We say this a lot at smrtPhone – you’re already making the calls, why not learn from them?

 

One of our recent blogs was about the strategic benefits of using Call Reporting to ensure you’re gleaning as much data as possible from your calls and texts, and using that data to make smart business decisions. Using Tracking Phone Numbers is similar: it’s an opportunity to learn about your business while you make and receive calls.

 

Tracking Phone Numbers are a marketing tool to help you identify what’s working (and what’s not!)

 

Figure out what lead channels are performing well, what marketing copy is grabbing customers, and what phone numbers are translating to calls. Tracking Phone Numbers are strategically placed numbers that deliver lead generation information, whether you’re putting them on different ads, flyers, websites or even business cards. Get creative with how you use your Tracking Phone Numbers and with that information, make impactful decisions. It’s an opportunity to get rid of underperforming ads or marketing efforts that waste your revenue and to stop advertising in places that don’t funnel you quality leads. 

Your Tracking Phone Number can be assigned to specific marketing efforts, such as a postcard mailer or a Power Dialing Campaign, and they can be routed to an individual, or groups of individuals.  It’s easy to forget, due to the history of Phoning, that Phone Numbers no longer have to be siloed to one person. As we go through these creative ways to use Tracking Phone Numbers, remember that the possibilities go beyond one number to one person. Let’s go over four innovative ways that Tracking Numbers teach you more about your business!

 

1. Learn What Campaign Converts People Into Customers

Data doesn’t lie. People might have assumptions about where their flyers, billboards, or ads should be placed, but unless they ask every single caller where they learned about a business, how will they really know? Tracking Phone Numbers is the answer! You might assume there is one neighborhood, or one marketing channel that’s best for finding customers. It’s where you think a lot of your calls come in from, so that’s where you market the heaviest.

But what if you discover via your Tracking Numbers that a neighborhood you consider mediocre is actually funneling you a lot of calls? Or despite a high call volume, your “top” neighborhood doesn’t equate to a lot of closed deals? Another neighborhood, though yielding less incoming call volume, translates to a higher overall ROI of marketing efforts. 

Until you see that actual data via Tracked Phone Numbers, you’re only going on gut instincts. We have no doubt that many great business minds have killer gut instincts, but backing it up with data is the most foolproof way to do business. 

With Tracking Phone Numbers feeding into your CRM, you can track not only call volume, but also the number of quality leads you get from an area. Use this to your advantage! The next time you rent a billboard or put flyers in coffee shops, skip your lowest performing locations, and beef up efforts in the areas with quality connections. Using a phone system that seamlessly connects to your CRM allows you to analyze Phone Numbers in connection to prospects. Don’t underestimate the power of this integration! 

 

2. Learn What Words Grab the Right Attention 

Each Tracking Number is also tracking what’s with it – have you wanted to test different marketing copy for physical flyers or paper ads? Be intentional with which Phone Numbers you place on ads, and find out what copy is actually grabbing people’s attention. 

 

a sample ad       

Let’s consider these similar ads, each with a different line of copy. You own both of the phone numbers on the ads, and can even have them routed to the same agent. But now you’ll learn which ad copy is performing best. 

Use phone numbers to perform A|B testing, at no additional cost. With this information, you decide how to spend advertising dollars. There’s no more guesswork – invest in the ad messaging that works, and scrap the rest. Your phone numbers are strategic tools, beyond just being how leads, customers and vendors connect to you. 

 

3. Learn More From Your Digital Ads 

Digital ads can’t tell the whole story with just a click-through rate. People love digital because it’s trackable – but Phone Numbers are too! With Tracking Phone Numbers, you can put different numbers on your digital ads, to find out where your Inbound Communication is really coming from – it might differ from the ads you’d assume, based on click-through rate alone. Sometimes people want to immediately talk to a real person, and those Leads should be tracked as well. 

Using Dynamic Number Insertion, you can even change the displayed phone number depending on which ad the click comes from, so you can track the full breadth of conversion: form fill, trial and phone calls. Make sure all leads from a Campaign are captured, not just the clicks!  

Google search ads with Phone Numbers often perform better than those without, since Phone Numbers communicate a reachable and customer service oriented business. Use your Tracking Phone Numbers in digital marketing to capture as much information as possible, while also better serving your customers. 

 

First Mover Advantage tip

 

4. Learn What Numbers Get You Inbound Calls

The foundation of Tracking Phone Numbers is that you’re using multiple phone numbers at the same time. With smrtPhone, a phone number is only $5/mo., and the ROI is high if you use that phone number to inform your marketing strategy. With multiple phone numbers, you can learn what makes your customer answer their phone. For example, local numbers might get picked up more than out-of-state or toll-free numbers, if your clientele values a personable approach to business. Other smrtPhone clients want to project an image of being established and large, which could lead to using Toll-Free numbers. Or maybe a vanity phone number – a word or a set of easy-dial digits – make your campaigns more memorable and easier to act on. 

If a phone number isn’t working – swap it for another! Phone Numbers no longer have to be permanent and tied to an individual. They are a puzzle piece of your business strategy, routing you to people but not a fixed component. 

 

Functional Tracking Phone Numbers 

At smrtPhone, we think it’s important that your Tracking Phone Numbers are also completely functional Phone Numbers. With some systems, the focus and usability of Tracking Phone Numbers is only inbound – seeing who is calling and texting you via your designated numbers. With smrtPhone,  you can seamlessly and instantly respond via those same numbers, which creates trust and consistency for your customer. Use a “friendly name,” IE a nickname for your Phone Number, that allows for quick and easy Number Tracking so you can easily see which number was assigned to which Campaign. This name will even show up in your KPI Reporting!

 

Inbound AND Outbound Functionality

At smrtPhone, whatever number you’re putting on marketing material can also be the number you text and call from when a lead contacts you. Consistency is important, and can mean the difference between someone picking up your call or screening it because it’s not familiar. With some phone systems, Tracking Phone Numbers are limited to Inbound Communication only – and we don’t think that makes sense. We also want you to have the option to cater to clients who may prefer texting over calling: since Tracked Phone Numbers work for both texts and calls, you can create ads that encourage your clients to text you, if that’s the easiest or most comfortable way for them to reach you. 

The truth is that there are many phone systems out there, and they can all help you make and receive calls and texts. So if you’re already locked into spending money on this type of communication, it’s important to analyze what else you can get for that money. Tracking Phone Numbers are not an extra cost when you use smrtPhone. The Phone Numbers you’re already buying and using can seamlessly become part of your Tracking and Reporting. Beef up your marketing efforts, lean out where you discover you’re wasting time and money, and make your Phone Numbers work for you! Learn more here about Tracking phone numbers, and find out if smrtPhone is the right phone system to level up your business.