5 top tips for call tracking in the automotive industry
Call tracking is an essential part of any successful marketing strategy within the automotive industry. Whilst the overwhelming majority of car sales are finalised in person, at dealerships, the first step of the buyer’s journey is often located online, through search platforms. However, phone calls are actually the most common and important asset within the automotive industry – as phone leads are often easier to turn into sales. Look at it like this: talking on the phone bridges the gap between searching a retailer’s website, and actually visiting their dealership. If a potential buyer calls, then they’re more likely to complete the transaction.
With this in mind, here’s our top tips on how to use call tracking effectively, and what to measure specifically, in order to gain the most relevant insights.
- Understand the importance of call tracking
Calls play an important role from the initial customer engagement to the final conversion, making it even more important to track and then hone your strategy. The remaining tips on this list should give you some guidance on how to improve your call tracking methods, and where you should be focusing your attention.
2. Utilise all call features
Increasing the number of calls your business receives is essential in the automotive industry, and utilising all call features is a great way to do this. There are several techniques to boost the volume of calls coming in, including:
- Call-only campaigns
If you’re aiming for an increase in calls, then running campaigns that focus exclusively on generating calls rather than visits to your website makes the most sense. It’s important to recognise the difference in creating call-only campaigns, against regular search campaigns. The focus is different, therefore the language and Call to Action (CTA) will also differ.
- Call extensions
These campaigns combine both search and call-based CTAs – with an extension that allows instant phone calls to be made by mobile users, from just a click of a button. Certain call extension software even allows you to schedule this button to be shown only during business hours, ensuring that no calls will be missed as a member of staff will always be there.
3. Track efficiency of keywords
Visitor call tracking is also recommended to reveal both the keywords that an online visitor has searched for, as well as the specific pages they visited on your site. Assigning unique tracking numbers to your traffic sources is another way to identify which of your marketing efforts are the most effective in leading customers to pick up the phone and call your dealership.
4. Track throughout the buyer’s journey
Call tracking can be done throughout the buyer’s journey, acting as a way to ensure that you’re guiding the user to that final stage – conversion – at the bottom of the funnel. Almost half of all car buyers will take anywhere from one to three months to make their final decision – so tailoring the journey is extremely important, and debatably easier when using data gained from call tracking.
The first – and most important – step involves building a connection with your prospects, and continuing to manage this relationship. Using services such as Mediahawk call tracking software allows you to merge online and offline strategies by using dynamic number insertion which provides individual trackable numbers across each marketing asset. This allows you to track which channels bring the highest level of engagement, and identify where your best Return on Investment (ROI) comes from.
Throughout the journey, constant communication is key. With so many competitors vying for your prospect’s sale, you need to build trust and show why you are the best choice. Call tracking software provides multiple opportunities to re-engage your consumers, including sending follow-up communications to reach where your calls may be lacking.
- Use call tracking as a lead generation tool
The likelihood of reaching the end of the sales funnel purely via inbound calls is incredibly slim – but these phone calls are still important, as they reassure a customer that they’re dealing with the right people; building trust. In the automotive industry, a phone call is always a good sign, as it signifies a real interest in your dealership, with a higher probability of leading to a conversion.
In particular, click-to-call ads are the most reliable and effective way of encouraging automotive consumers to engage with your business, and another reason why call tracking software is so essential, when driving inbound calls via display ads, as we touched on earlier.
Using call tracking technology will help you discover exactly who is searching for your business, whilst also monitoring the potential customers who are open to calling your dealership directly from an online listing. From here, you can optimise your mobile marketing and highest-performing channels, in the ever-competitive automotive industry.
