7 Tools SMBs Can Use to Track Leads

When local merchants spend big on digital marketing, they expect to see results. Without using the appropriate tracking technology, however, it can be downright impossible to determine whether a marketing method is working. According to a survey of 500 SMBs conducted by Street Fight, only 34% of merchants are trying to determine where every lead comes from. The same survey found that only 4% of merchants use call tracking, while 13% use promotion codes and coupons to determine whether a marketing method is working.

It’s in the best interest of vendors to ensure that their merchant clients know what tools are bringing customers into their stores. When a vendor doesn’t provide its own lead tracking technology, it makes sense to look outward and recommend other tools that SMBs can use. Here are seven options, each fit for a different type of business or marketing scenario.

1. CallFire: Track the effectiveness of digital campaigns.
Merchants who run multiple digital campaigns can use CallFire to determine which of those campaigns is resulting in the greatest number of inbound calls. Businesses purchase local and toll-free phone numbers from CallFire, and they use those numbers in their online and offline advertisements. In addition to offering extensive phone number tracking tools and reports, CallFire can also be set up to record inbound calls and integrate with Google Analytics. CallFire offers a pay-as-you-go plan that costs 5¢ per minute/text, with no monthly fee. An upgraded Lite plan, with 2,500 minutes/texts, costs $99 per month.

2. ResponseTap: Optimize campaigns using call-based marketing automation.
ResponseTap uses call-based marketing automation to improve marketing effectiveness and generate better customer experiences. Merchants are able to connect the online and offline customer journey and attribute ROI more accurately by using dynamic telephone numbers and integrated call conversion data. Individual website visitors are assigned unique telephone numbers the entire time they’re on a merchant’s website. By the time a merchant answers a ringing phone, he or she already knows how the customer found the business and what the customer is looking for. These insights can help the merchant target his or her sales efforts. ResponseTap offers flexible pricing and agency-specific rates.

3. Invoca: Make calls as trackable as clicks.
Invoca goes beyond basic call tracking, with advanced attribution and optimization strategies. In addition to tracking the number of calls resulting from various online and offline campaigns, Invoca uses integrated POS and CRM sales data to track revenue. When merchants tie revenue to campaigns, they have a clearer picture of how spending should be adjusted. Invoca’s call attribution model can be used by merchants to better understand cross-channel and multi-device marketing performance without making any changes to their phone systems. Invoca’s pricing starts at $1,000 per month.

4. ReachEdge by ReachLocal: Understand which channels are driving sales.
An online marketing provider for SMBs, ReachLocal uses lead conversion software to help clients understand which channels are working. Once it’s added to a merchant’s website, ReachEdge captures all incoming contacts (including emails, calls, and web forms), and filters those contacts by marketing source. The ReachEdge mobile app notifies merchants when potential customers make contact, allowing merchants to classify those leads or listen to call recordings right away. Merchants are provided with reports that show how many leads are coming from each marketing source, including non-ReachLocal campaigns. ReachEdge software costs $149 per month.

5. Ringostat: Use call tracking to optimize advertising budgets.
Ringostat was designed to measure the effectiveness of different advertising channels. The call tracking vendor works using a special webpage code that shows website visitors different phone numbers, depending on how they arrived at a business’ website (or other user attributes). When a website visitor calls the number, he or she is forwarded to the business’ landline or mobile phone, where the merchant takes the call. Ringostat tracks call statistics and adds events into Google Universal Analytics. Businesses have the option to connect Ringostat with their CRM systems. Small businesses that pay $50 per month get five connected numbers and five forwarding schemes.

6. Telmetrics: Prove which ads are making the phone ring.
Telmetrics uses trackable numbers, placed inside advertising campaigns, to improve lead generation. National marketers are provided with performance data from their calls, along with caller demographic profiles. Real-time analytics let merchants identify trends and response levels by campaign. A mobile call tracking solution known as m.Call also tracks and reports calls generated by mobile search and banner ads without relying on call tracking numbers. Businesses can contact Telmetrics for specific pricing information.

7. InTouch: Forecast future revenue by tracking sales opportunities.
InTouch offers a suite of sales and marketing tools for small businesses. The company’s sales tracking feature links leads in the sales pipeline with follow-up tasks. Using automation, InTouch can add leads to a merchant’s database every time a customer completes a website contact form or every time customer contact details are entered into a contacts database. Leads can then be filtered by phrase or product, allowing merchants to review and track leads coming from specific sources or campaigns. InTouch’s pricing starts at free for basic contact management.

Know of other lead tracking tools for local merchants? Leave a description in the comments.

Stephanie Miles is a senior editor at Street Fight.