'Net Features : ifbyphone

Ring Up Conversions with Keyword Call Tracking

Linc Wonham — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Online marketing is not for the faint of heart.

In addition to navigating a spectrum of digital channels and search engine marketing (SEM) campaign options, Web-based marketers face constant pressure to generate more leads, demonstrate higher returns on investment (ROI) and optimize online ad spend.

The online marketing task is made even more difficult by the disconnect that exists between phone-based leads and Web-based marketing initiatives. Traditionally, clicks have been used as the primary indicator of digital marketing success, despite the tendency for consumers to establish phone contact rather than take the time to complete an online form.

According to AdInsight research, 43 percent of all Internet search sales conversions actually take place by phone.

Make a connection
To evaluate and optimize digital channel investments, marketers need a more effective way to connect phone leads to specific online campaigns. One solution is to leverage call tracking, which creates a closer connection between online and offline marketing efforts and enables marketers to tie individual phone leads to specific digital channels – or even targeted keywords that are being leveraged for SEM.

By assigning unique, toll-free and local numbers to phone-based calls-to-action, marketers can demonstrate the impact of online marketing efforts on lead generation.

But savvy marketers can take a call-tracking strategy one step further with keyword-level call tracking. By understanding which keywords generate phone leads, companies gain the ability to optimize PPC strategies and more accurately allocate their digital spend.

The mechanics of keyword-level call tracking are designed to give marketers granular visibility to the keywords that draw specific customers to a phone-based conversion. Based on the source of traffic referral, site visitors are shown unique phone numbers and their traffic source is logged for later use.

When a customer calls using the number displayed on the website, a pop-up menu appears on the salesperson’s computer screen – or is whispered to the sales person on their telephone – providing detailed information about the lead, the keyword or phrase used in their search, the caller’s location and more.

Analyze the data
After the conversation has ended, the salesperson records whether the lead converted to a sale and notes the amount of revenue associated with the call. This valuable data, detailing visits, calls, call durations and conversion rates, is then used by marketers to analyze the campaign, ad group and keyword-level success. If necessary, marketing team members can even listen to audio recordings of sales conversations.

Armed with extremely detailed information about which PPC campaigns and keywords are generating the most phone leads and conversions, marketers can precisely reallocate investments to high-performing campaigns. It’s not uncommon for marketers to discover keywords that are ineffective at driving click conversions are very effective at generating phone leads.

Successful marketing is all about maximizing revenue from channel investments. Call tracking, in particular, enables marketers to gauge the true impact of online campaigns and allocate their company’s PPC/SEO spend to high-performing keywords and digital strategies.

About the author: As CEO and CTO of Ifbyphone, Irv Shapiro is responsible for overall business strategy and corporate leadership. His business success has earned him several awards including induction to the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame and winner of the Executive of the Year category for the Best in Biz Awards.

A Q&A with the CEO of ROI Tracker Ifbyphone

Allison Howen — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Tracking a company's return on investment from a social media campaign can be a difficult task.

The campaign manager must not only establish goals, but also discover the best way to track metrics that influence theses goals. However, according to Ifbyphone CEO and CTO Irv Shapiro, tracking the ROI from social media should not be treated any differently than tracking the ROI from any other marketing strategy.

Read the Website Magazine interview below:

WM: What are some of the problems businesses face when tracking social media returns on investment?

Irv Shapiro: Many businesses have jumped into social media largely because they felt the need to have a presence in order to compete. In many ways, they are correct; however, leaping without understanding the goals to be achieved by a social media channel is never a good idea. What is the strategy for lead generation? Engagement? Branding? Depending on the business, any of these three (and other reasons) could be a legitimate part of the marketing mix.

Once you decide on the strategy, how do you measure it to determine your success? Is it enough to have thousands of “likes” on Facebook or thousands of Twitter followers? Is it a race to gather connections on LinkedIn? Typically, companies can generate thousands of followers, yet have almost no engagement with their target audiences. As a result, they often question why they engaged with social media in the first place.

Social media measurement challenges are very similar to historical marketing measurement challenges – this is simply a new channel. If you are going to make an investment, you first need to understand why (the strategy) and then understand what (the metric). Just because social media is new doesn’t mean the fundamentals of measurement have changed.

WM: What helps constitute a favorable ROI through social media (conversions, engagement, etc.)?

IS: Just like any other marketing vehicle, ROI with social media depends entirely on your strategy. Many marketers choose to measure brand engagement through basic social media metrics, such as comments and the number of “follows” or “likes” – or the equivalent on your chosen network. However, this brand engagement quotient isn’t a perfect science and doesn’t necessarily determine your ROI. It can also be a significant time commitment, requiring constant monitoring.

Conversion rate is the other key metric used to determine social media ROI. However, conversion is open to interpretation as well. Most likely, social media conversion is less about revenue and more about lead generation – such as downloads and other inquiries. Oftentimes, measuring lead-gen activity is easier through URL tracking and marketing automation platforms, both of which are configured to measure lead velocity.

