Automotive call tracking: Α necessity or a luxury?

I just bought my new car!

People kept telling me that this milestone would be a game-changer in my life. I thought they meant all of the exciting road trips, holidays, and late-night drives I could have. However, I quickly realized I had absolutely no idea about cars.

I was clueless about what specifications to look for, the hidden costs involved, and the wide range of models available. I didn’t even know where to start from! So, I embarked on a research journey. I called countless dealerships, bombarding them with questions about pricing, vehicle availability, scheduling appointments, and post-purchase services.

I started off as a complete newbie, but by the end of the month, I could give you a crash course on how to purchase your first car.

When I finally made my purchase, it hit me that a first car is not just significant because of the memorable road trips, but also because of the entire process of learning, researching, and collecting info which leads to investing in new experiences by actually buying the car. That’s what truly makes owning a new car so special.

Being a marketer in the world of Call Tracking, I couldn’t help but see my car-buying journey (the ultimate conversion), reflecting on our clients’ marketing strategies in the automotive industry. It dawned on me just how much valuable information marketers could extract from phone calls like mine, using them as vital clues to optimize their marketing efforts. It’s truly fascinating to see the depth of insights that can be gleaned from those conversations.

So, Call Tracking in the automotive industry. A good-to-have or a must-have?

Let’s start with some interesting statistics

Organic search generates the most leads in the automotive industry at 38.7%, followed by direct at 27.5%, paid at 23.3%, and referral at 8.8%.

About 63% of car buyers identified their new vehicles on social media

Over 75% of auto shoppers say that online video has influenced their shopping habits or purchases.

84% of marketers report phone calls having higher conversion rates with larger order value compared to other forms of engagement.

61% of new and used vehicle shoppers contact the dealership by calling after a search.

57% of consumers call about vehicles from a search ad call extension to schedule an appointment.

How can automotive call tracking elevate your business

First, we will set the stage. Picture an imaginary car dealership called Prime Auto. A family-owned dealership that started 15 years ago and now they’ve grown into a trusted name in the local automotive market, specializing in mid-range sedans, family SUVs, and eco-friendly options.

They position themselves as the most reliable choice for first-time buyers like me, as well as families looking for dependable vehicles. They have a diverse inventory, customer trust, and a local reputation.

Their main challenges are:

Marketing attribution: They struggle to identify which marketing channels (online ads, social media, or local events) drive phone inquiries and showroom visits.

Lead quality: Sales teams often lack context about incoming leads, making follow-ups less effective or they waste time with unqualified leads.

Missed opportunities: Without detailed call data, they miss patterns like peak call times or common customer questions, leading to missed sales opportunities.

Strong local competition: Challenged by large, high-budget dealerships and online car marketplaces, Prime Auto has noticed a dip in foot traffic.

Let’s see now how call tracking can help them with all these problems.

Local marketing

For businesses like Prime Auto, local marketing is not just about running ads. It’s about building a relationship with the local community and becoming the go-to dealership.

Imagine a potential buyer in your area searching for “best car dealerships near me” or “affordable SUVs in [your city name].”

A car is a very personal decision, I can attest to that. It’s no wonder that customers often prefer to work with dealerships nearby for convenience, faster service, and familiarity with local preferences.

Here’s how automotive call tracking and local marketing work in synergy.

Nimbata Call Tracking offers call routing and AI and automation features that help gather local insights, using word & phrase spotting, filtering criteria, and call tagging.

First of all, you can use call flows to create specialized audio messages for when local or non-local customers call you during out-of-business hours.

For example, in this case, Prime Auto has created an automation where if a local (recognized by the phone number prefix), calls when the dealership is closed, they will be informed about business hours, opportunities for demonstrations and events. If they call during business hours, an appropriate sales agent will pick up.

Likewise, for non-local callers, the audio message informs them of the website and special offers and arrangements they have for them.

That way, Prime Auto strengthens its local marketing, without missing out on opportunities from non-local callers.

You can also quickly rate local leads with automations.

