Have you ever made a phone call to a business that began with a pleasant recorded voice telling you that “this call may be recorded?” Whether you’re a seasoned search engine optimization (SEO) veteran or just getting started, you’ve probably encountered call tracking technology more times than you can count.
So what are call tracking and call recording? In short, call tracking is a system that allows you to track calls the same way that you track clicks. Using call tracking, you can pull attribution data from inbound calls (e.g. “where did the caller find our phone number?”) and determine which of your marketing strategies are driving call traffic. Call recording is more straightforward: inbound call audio is recorded and, using additional software, businesses can analyze those calls for keyword usage, duration, and more!
Call tracking and call recording are powerful tools that allow businesses to use data to further enhance their marketing strategies.
How does call attribution work?
There are a lot of great options out there for call tracking/recording services. Our favorites are DialogTech and CallRail. There are some slight differences between the two services, so definitely do a bit of research to find out which of the two would better serve your needs.
The main service that you’re looking for involves dynamic number replacement. Have you ever gone onto a business’ website and noticed the phone number quickly change (usually to a very similar number)? This is dynamic number replacement in action.
Call tracking services provide you with code (and phone lines) to display specific phone numbers on your website based on where a visitor came from. For instance, you might show a visitor a different number if they found your business organically or via a paid search campaign. This allows your to accurately attribute your call data so that you can figure out which marketing strategies are working (and which aren’t).
What else can I do?
One of the other great applications of call tracking is that you can use dynamic phone lines for attribution out in the real world!
Got a billboard for your business? Use a call tracking number on the billboard instead of your direct line and you’ll be able to attribute how much call traffic you’re receiving from the billboard. Pretty cool, right?
Call recording is an extension of the call tracking service. When the customer calls one of your tracking lines, you can make a recording of their phone call (just make sure that you adhere to your state’s notification guidelines!). You can then use software (usually provided by the call tracking company) to analyze the call recordings to better tune your marketing strategies.
For instance, an apartment owner might use a keyword search to take a look at their previous month’s call recordings and notice a high frequency of calls asking about “pets.” From this, they might be able to conclude that their website needs to have more straightforward information about whether or not pets are allowed at the apartment complex.
These are the kind of insights that are only possible with call tracking technology. Call tracking and recording can make your life as a business owner a whole lot easier. By using call tracking data to inform your business’ marketing plan, you’ll see improvements in your conversion rates, lead generation, and customer service!