to prove the ROI of your marketing efforts that drive sales calls because your data trail goes cold when potential customers pick up the phone.

We combine the physical print experience with integrated digital options, offering real-time performance tracking with DRMG Insights, Direct Response Media Group’s signature tool. Reach out today, and let’s see how we can start getting results for your brand with direct marketing.