The greatest key to success in a Pay Per Call marketing campaign is accountability. At this point in time, marketers have more tools than ever before to help them complete a closed-loop reporting system that takes into account all the touches, offers, and marketing sources that drive consumers toward the brand they are promoting. A closed-loop system still eludes many marketers, mainly because they lack methods for obtaining attribution data that can prove vital to closing the information loop. With a few helpful steps, you can gain a greater understanding of how lead and marketing activities are related.
Capture the Right Data
Decision making is often guided by the data captured by marketers. In order for this to be effective, both marketers and their customers (whether that is corporate leadership or a small-business owner) need to be on the same page about the information that should be collected. Talk with your partners about the metrics they need to see when making a decision. This is important because the data gathered for board meetings could vary from that which is viewed on a day-to-day basis.
Consider collecting both Channel data and Offer data. Using only one data set leaves out important steps in a customer’s path to conversion. Channel data refers to information regarding where and how the lead found out about content, while Offer data refers to the content that interested the customer in the first place.
Select a Data Model
Data models represent outlines of the touches consumers make with your content and brand before purchasing. A first touch-last touch system is the best option for attribution because it shows you the original touch that captured the consumer’s attention, as well as the most recent touch that spurred them to action.
A first touch-last touch system requires relatively little data collection, so if you prefer a more robust approach you could opt for a multi-touch data model instead. This captures every touch on a consumer’s path to conversion.
Assign Credit Across Touches
At this point, your data collection method is set and you’re ready to improve attribution across your marketing efforts. Now it is time to distribute credit to the touches that have led consumers to make contact. If you opted for a first touch-last touch model, revenue and cost credit is given in just two places. Attribution is given to the first campaign and the most recent campaign touch. This approach does leave out other campaigns along the way that may have influenced the consumer, even if indirectly.
A multi-touch attribution system gives you the ability to see a full picture of the consumer’s journey. As such, you can assign weights to each of the consumer’s touches along the way from lead generation to conversion.
Developing a reliable attribution system to capture appropriate data from your Pay Per Call campaign requires patience and communication. You need to work with all your team members to determine the type of reports you need to generate, which data will get you the type of reports you want, and select the appropriate model to collect the data to generate those reports.
Read More: Understanding the Data That Powers Your Pay Per Call Marketing Campaign