Overlooked marketing channels: 5 untapped sources driving high-quality leads

This month’s upcoming marketing monthly performance meeting felt a bit different than the others.

Something just didn’t seem quite right.

Business was thriving but marketing numbers simply didn’t add up.

How could that be? Were we missing something? Where were all these leads coming from?

And then it hit me.

I hadn’t included phone leads in my reports!

Among gathering data, creating reports, and editing presentations, suspecting that conversions have slipped through the cracks and not being able to prove it, can be a frustrating experience for any marketer.

Who wouldn’t feel outraged when leads are coming in but there is no way to attribute them to a marketing campaign?

We created this guide to help you fix leads that “leaked” because they converted over the phone and to help you increase the number of leads you report by more than 30%.

1) Track phone calls from website visitors

You did it! The visitor clicked on one of your campaigns, landed on your website, and then..*crickets chirping* 🦗

The session ends, the bounce rate goes up and the prospect moves on with their life. 

Or not? There’s a chance this customer preferred to pick up the phone and connect directly with the sales department. 

There are 3 ways to discover if this is true.

• Set up a Trigger via Google Tag Manager to monitor clicks on your phone number – but there’s a catch here –  many of these clicks do not become actual calls
• Bribe your sales team with donuts and get them to ask your callers how they found you
• Use a dedicated Call Tracking platform

2) Phone calls driven by Email Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to introduce a new product or a time-limited discount.

Their formula is simple. Amazing offer – Frictionless CTA

The term frictionless is key here. Customers prefer to convert using their favorite methods (form, online purchase, phone order, or even physical purchase)

Eliminating specific methods for the sake of marketing analytics has a huge impact on conversion rate. 

When it comes to phone calls, consider using a unique phone number in your newsletters to monitor call conversions for specific offers & campaigns.

3) Organic & Paid Social Media offline conversions

Similarly, Social Media is used both for brand awareness and lead generation.

When a phone number is included either in the body or creative of a social media post, it’s quite likely that some conversions will not be attributed.

Like in newsletters, it is highly advised to use a unique phone number in your social media posts to attribute 100% of your phone sales, increasing the ROI and leads generated by the organic channel or paid campaign.

4) Google My Business & company pages on social media

Do not underestimate the power of listing your phone number on GMB, Facebook, Instagram, and pretty much any place you can set up a company page.

During the initial observation period, most marketers are astounded by the amount of phone calls driven by these commonly overlooked sources and listings.

At the end of the day, this is a testament to the impact of Local Marketing, SEO, and Organic growth.

5) Google Ads Call extensions

When a user with high buying intent searches for your product or service on Google, he or she can do the following:

• Click on the Google Ad
• Call the Google My Business number
• Call the Google Ad extension

In case the user doesn’t interact with the Google Ad but prefers to call the extension, the campaign managed to deliver a new lead. But this won’t be reported in your analytics tool, leading you to think it’s performing poorly.

To counter the above, a unique tracking number should be used as an Ad extension so we can measure those cheeky conversions.

Takeaway

Tracking phone leads & conversions may seem daunting at first. But on second thought, the process is very similar to using UTMs. 

A decade ago, the paperwork needed to apply this would be immense. Not to mention the costs. 

Today you can acquire, affordably and quickly, a bunch of unique phone lines to place in your campaigns and track their performance.

FAQ – Phone Leads

What are phone leads?

Inbound phone leads are potential customers who initiate contact with a business or organization by calling them directly. These individuals or businesses reach out to the company via phone because they are interested in a product, service, have questions, require support, or seek information.

In essence, inbound phone leads are generated when people proactively dial the business’s phone number or a specific extension, making them prime candidates for potential sales or engagement opportunities.

Why are inbound phone leads valuable for a business?

Inbound phone leads are valuable because they have already shown an active interest in the business or its offerings. Companies often have dedicated customer service or sales teams to handle these calls, address the callers’ needs, and potentially convert them into customers or clients. It’s important for businesses to provide excellent customer service and follow-up to make the most of these inbound lead opportunities, as satisfied callers are more likely to become loyal customers or advocates for the company.

How do I track inbound phone leads?

Tracking inbound phone leads is essential for businesses to measure the effectiveness of their marketing and customer service efforts, as well as to optimize their lead conversion strategies. Here are steps to track inbound phone leads effectively:

Use Call Tracking Software: Invest in call tracking software or services that provide unique phone numbers or extensions for different marketing channels. These services record and analyze calls, providing valuable data on lead sources, call duration, and call outcomes.

Assign Unique Phone Numbers: Assign unique phone numbers to different marketing campaigns or channels, such as print ads, online ads, social media, email marketing, and more. When a call comes in on a specific number, you can attribute it to the corresponding campaign.

Implement Call Analytics: Utilize call analytics to gather data on calls, including the source, location, time of day, and caller demographics. This data helps you understand where your leads are coming from and when they are most active.

Train Staff and Collect Information: Train your customer service or sales teams to collect important lead information during each call. This may include the caller’s name, contact details, reason for calling, and specific needs or questions.

Create Call Scripts: Develop call scripts that guide your staff on how to handle inbound leads. These scripts should help them qualify leads, provide relevant information, and smoothly transition potential customers into the sales funnel.

Record Calls: Record inbound phone calls for quality assurance and training purposes. These recordings can also be used to review the handling of leads and improve your customer service or sales techniques.

Integrate with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: Integrate your call tracking software with CRM systems to store and manage lead information effectively. This integration allows you to track lead progression through the sales pipeline.

Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Define specific KPIs related to inbound phone leads, such as conversion rates, response times, and customer satisfaction metrics. Regularly measure and analyze these KPIs to identify areas for improvement.

Implement Lead Scoring: Create a lead scoring system that ranks the quality of inbound phone leads based on specific criteria, such as their level of interest, purchase intent, and fit with your target audience. This helps prioritize follow-up efforts.

Automate Follow-Up Processes: Implement automated follow-up processes, such as sending personalized emails or text messages after a call, to nurture leads and keep them engaged with your business.

Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Encourage feedback from your team regarding the quality of leads and the effectiveness of your lead tracking and conversion processes. Continuously refine your strategies based on this feedback.

Regular Reporting and Analysis: Regularly analyze the data collected from call tracking and lead management systems. Use this information to adjust your marketing and sales strategies for better lead conversion rates.
By implementing these strategies and tools, you can effectively track inbound phone leads, optimize your lead conversion processes, and maximize the return on investment for your marketing efforts.