Some businesses also want to measure offline interaction from their social media advertising. For example, they want to know if their Facebook ads are driving to calls to their company. Most businesses mistakenly think this is difficult, if not impossible. However, it can be easy to measure inbound calls from advertising channels – whether it’s a TV spot, print, PPC or Facebook ad. Technologies like call tracking, which assigns unique local numbers to ads across various online channels, help drive traffic and measure both online and offline lead activity.

WM: How can businesses track the returns of their social media advertisements?

IS: There are many technologies that claim to track activity and ROI from social media. The truth is that no one technology can create your measurement strategy. Strategy needs to be defined before implementing measurement tools. The tactics around measuring social media ROI are similar to any other marketing vehicle: unique tracking URLs, download forms, trackable phone numbers and so forth.

WM: How do businesses know which social platforms are going to provide them with the best returns on their marketing dollars?

IS: A business can determine which site has the best ROI in exactly the same way a business decides on other marketing channels: strategy and audience definition, integrated campaigns, and rigorous measurement. Just like any other campaign, the highest ROI vehicle wins the race. If that is a social site or a print ad, it all boils down to metrics.

WM: What solutions does Ifbyphone provide to businesses for tracking social ad ROI?

IS: Ifbyphone provides a voice-based marketing automation solution that tracks all advertising ROI. Measuring social media ad ROI is no different than measuring traditional ads – whether it’s online or offline, print, billboard or television. Ifbyphone provides tracking from the very first search to the final sales conversation.

When a call is made based on an advertisement, Ifbyphone tracks all the information associated with the ad – whether the call resulted from a Web search on a specific keyword, a particular social media initiative, or a basic print ad. The lead is then pushed through the sales force based on qualifying questions and rules – then all the subsequent call data is tracked.

Faster Response Times from HubSpot and Ifbyphone

Allison Howen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:20:00 GMT

For marketers, shorter lead response times are a huge factor when it comes to boosting sales and closing more qualified inbound marketing leads.

However, shortening lead response times can be difficult. That is why HubSpot has partnered up with Ifbyphone to provide users with the LeadResponder app, which enables HubSpot users to quickly connect with and convert qualified inbound marketing leads through voice-based marketing automation.

This app solves the problem that arises after a prospect completes a Web form and then waits for a follow-up response. During this time, sales are often lost, either to competitors or because of a prospect's loss of interest.

But with this new app in the HubSpot App Marketplace, HubSpot users are quickly connected with marketing leads because software automatically notifies an available sales rep after a qualified prospect fills out a Web form. Then the sales rep is given basic information about the prospect and the two are immediately connected.

"This latest addition to the App Marketplace offers HubSpot customers the ultimate marketing automation package by combining a leading inbound lead generation tool with voice-based marketing automation technology," says Irv Shapiro, CEO and Founder of Ifbyphone. "Voice interactions are often a missing link that marketers fail to consider as part of their overall marketing strategy. With Ifbyphone's LeadResponder for HubSpot, sales representatives close the gap in their lead response time, helping them to more quickly convert qualified leads into sales."

Bridge the Gap Between Search and Sale - The Golden Hour

Linc Wonham — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:10:00 GMT

According to the Harvard Business Review, companies that contacted potential customers within an hour of receiving a query were nearly seven times more likely to qualify the lead as those that contacted the customer an hour later — and more than 60 times as likely as companies that waited 24 hours or longer.

Despite these findings, 63 percent of companies failed to respond in that “Golden Hour”. Twenty-four percent waited more than a day, and 23 percent didn’t respond at all.

The newest component in Ifbyphone’s suite of services strives to solve the problem created when a prospect completes a Web form and then waits hours to receive a follow-up. MyLeadResponder leverages Ifbyphone’s voice-based marketing automation platform to instantly find and connect a sales person with the lead.

When a Web form is submitted or an email is sent, the system is designed to immediately call and alert a specified sales team member. Ifbyphone’s Find Me application can also be enabled to better route phone calls across a sales team and ensure that a live contact is reached.

Once connected, MyLeadResponder relays the information from the form by reading it to the company representative. The sales person can then say, “Yes” into the phone to instantly connect with the prospect. In this way, the sales team member can be talking with a prospect moments after that person has expressed interest in a company’s products or services.

Ifbyphone issues special email addresses to be placed on a company’s Web forms. When the form is completed, the lead is still emailed to the company, but the advanced voice-interaction process is also triggered so sales staff can immediately follow-up on leads.

Tracking Ad-Generated Phone Calls

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Ifbyphone just announced that internet marketing agency ClickFuel is using its call-tracking services to provide clients with tools for tracking online ads that generate phone calls.

SMBs typically a majority portion of their sales leads by phone, but traditionally Internet marketing firms (those that often serve those SMB's) have had difficultly measuring phone calls that result from the advertising they manage.

