Agency Guide to Call Tracking. What Ad, Digital, PR and SEM Agencies Need to Know About Offline Conversion Tracking

Transcription

1 Agency Guide to Call Tracking What Ad, Digital, PR and SEM Agencies Need to Know About Offline Conversion Tracking

2 Table of Contents Introduction What Is Call Tracking? The Basics of Call Tracking 2 Types of Call Measurement and Attribution Additional Call Tracking Features Call Tracking Use Cases Call Tracking Opportunities Types of Campaign Questions That Can Be Answered How to Close the Loop Closing the Loop with Call Tracking Call Tracking Integrations Selling to Your Clients Educate and Sell Your Clients The Most Likely Client Call Tracking Challenge 6 Tips for Selling Call Tracking to Clients Conclusion About Mongoose Metrics

3 Introduction Call tracking has been around for years, and you ve likely heard about or even used it in some form or another. The latest advancements in call tracking capabilities create opportunities for agencies and their clients to better track and associate offline conversions with specific marketing campaigns and sales. Armed with this data, agencies are better equipped to prove the ROI of their efforts the top challenge shared by 29% of marketing agencies according to HubSpot s 2013 State of Inbound Marketing survey. We wrote this ebook to help agencies get a firm understanding of what call tracking can offer, specifically as it helps: Capture campaign performance insights. Illustrate the full lead generation picture. Associate leads with sales conversions. If you have any questions after reading this ebook, or are looking for more information about call tracking, please contact Mongoose Metrics at or visit 2

4 What is Call Tracking? On a very high level, call tracking is the process of integrating tracking phone numbers into marketing activities to record valuable offline conversion details. At Mongoose Metrics, we actually refer to call tracking as call measurement and attribution because call tracking alone is limiting in terms of the technology s full capabilities. Depending on your business, geography, a lead s stage in the buying cycle, their level of need, or the complexity of your client s product or service, phone leads can make up a significant percentage of overall lead volume, and in certain cases may be of higher overall quality. The initial results were eye opening for the client as the volume of leads coming from the tracking numbers was unexpected. ERIK WHALEY Location3 Search Engine Journal, The Ancillary Benefits of Call Tracking 3

5 In this MarketingSherpa case study, Jesse Kanclerz, online advertising manager at Paychex, said that insights about phone calls compared to form leads affected automated bidding for both products and geographies. The more complicated a specific service is, the more likely that we are able to get a phone call. And, usually the higher value that specific call is. The level of insight into offline conversions available creates valuable opportunities, for agencies and clients alike: For Agencies: Call tracking is an opportunity to show the full scope of leads you re generating (not just form completions), and continually improve campaign performance by mining complete, actionable data. For Your Clients: It s an opportunity to prove the ROI of multi-channel campaigns, de-silo marketing performance data across technologies and departments, and justify the impact of marketing budgets to upper management. 4

6 The Basics of Call Tracking How Call Measurement and Attribution Works 5

7 2 Types of Call Measurement and Attribution Static Tracking Numbers Dynamic Number Insertion These numbers are assigned to specific marketing initiatives on a one-to-one basis. For example, if you want to track phone calls from a specific billboard advertisement, you d integrate a static call tracking number. Dynamic number insertion, or session-based call tracking, assigns a number to a visitor to your site. That number then replaces the existing phone numbers on all web pages, so long as the call tracking JavaScript snippet is installed. When someone calls, the call tracking platform will capture: Lead source Call length Time of call A full recording of the call Caller s phone number And if they are using a landline: Caller ID Geo-location As soon as a lead calls that number, the call tracking platform records the same information as static tracking numbers, as well as: Referral source Keyword search PPC ad campaign details Last web page visited 6

8 Additional Call Tracking Features Beyond static and dynamic call tracking, there is functionality that can be integrated to improve the quality of offline conversion data collected, and to ensure you aren t spending money on low-quality or irrelevant data. Local and Toll-Free Numbers If your business attracts calls from across the country, or if it needs to convey a local presence, you can designate whether you want to feature a toll free or local area code tracking number in your campaigns. Businesses that serve both national and international audiences will benefit from the integration of toll-free numbers, as target audiences may be more inclined to call if they don t have to worry about long-distance charges. Local phone numbers are attractive to prospects who feel more comfortable doing business with people in their own backyards, such as storage companies, auto dealers, pizza parlors, hair salons, doctors, lawyers, etc. Toll-Free Numbers Local Numbers 7

