Data analytics is a cornerstone of effective digital marketing, and the challenge for many of today's organizations is finding ways to bring this data to traditionally offline channels. Until all channels of a marketing campaign can be effectively tracked and analyzed, marketers are only working with part of the picture — and that means they'll never have a truly comprehensive view of their company's performance.

In that regard, call tracking software addresses a major blind spot that marketers have had to work around. Thanks to increased referral traffic from mobile devices, along with innovative strategies for tracking calls and collecting data, marketers now have the tools necessary to examine the organization's success in using phone calls to improve the customer experience. As HubSpot pointed out, It can also shed light on which channels are most effective at driving phone referrals, which will improve budget allocation for marketing campaigns in the future.

Phone call tracking isn't the inefficient headache it was years ago. Thanks to smartphones and built-in click-to-call buttons available through mobile apps and mobile search, the pipeline that funnels referrals to a business phone is easy to observe and analyze.

Many companies recognize how the benefits of call tracking can do wonders for a local establishment, or for any business that relies on person-to-person communication to drive conversions. When implemented correctly, phone call tracking can increase conversion rates while shedding light on the effectiveness of other components of your digital marketing strategy. Here are three key benefits of call tracking any company can enjoy.

Phones may have changed dramatically over the years (just think about the transition from the rotary to the iPhone), but the value of phone calls as a selling tool has remained constant. Brands of all industries rely on phone call communication as a primary means of engagement with consumers, a tool for problem-solving and as a solution to the challenge of how to improve customer service.

The value of direct conversation hasn't diminished, but the way those conversations are powered has changed dramatically. Call tracking can record a range of data points that offer better insights into what people want. Meanwhile, call monitoring and recording can still be used to provide quality assurance on customer service experiences. Plus, these insights can also be paired with gleanings from call tracking analytics.

For brands looking to improve their phone call service, the path to improvement is wide-open.

Search engine marketing (SEM) may have taken a backseat to social media marketing in recent years, but this type of advertising is still one of the most cost-efficient ways for businesses to reach their target audiences — by leveraging the power of key phrases to deliver ads to a highly relevant audience. While you may know the basics of this marketing tool, there are some specific benefits of SEM you may have overlooked.

You Get More Bang for Your Buck

While there are plenty of moving parts to a holistic marketing campaign, search engine marketing produces a high conversion rate for relatively low investment. Though there are cost fluctuations depending on the type of business being promoted (Search Engine Watch has a great run-down of varying costs across different industries), on the whole, SEM is often more cost-effective than other forms of digital marketing.

When it comes to mobile search, trends indicate there seems to be no stopping the rush of traffic it delivers — and you can let this boom go to work for you. Mobile searches exceeded fixed internet access back in 2014, according to Search Engine Watch, changing the way businesses operate forever. Now, according to a recent Google study, 1.5 billion people visit destinations related to their searches each month. Small- to medium-sized local businesses are in a prime position to take advantage of this shift.

Your SEM strategy is in place. Now, you're set to kick back and watch that traffic roll in and convert — but not so fast. If your calls-to-action (CTAs) are weak, your click-through rates (CTRs) will be, too. After studying our own paid search campaigns, CMG found that ads with a strong CTA produced CTRs that were about five times higher than ads with weaker CTAs. What makes a strong paid search CTA? Take a look at these three tips.

Talk to Your Audience Directly

Use phrases that address why the customer might be looking for you to begin with. Instead of using clichés like "Click Here" or "Buy Now," your text should showcase benefits you can offer the customer, and you should talk to your customer directly. CTAs that performed best in the CMG study include "Use discount code SURFSUP!", "Shows start at $17. On sale now!" and "Call now for a free estimate." Specificity gets your customers' attention, and it also works on search engines. CTAs that speak to your audience can be used for page titles, or within the meta description.

More than ever, customers are calling local businesses directly from searches, without ever visiting a company's website. For SMBs, it's easier than ever to use call tracking not only to monitor this surge, but also to connect online and offline worlds and get a better return from investments.

But before answering the questions "How does call tracking work?" and "What can it do for my business?" it's important to understand what it is.

What Is Call Tracking?

Call tracking simply means monitoring your business's incoming phone calls. With call-to-action buttons easily incorporated into digital marketing campaigns, particularly SEM, it's simple to collect a great deal of information. Without this technology, however, it wouldn't illuminate your offline campaigns — or help you monitor customers who dial rather than click to call. Thus, you might assume a particular campaign isn't working, and you could be making a costly mistake.