Ain't Nobody Got Time for That and Other Call Tracking Myths

Have you ever heard an urban legend that you were convinced was true because everybody was talking about it? Your boss, your mom, your next-door neighbor and everybody on Facebook, Twitter, the Social Media Network of the Week, etc. Then one day you decide to mosey on over to snopes.com, and they blow holes in this story that everybody thought was true.

Yikes. Scary how fast tall tales can spread.

We’ll let Snopes handle the urban legends, but we would like to roll up our sleeves and take on some call tracking myths that have been circulating for quite some time (including “ain’t nobody got time for that” — that’s why you clicked on this blog post, isn’t it?).

1. Call tracking belongs in the age of the Zack Morris brick phone.

Phones used to be the size of bricks. And people used them to — gasp! — call people. I mean, let’s be honest, when dial-up Internet takes an entire lunch break to connect, wouldn’t you choose the brick phone over email?

But now that Internet connection speeds have picked up, phones have shrunk and texting is a thing, phone calls aren’t as popular anymore. This means call tracking is an outdated marketing method. Right?

Wrong. 

Did you know that 60 percent of online interactions lead to a phone call? In fact, we’d say that phone calls are on the rise, since it’s easier than ever to do a quick search for a business on your smartphone and place a phone call right then and there. Which brings us to our next myth.

2. Using vanity numbers is, well, vanity if people don’t need to remember numbers.

There’s really no need to memorize phone numbers anymore. After all, people have access to all the numbers they need right there on their phone (see above). So businesses shouldn’t waste resources on vanity numbers, right?

Not necessarily.

Just because people don’t need to memorize phone numbers doesn't mean that vanity numbers are automatically useless. Think about it. What phone numbers do you remember without having to look at your phone? Maybe your significant other’s number, your mom’s number or a random toll-free number that stuck with you, like 855.CALLBRIGHT. Chances are, you can count the numbers you remember on one hand. And chances are, at least one of those numbers is a business’s toll-free number.

Choose the right vanity number, and it will stick with people without them having to search for it. Think of it as another opportunity for branding!

3. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Time. What is that, again? Everybody needs it, but nobody has it. So call tracking services just aren't worth it if you don’t have time to go through all your phone calls to figure out which ads are bringing in the big bucks. Right?

Nope.

Time doesn't have to be an issue, because call tracking isn't just about the numbers. It's about providing businesses with the tools they need to manage all those digits too. For instance, you can implement call scanning software that uses voice-recognition technology to scan calls for keywords and phrases that you typically look for in phone calls, like “You’re awesome. Where do I sign up?”

Whenever the software picks up on these phrases, it’ll notify you. As a result, you’ll cut down on the time it takes to identify the ads that bring in qualified leads and those that show your marketing strategy needs a little TLC.  

The moral of the story? Not everything you hear is true. Call tracking is alive and well in the marketing world.

What call tracking myths have you heard?