9 Business Rules If you only want to track phone calls for certain aspects of your client campaigns, you can define rules for when call tracking numbers should deploy and what data should and shouldn t be fed into reports. For example: Only track calls from non-branded PPC keyword clicks instead of wasting minutes on calls from branded searches, which may not be as relevant to your campaign. Stop spam calls from overinflating conversion results by filtering calls that last less than 60 seconds from campaign reports. Using Mongoose Metrics business rules feature, White Shark Media was able to filter approximately 95% of spam calls from being recorded as conversions in their AdWords campaigns, making the data cleaner and more actionable Search Engine Journal, How to Combine Call and Conversion Tracking to Manage Your Bidding More Effectively 8

10 Analytics, Bid Management and CRM Integrations Avoid manually combining campaign performance data from disparate dashboards by feeding offline conversions into other tracking technologies, including analytics, bid management and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. These integrations enable you to: Create one dashboard to analyze and evaluate marketing campaign performance. Make better PPC bid and budget decisions, and more confidently automate adjustments using complete conversion data. Give sales better insight into offline conversions so they can tailor follow-up communications based on lead interest and need. For more on these integrations, see the Mongoose Metrics Integrations page. AdWords CRM System My Dashboard Integrations Analytics Tracker Bid Manager Qualify Phone Calls in Real Time Directly following a call, tracking platforms can prompt the client s sales or customer service representative to answer questions about how the call went, what opportunities exist, and overall value of the call. 9

11 Call Tracking Use Cases Explore Some of the Different Opportunities to Integrate Call Tracking in Your Client Campaigns 10

12 Call Tracking Opportunities Call tracking numbers can be integrated anywhere you put a phone number in your clients marketing campaigns. Following are a few examples that illustrate how call tracking numbers are added to specific types of campaigns. Website and Landing Pages Add static tracking numbers to individual landing pages to determine how many calls are generated by that specific page. Note: This will not allow you to track referral source or keyword search. Install dynamic number insertion JavaScript code throughout landing pages, and your website to associate the lead conversion with referral source no matter from what page, or when, the call is placed. PPC Campaign Insert a static tracking number in AdWords phone ad extension. Add dynamic number insertion to landing pages and throughout your client s website. 11

13 Retargeting / DIsplay Advertising Insert a static tracking number directly into an ad, or all ads within a campaign, depending on how granular you want to data. Add dynamic number insertion to landing pages and throughout your client s website. Marketing Campaigns Insert a static tracking number into signatures. Add a static tracking number as calls to action at different spots within an , and use different styling (i.e. size, imagery, font type) to evaluate which converts best. Add dynamic number insertion to landing pages and throughout the website. Offline Campaigns Integrate a tracking number(s) throughout all tradeshow and promotion pieces. Add static tracking numbers to billboards, and consider changing the number based on the billboards locations. Repeat static tracking numbers throughout TV and radio commercials, and vary the number used by ad, medium or channel. 12

14 Types of Campaign Questions That Can Be Answered Using these technology integrations, and combining offline conversion data with other forms of conversion, you ll be able to answer a number of pressing campaign questions, including: Which campaigns are driving the most conversions? Does the ROI of a marketing campaign warrant increasing the client s investment or scaling back? What is the audience s preferred form of conversion? Should I consider adjusting my calls to action? Are there specific headlines, messaging, imagery or calls to action that drive more conversions? Which version of my A/B test converts at a higher rate? How does placement or styling of a phone number in an ad, or landing page impact conversions? Is my database or subscriber base qualified and engaged? 13

15 How to Close the Loops Call Tracking Integration Opportunities 14

16 Closing the Loop with Call Tracking According to Andrew Lolk, co-founder of White Shark Media, conducting a lead generation campaign using AdWords requires a focus on not only the conversion, but also on what happens after. This sage advice doesn t only pertain to PPC campaigns. Tracking from first interaction to sales close and beyond should be a standard practice across all types of marketing campaigns. Closed-loop reporting requires that tracking technologies capture all forms of interaction and talk to one another, so complete data is shared and seen by all involved parties (i.e. agency account manager, client marketing team, sales, customer service) in their preferred manner (i.e. Google Analytics, SalesForce, Marin Software). When reporting technologies are integrated, this type of omni-channel, 360-degree view is possible and highly valuable. 15

17 Call Tracking Integrations Call tracking platforms offer integrations across all different types of technologies. To ensure seamless conversion reporting, consider call tracking suites that offer the following integrations: Analytics Integration (e.g. Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) As pointed out in this Search Engine Journal article, Google Analytics and other analytics software are great at measuring activities that take place on your website, but there s a gap when someone picks up the phone. With call tracking and website analytics integration, you ll quickly see both click and call conversions in one report, and then can filter conversion data by source, mobile device, location, and any other dimensions your analytics platform offers. This integration gets an enhancement with Google s new Universal Analytics, which enables you to capture and report offline conversions from any digital device (i.e. mobile apps), not just client websites. 16

