Top 10 Call Marketing Automation FAQs
 

Call marketing automation – is that a fancy way of saying telemarketing? Does it mean call tracking? Will it produce leads? The term is simple, the technology robust, and the applications countless, yet there’s still a haze of ambiguity around exactly what call marketing automation really is.

To remove the mystery and show you exactly how it can optimize marketing efforts, improve ROI and increase sales, we’ve answered the top 10 frequently asked questions about inbound call marketing automation.

1. Does call marketing automation have anything to do with telemarketing?

Easy answer: no. Google “what is telemarketing” and this is the answer you’ll get:

The marketing of goods or services by means of a telephone call, typically unsolicited, to potential customers.

Call marketing automation is the solution that helps marketing and sales teams streamline the inbound call channel, so they can drive more qualified inbound leads.  

Let’s break it down a bit more. First, call marketing is any marketing effort that drives an inbound phone call. Did you include a phone number in a magazine ad or radio spot? Does your company’s website display your phone number? Do you use click-to-call links in your mobile search campaigns? If so, that’s call marketing. The automation piece is how you track calls to marketing efforts, automate call treatment, and capture in-depth call marketing analytics so you can do more. 

2. Who should use call marketing automation?

Call marketing automation benefits anyone who values phone calls.

• Brands and advertisers use Invoca’s call marketing automation for all offline, online and mobile call-based campaigns. Industries like insurance, higher education, home services and any company that has high-consideration products or services should be using call marketing automation.

• Marketing agencies also take advantage of our technology to drive quality calls to clients and manage their partnerships.

• Performance/affiliate networks and publishers use it to support pay-per-call campaigns. 

3. If I already use marketing automation or CRM software (e.g. Marketo, Eloqua, Salesforce) why do I need a separate call marketing solution?

First let’s define marketing automation. Marketo summarizes it as the technology enabling marketers to “streamline, automate and measure marketing tasks and workflows so they can increase operational efficiency and grow revenue fast.”

That’s great, but there are limitations when it comes to offline marketing efforts and transactions – including phone calls. When a consumer visits a website and makes a call, or places a mobile call by pressing a click-to-call link, traditional marketing automation doesn’t track those interactions. Using Invoca with marketing automation and your CRM enables you to track the performance and outcome of calls along with clicks in one place. We close the loop between marketing efforts and revenue so you can make data-backed optimizations.

4. Doesn’t Google Adwords and Analytics provide the call tracking and analytics I need?

Google Adwords introduced call extensions, allowing you to include a phone number in your PPC ads. Combine call extensions with Google forwarding phone numbers and you can track calls from your desktop or mobile ads. But that’s it.

Without complete call marketing automation you have no idea if those were high quality calls or whether they led to sales. You don’t have the routing and call filtering features, and if a consumer clicks your ad through to your landing page THEN places a call, you’ll be completely in the dark as to the source of the call. Using Invoca call marketing automation with Adwords gives you the full picture of your PPC performance and helps you optimize marketing spend. You can even attribute phone calls down to the keyword enabling you to boost ROI on your keyword spend.

5. How is call marketing automation different from call tracking?

Call tracking is a single feature in the suite of call marketing automation functions and capabilities. Call tracking allows you to fingerprint a call to its lead source. Invoca’s complete call  marketing solution gives you the tools for: 

• Customizable call treatment
• Expanded marketing distribution
• Marketing partner and commission (if applicable) management
• Integrations with third party tools

6. I want more phone calls. Does Invoca’s call marketing automation deliver phone calls?

Call marketing technology doesn’t drive phone calls, your marketing efforts do that. But call marketing technology empowers you to do it better and more cost effectively. You have all the tools you need to save resources, improve campaigns, and turn up your marketing spend on the channels that work.

Invoca’s unique call marketing platform also provides the framework to expand your reach and increase call volume through marketing partners offering syndication and pay-per-call campaigns.

7. How can I be sure I only get the calls I want?

With advanced call filtering and routing, you only receive the type of calls and the amount of calls you want. Quality filtering allows you to weed out low quality leads or consumers that don’t fit your business or offer.

Call routing lets you transfer calls to a call center, store branch, or business line depending on any factor you can think of: day, time, region, mobile vs landline callers, repeat callers, existing vs potential customers, and more. No more wasting time transferring calls or talking to low quality leads.

8. Does call marketing enable geo-targeting?

The short answer is yes. With call marketing automation you can automatically transfer callers to the nearest location of your store or branch. This is especially beneficial for businesses with several locations or a national distribution of stores. Geo-specific routing enables you to advertise on a national level but still ensure each location only receives local callers.

9. How will call marketing automation improve my mobile marketing efforts?

Google reports that 70% of mobile searchers have used click-to-call to contact a business directly form the search results page. A lot of business is handled over the phone, and call marketing automation lets you keep track of those offline, mobile transactions.

With Invoca’s platform you can also create click-to-call links that appear in your online ads, landing pages and website making it easy for your mobile customers to call you.

The mobile features don’t stop there. Give your mobile callers the opportunity to opt in for SMS text messages that will provide an extra opportunity for customer engagement and loyalty.

10. What is DNI (Dynamic Number Insertion) and why do I need it?

Invoca’s patented DNI technology, called RingPools, is one of the coolest and overlooked call marketing features. RingPools, when used on a website or landing page, replaces your static company phone number with a unique RingPool phone number based on the PPC, banner or mobile ad, search engine, referral source, or even the keyword used to find your website.

Ultimately RingPools help you follow your customers’ paths to purchase when online marketing efforts lead to phone calls. 

With those questions answered I hope you have a better understanding of what call marketing automation is and how it can give your marketing the edge it needs to drive calls, streamline your efforts and grow revenue. 

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