“The huge void for SMBs has been in phone sales lead tracking, with most firms focusing on website checkouts, submitted requests and downloads,” said ClickFuel founder Colby West. “With Ifbyphone’s service, we assign specific phone numbers to each customer’s advertisements to determine – based on the number of leads for the ad money spent – which efforts are working and which ones need to be re-examined.”

Ifbyphone’s call-tracking service enables ClickFuel to identify the source of sales leads its SMB customers receive. Additionally, Ifbyphone’s Google Analytics Integration makes it possible to track phone calls directly alongside website data in Google Analytics. Using trackable phone numbers, ClickFuel can better optimize customer campaigns and accurately assess their return on investment (ROI).

“ClickFuel is a crystal-clear example of how marketing and advertising firms are improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their customers’ sales efforts using our phone automation services,” said Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro. “The marketing industry is hard at work evaluating and implementing economical tools to help their SMB customers – which don’t have the internal expertise – make the most of their advertising and sales efforts.”

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Google Analytics: Track Phone Calls

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:39:00 GMT

Telephone application platform company IfByPhone made a whopper of an announcement today. Marketers are now able to integrate direct-response call data with Web-based advertising information available from Google® Analytics. That essentially means that it's now possible to gauge the impact of an offline lead-generation campaign.

Ifbyphone blends call-detail data with Google Analytics website statistics, creating a Marketing 2.0 “mashup” that essentially measures the success of how well an ad performed as part of an integrated marketing campaign. The data that results provides detailed insights as to where the telephone calls came from the same way website and click-stream data is viewed with online campaigns. The IfByPhone app creates a pseudo Web page that is dynamically linked to the Smart Telephone Number assigned to an Ifbyphone customer’s account. Each time the phone rings, a page view is automatically counted by Google to provide advertisers with new insight from their inbound lead generation telephone activity in a far more comprehensive manner. In addition to page views, each telephone number may also be associated with a Google tracking value for source, content, campaign, term and medium.

Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro said, “We’ve now make it easy for any advertiser to track, trace and report a campaign’s specifically assigned telephone numbers that are published in ads and company literature, or aired on television and radio spots, and track calls in Google Analytics.”

Conference Calling API

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:33:00 GMT

Telephone application company IfByPhone released an API that lets developers add "smart" conference-calling capabilities to the websites they build for businesses. Smart Conference Calling is the latest capability to join Ifbyphone’s suite of over 60 customizable, hosted Web 2.0 business telephony applications that help small businesses automate the sales and customer service processes.

The solutions sounds like it will be especially useful for small businesses, especially franchises, associations and other membership organizations that need to initiate conference calls spontaneously for quick consultations. “Our Smart Conference Calling is unique since Ifbyphone calls the designated participants, instead of waiting for them having to dial in,” added Shapiro. “And we give users a sophisticated set of web based conference-call controls. The conference call originator / moderator can add or drop participants, see which participants are present, mute and unmute individual participants and schedule conferences for any time in the future.“

IfByPhone Store Locator

Administrator — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:24:00 GMT

Telephone application company IfByPhone announced it is adding a Store Locator capability to its already robust suite of apps to help businesses convert phone calls into increased sales. IfByPhone's Store Locator routes calls based on the caller ID or the customers ZIP code and then can send those users to a Virtual Receptionist, a Hosted IVR system or a Find Me List. IfByPhone clients can configure the store locator from the Web and advertise and promote one phone number for all locations.

Lead Distributor Call Center

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:15:00 GMT

Telephone application company Ifbyphone has released the Ifbyphone Lead Distributor, a web-based tool that enables SMB's to establish a virtual call center with no upfront costs and a nominal monthly fee.

Users determine how calls get answered based on the time of day, day of week, caller ID, and/or number of call previously transferred to a particular phone number. “In today’s world of virtual home-based employees, Ifbyphone’s Lead Distributor is the perfect solution for flexibly distributing calls to any phone, anywhere, including home offices, in a highly cost-effective manner,” said Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro. “By integrating interactive voice dialogs with automated call distribution we are able to deliver the power of enterprise call handling to businesses of any size.”

One If By Phone, Two If By... Website?

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:40:00 GMT

Telephone application company Ifbyphone has entered into a strategic partnership with SiteKreator (a 'do-it-yourself' service which lets business design and host websites) which will allow clients to integrate an IfByPhone Smart Click-To-Call account directly into their website.

Site Kreator users signing up for an account will be able to place the code immediately into their websites. The IfByPhone solution combines the best of Web and voice services for the purpose of lead generation, offline conversion of sales and customer service opportunities. Let's translate that a bit - it drives Web browsers into Web buyers.

“We’re tightly integrating a suite of Ifbyphone services with a suite of Web-design capabilities from SiteKreator in an easy-to-use, all-in-one environment because our two companies share a mission to bring SMBs the kind of sophisticated telephone-application platform tools that were only available until now to enterprise companies,” said Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro.

Previous coverage of SiteKreator:

SiteKreator Looks To ISPs