18 AdWords Integration Mongoose Metrics has been able to integrate call tracking data directly into Google Analytics for years. Data can then be used in paid search reports to help optimize AdWords campaigns. Recently, Mongoose was invited by Google to be the first, and only, call tracking platform to integrate offline conversion data directly into Google AdWords. Through this integration, PPC advertisers are now able to see both online and offline conversions directly within their AdWords portal, offering you and your clients an opportunity to quickly analyze, evaluate, and evolve keyword bid, ad and ad group strategies. 17

19 Bid Management Integration (e.g. Marin, Kenshoo, and Acquisio) Bid management software offers a platform from which to manage and automate all different types of advertising campaigns, including PPC, mobile, display and social. With call tracking integrations in place, customize your reports to view complete lead conversion data across all campaigns or drill down into a specific ad campaign s performance. Armed with this complete data, measure client campaign success, compare it to other campaigns to benchmark performance, and then make updates based on actionable insights. 18

20 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Integration (e.g. SalesForce, SugarCRM) Call tracking integration with CRM systems can yield valuable insight about offline conversions. So long as the caller s phone number matches the number on their CRM profile, a call conversion, the time of the call and call duration can be logged, along with a recording of the call. If that lead is calling from a landline, caller ID details can be also collected and populate the lead s CRM profile, including location and name. For those agencies and clients using dynamic number insertion, call tracking products can also feed session-based information into a lead s profile, including keyword searched, last page visited, and referral source. This integration is valuable in collecting and assigning customer conversions and sales value to specific marketing efforts, which in turn can be used to determine the ROI of marketing and advertising spend. In addition, sales and customer service representatives can use offline conversion data to refine their follow-ups and support efforts to address the individual s needs. 19

21 Selling to Your Clients How to Sell Your Clients on the Value and Importance of Call Tracking 20

22 Educate and Sell Your Clients Depending on the client and your relationship with him or her, setting up call measurement and attribution can be as easy as a quick note in an , or not... In White Shark Media s case, their clients understood the value of call tracking, but didn t want to make the investment. To ensure their campaigns were successful, the agency chose to invest in call tracking on behalf of their clients. In their own words, the result of this investment was: Our Account Executives now have access to as much data as possible and can talk directly with their Clients about the results without any need to guess or estimate. It s all in the reports and it has really helped us lower our churn-rate for local businesses. Read more of what the team was able to learn. Mongoose Metrics client, Elite SEM has used call tracking as a way to keep both client and employee churn rate low, as its client billings and employee pay are based on results. According to Elite SEM director of marketing, Marc Weisinger, Any incremental reporting or revenue their campaigns are driving, but unable to report on, is a lost opportunity. 21

23 The Client Call Tracking Challenge In all likelihood, the biggest challenge you ll face will come in the form of a cost-conservative company executive or marketing director. As with most marketing technologies, there is a cost associated with call tracking. If used effectively within a campaign, the return of valuable insight can far outweigh the cost. As detailed by MarketingSherpa, Paychex was able to use call tracking to help shake a year-over-year trend of rising cost per acquisition on paid search campaigns, and increase lead generation 98% while decreasing CPA 43%. However, explaining this to someone looking solely at $$$ requires a more educated approach. You need to be able speak confidently on how call tracking is priced, what the client can expect to spend, and opportunities to reduce costs without limiting value. How call tracking pricing works. Most call tracking platforms bill based on the number of tracking numbers provisioned and call length. As your bank of tracking numbers and/or minutes spent on the phone increase, so does the cost. Budget estimates and tips. When budgeting for call tracking, a good rule of thumb is to budget 1-2% of total ad spend. This should, at a minimum, give you a good idea of how much call volume is actually being generated, at which point you can always increase or decrease your call tracking budget accordingly, justifying the expense with data. 22