In this example, Prime Auto has an automation where:

• If someone calls using a tracking number from its Google Ads campaigns that target the local area
• The call duration is more than two minutes
• And certain keywords are used during the conversation

Then the call will be tagged as a high-quality lead, rated 3/5, and shared with Hubspot, Google Ads, and Google Sheets.

That way, you can quickly create a database with qualified leads that your sales team can focus on and share that data with your CRM and ads tools without the risk of making any mistakes during manual transfer.

Also, sharing quality leads with your Ads tools helps train their algorithms, so they can target your ads more effectively and bring you even more leads!

Lastly, call analytics will help Prime Auto measure the effectiveness of its local marketing campaigns. They will provide them with detailed insights into how local marketing efforts drive engagement.

Examples include:

• Using call analytics to identify peak call times in specific areas, enabling better staffing and targeted promotions during busy periods.
• Tracking call duration, frequency, and conversion rates by location to assess which campaigns generate meaningful interactions.
• Analyzing call sources (e.g., direct response from local ads or organic search) to refine local marketing strategies.

Offline conversion tracking

Prime Auto is facing a serious issue with its marketing campaigns.

They can’t attribute their offline leads, meaning phone calls, to specific marketing efforts. In short, they don’t know where their phone leads come from.

Or at least, they didn’t know before they started using call tracking.

Call tracking links offline interactions to specific campaigns and businesses can thus optimize strategies and improve their ROI.

Incorporating timeline reports adds an extra layer of precision, allowing businesses to track conversions over time and fine-tune campaigns based on trends.

In this timeline report for example, the lead first read a blog post about SUVs, then clicked on a link that led to a landing page, then filled in a contact form and kept interacting with the business.

Call tracking also helps with:

Call tracking and analysis: Monitor call duration, frequency, and conversion rates at each location to assess which local campaigns drive meaningful interactions. Timeline reports can reveal trends over days, weeks, or months, identifying sustained performance or seasonal spikes.

Call source attribution: Determine the origin of calls, whether from local ads, organic search, or referrals, to understand which channels generate the most engagement. Timeline reports highlight which campaigns perform best during specific periods, helping businesses allocate resources effectively.

Conversion & data accuracy

For dealerships like Prime Auto, conversion tracking and data accuracy are the backbone of a successful marketing strategy. Without accurate data, decision-making becomes guesswork, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities.

Here’s how automotive call tracking ensures accurate data and optimizes conversions:

Accurate attribution of conversions

One of the most significant challenges for Prime Auto was connecting offline conversions, such as phone calls, to specific marketing efforts. Call tracking solves this by attributing every call to its originating source, whether it’s a Google ad, social media campaign, or organic search.

For example, if a potential buyer calls after seeing an ad for “family SUVs under $30k,” call tracking identifies the campaign and ad copy that triggered the call. This level of precision allows dealerships to:

• Allocate budget to high-performing campaigns.
• Identify underperforming ads for improvement.
• Measure the ROI of each marketing effort with confidence.

Enhanced lead qualification

Call tracking systems use AI to analyze conversations, automatically tagging calls as high-quality leads based on factors like call duration, keywords, and source. By integrating with CRM platforms, dealerships can ensure that only qualified leads are passed to the sales team.

Prime Auto, for instance, uses this system to:

• Assign lead scores based on predefined criteria.
• Share real-time lead data with HubSpot or Google Ads for immediate follow-up.
• Avoid human errors in manual data entry, ensuring all leads are accurately recorded and tracked.

Unified data across platforms

By linking call tracking data to other tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or Facebook Ads Manager, Prime Auto maintains a centralized repository of customer interactions. This integration ensures consistency and eliminates discrepancies across platforms.

For example:

• If a call converts into a sale, the system updates Google Ads, helping its algorithms learn and optimize future campaigns.
• HubSpot tracks the lead journey from the first interaction (e.g., clicking a social media ad) to the final conversion (e.g., booking a test drive over the phone).

Real-time insights for agile decision-making

Call tracking analytics provide real-time data on key metrics like call volume, duration, and conversion rates. This enables businesses to respond quickly to trends and opportunities.

