M a r k e t i n g t i p
Connecting your advertising to phone calls
Part two of a two-part series on connecting your advertising investments to their results
The Internet and online advertising have spoiled many marketers. Tracking online ads and Web site traffic is never more than a couple clicks away. In the equipment finance market, not all responses to marketing come through the web. For most brokers, leads received solely through the Web are probably less than half of all quality leads.
So what's a marketer to do? Good marketers were capturing and measuring response data before the Internet, and there is no reason to stop now. Collecting and analyzing responses from marketing, especially advertising and direct mail, is fundamental to making smart investments of your advertising budget and ultimately growing your business.
Tracking the source of a lead who responds by phone can be tricky. Of course, you can always ask the caller, but how do you act on the data that half of your leads "found you online"? Which search engine? Which keywords? Did they see offline marketing and then go to your site before calling?
Below are a few simple and inexpensive tactics you can use to begin tracking the source of the inbound phone leads you receive (be sure to also see last week's article on tracking):
Put a person's name in your advertising - for example, "call Bill for a quote today." Use different names, like middle names and nicknames, in each place you advertise, your direct mail, etc. Capture the number of inbound phone calls for each name so you can compare the effectiveness of your various marketing tactics.
List an extension number in your marketing pieces, such as "to take advantage of this program, call 800-555-5555 ext. 123." If you can setup and track extensions with your phone system - great! If not, again you can capture the number of callers who request each extension.
Make an offer even if it is part of your standard line of products and services, like "ask for our June refinancing special". Then track the number of callers who mention your offer. Use unique offers for each marketing tactic.
Use unique phone numbers. This is the best way to track the source of a call, because there is minimal human interference. Simply put a different number in each marketing piece including Web sites, and track the number of unique callers who dial that number. If you are spending four-figures or more each month of marketing, this is a must. Try these sites for more information: TeleCapture and CallSource. Most providers of toll-free numbers also offer vanity numbers (phone numbers which spell words or phrases). Look into these as well. Most sites have a search engine that will create a list of vanity number options for you.
Click-to-call on your Web site can also help determine the source of callers whose first action is to visit your Web site. Link your online marketing to custom landing pages or micro-sites. Then include a click-to-call button on those Web pages. You can compare which online marketing tactics are generating phone calls, not just clicks. For more information on the rapidly advancing marketing technology of click-to-call, visit these sites: RingCentral and ClickPath.
By tracking the source of your phone leads, you can compare which marketing investments are creating the most leads in relation to their investment of money, time and effort. Analyzing your marketing in this way allows you to increase your investments in those tactics that work and change or cease the marketing tactics that do not perform as well.
SunBridge Capital has not evaluated the quality of the services and products mentioned in this article. Please carefully consider all aspects of any marketing before making a commitment and/or investment.