24 Opportunities to reduce costs. There are certain ways to decrease call tracking costs without sacrificing data or accuracy. Strategic configuration: Know exactly what you want to track and how to capture it. This requires having a clear understanding of the types of campaigns you are running and the different paths visitors may take before calling. You can also isolate call tracking to specific types of campaigns (i.e. PPC) to start, and then expand as need warrants. Define business rules: As detailed on page 8, many call tracking platforms will enable you to establish rules, so that your tracking numbers only show when and where you dictate based on specific triggers, such as referral source or branded vs. non-branded keywords. Test and evolve: After running comprehensive call tracking for several weeks or months, you ll likely have enough data to make educated decisions on campaign performance, and while offline conversion data may change slightly, it likely won t heavily shift. For this reason, there may be an opportunity to limit how many session-based numbers you are using, and instead, replace them with one static number to continually track general performance over time. Track Offline & Online Efforts Gain Insights in Customer Behavior Inability to Interpret New Data Initial Price Tag Optimize Campaigns Based on Performance See the Complete Marketing Picture Risks Rewards 23

25 6 Tips for Selling Call Tracking to Clients To get the tools necessary to showcase the full value of your next marketing campaign, you ll need to convince the client of call tracking s value. To help, we ve put together a series of tips Mongoose Metrics coaches our agency partners to use when working with clients. 1. Know the value proposition. The most important thing to explain to clients is the value call measurement and attribution can provide. When selling value to clients, Ignition Group recommends resisting the urge to talk about activities, and to instead focus on describing the outcomes. In some cases, it has seen agencies go as far as to list outcomes in their estimates in favor of agency functions or hours. 2. Speak about solutions. Don t get bogged down in describing features unless specifically asked, otherwise you may only confuse your client. Instead, talk about resolving pain points and the valuable insight that can be generated. According to Bridge Group, the customer isn t interested in features, they re more concerned about how you ll solve their problems. 24

26 3. Cast a wider net. Explain the benefits above and beyond marketing, specifically as they relate to sales and customer service. Sales: In their article, The Ancillary Benefits of Call Tracking, Search Engine Journal states that the ability to go back and review call tracking data for calls that did not stay on script, or sure-to-close leads that never converted, can offer valuable insight to any sales force. Service and Support: The same Search Engine Journal article offers the following example of how call tracking can help customer service and support efforts, After a further review of these calls we discovered that callers were being put on hold for long periods of time, some were actually hung up on and several went to voic during peak business hours. This is valuable information when reviewing employee performance and refining internal processes. 25

27 4. Have a preferred vendor or vendors in mind. Know who you want to work with and why. Perform some call tracking provider research before presenting your recommendations to the client. Having answers ready for all client questions will instill confidence that you ve done your homework, and that you have made a recommendation specifically for their needs. Ideally, you ll also be able to speak about the call tracking provider s set up process and timeline for integrations, so the client can get a sense of internal integration support required, overall timing and costs. Key Questions New Clients Ask What types of data can you track? Are local and toll-free numbers available? Will my numbers be unique to my business? What systems do you integrate with? How does your pricing work? What s involved in the set-up process? 26

28 5. Take advantage of available resources: Tap into the resources of the call tracking provider. After you ve caught your call tracking sales representative up on your client and their marketing objectives, ask him or her to jump on a call with you and the client. They ll likely be able to address the client issues more effectively, as they deal with similar concerns on a daily basis. Also, ask if they have any generic presentations or handouts that you can use. Pull together any available case studies from companies in similar industries, with similar web traffic, and who are running similar campaigns the more relevant to your client the better. 27

29 6. Designate and coach an internal champion. Above all else, position an internal champion who understands the technology; can speak intelligently to its features, functionalities and the more technical ins and outs; and who is able to align specific goals and campaigns with the opportunities call tracking delivers. Inevitably, there will be challenges to overcome internally, and your position as an outside consultant won t afford you the access and face time needed to address and overcome these issues. 28

30 Conclusion Proving and improving the ROI generated by your client campaigns starts with capturing and reporting on all different forms of conversions, and then using this complete data to test, update and evolve based on quantifiable data. Integrating call measurement and attribution into your campaigns is fairly straightforward, and by working with your call tracking provider, the most relevant and important data can be captured, integrated into other tracking technologies, and done in a way that won t break your client s bank. If you have any questions after reading this ebook, or need any help selling your client on the value of call tracking, please contact Mongoose Metrics at or visit 29

31 About Mongoose Metrics Mongoose Metrics is a leader in call tracking, measurement and attribution. Founded in 2007, Mongoose Metrics captures and records offline conversions that are driven by both online and offline marketing and advertising campaigns. This completed view of marketing campaign effectiveness enables marketers to better understand at a granular keyword level what is driving conversions, how to evolve and improve campaign performance, and ways to reallocate budgets to maximize ROI. The company s clients range from Fortune 500 to small-and-medium businesses across North America. If you re interested in learning more about call tracking or exploring Mongoose Metrics call measurement and attribution platform, contact us at or visit 30