Prime Auto uses these insights to:

• Adjust ad spend during peak call times.
• Refine messaging based on frequently asked questions or objections.
• Identify patterns, such as which campaigns drive calls during seasonal spikes.

CRM leads & lead information

Integrating call tracking with your CRM enhances lead generation, lead management, and lead source accuracy, eliminating uncertainty around offline or direct leads. This data-driven approach enables mapping the entire customer journey and optimized marketing strategies.

Here are the top 3 ways Call Tracking can help your CRM:

Generate leads: The majority of lead-capturing processes primarily focus on gathering lead information through form submissions, which is acceptable. However, disregarding phone leads means you are neglecting valuable prospects. Why? Well, leads tend to contact your business by phone when they are prepared to make a purchase, indicating they have progressed beyond the informational and commercial stages. By integrating CRM systems, you can create new contacts when a first-time caller, who is not in your database, makes a phone call, or update existing contacts to enhance your lead data.

Get accurate lead sources: Integrating call tracking with your CRM can enhance the accuracy of lead source identification. By leveraging this data, your CRM gains the capability to accurately assign leads to their appropriate sources, effectively eliminating the uncertainty that typically surrounds offline or direct leads. This newfound clarity empowers you to make data-driven decisions and fine-tune your marketing strategies accordingly. With a deeper understanding of how various channels contribute to lead generation, you can optimize your efforts, map accurately the customer journey, and maximize your results.

Enrich lead data for precise lead scoring: To effectively nurture your leads, it is crucial to have comprehensive knowledge of every touchpoint, enabling you to accurately score your leads and generate more high-quality leads. Nimbata enhances your CRM by providing additional lead data, capturing call activities, and feeding them back into your CRM. This ultimately assists you in establishing data-driven criteria for scoring, based on both the lead’s online and offline behaviors.

2 quick call tracking wins for automotive

Eliminate lost sales – Picture the most common worst-case scenario: losing potential customers ready to make a purchase because you missed their phone calls. Being notified when you miss a call through email or Slack, lets you act on time and you can promptly respond to missed calls, minimizing the risk of losing a valuable customer or encouraging your leads to choose a competitor.

Automotive call tracking case study: How a European client in Automotive used Nimbata to drive better results and expand its business

The challenge

Phone calls matter, but measuring their impact on sales is very challenging if you don’t use the right attribution tool. In fact, this was the greatest pain point for our client, who turned to Nimbata seeking a trusted call tracking software to measure the actual number of phone leads they received, and even more, to understand which marketing channels generating them. Afterward, they had to find ways to drive more calls from those marketing sources that provenly convert to appointments and sales.

Moving a step further, they needed to test which of their 3rd party marketplaces worked best bringing referrals to the business. Lastly, the client was seeking a way to reduce non-sales calls (e.g. support questions and requests) from their marketing campaigns. Knowing the call volume of those non-qualified calls, the client could limit the operational costs by updating their website with relevant information.

The solution

How did we help our client overcome their business challenges? First off, since the company had at that time been advertised in more than 10 online marketing channels at a national level, they needed a pool of local tracking numbers to be assigned per source. The next step was to deploy Dynamic Number Insertion Technology (DNI) to dynamically swap tracking numbers on the website and reveal the channels that generate phone calls. With the above in place, the client managed to gain significant customer insights at a session level, understanding which channels, campaigns, and keywords generate high-quality leads for the business.

The results: What our client achieved with Nimbata (YoY)

By incorporating Nimbata, our client saved time leaving out the guesswork via call conversion tracking automation right from the get-go. Our client quickly saw the benefits: Phone Leads increased with higher intent to buy, paused those campaigns which resulted in mediocre and poor marketing results, and allocated their budget to campaigns that brought quality leads and sales to the business.

Takeaway

So, to come back to the initial question. Call Tracking is a must-have in the Automotive Industry and the reason is simple. Phone calls are your most high-intent leads.

Imagine that there are prospects out there, they have done their research, they have probably seen many YouTube videos reviewing the car they want, and they have already made a pricing comparison comparing your automotive brand with your competitors.

Leaving these leads out of your optimizing efforts means that you probably have many blind spots in your customer journey.

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