On this page
The number is the tracking
A postcard, a newspaper insert and a radio spot all say roughly the same thing: call us. If they all print the same number, you learn only that the phone rang. If each prints a different one, you learn which piece worked. Nothing needs installing and no one needs a link to click. The caller dials, the call forwards to your existing line, and your desk logs it under the number’s label.
What gets its own number
Decide what you would like to compare, then give that thing a number. Common splits for insurance agencies:
- Direct mail: one number per drop, or per list if you send two lists on the same day.
- Print: one per publication, or per issue for a series of ads you want to date.
- Radio and TV: one per station, or per daypart if you buy several slots on one.
- Billboards: one per board, or per cluster of boards in the same market.
- Vehicle wraps, flyers and signs: one per vehicle or per handout batch.
Count what you actually intend to judge. Six mail drops that will always be judged together can share one number. Six stations you want to rank need six.
Local or toll-free for wide-area print
The numbers in VereTel’s plans are local, in an area code you choose, which reads as local to a reader in your market. A toll-free number looks the same to a reader in any state, which can help when a mailer goes to several counties, a magazine has regional readers, or a radio signal crosses a state line. Toll-free numbers on Starter and up are on request: tell us on the Talk to us form and we will tell you what is possible. See toll-free versus local tracking numbers for the trade-offs.
Plan the numbers before the print run
- List every piece and placement and decide which ones you want to compare.
- Choose that many numbers in your account and label each in your own words, such as “Mail · Oct · List B” or “Radio · WXYZ · morning”.
- Confirm each number forwards to the right line before anything is printed.
- Place a test call to each one and check it appears in the desk with the right label.
- Print. Do not reuse a number for a different piece later without noting the date.
On Starter and up, extra numbers cost $5 a month beyond your plan’s allowance. Plans include 1 on Solo, 3 on Starter, 10 on Growth, 25 on Scale. See pricing. Numbers are not on sale yet. Create a free account and ask to be told when they are.
Reading the results
Set the desk’s date range to the window when the piece was live, plus a few days for stragglers. Count calls per label and note how many were missed. Mail and print calls often arrive in a burst after delivery, then taper, so a week-by-week look tells you more than a single total.
Compare each count with what the piece cost, and you have a cost per call for that placement. The desk does not do that arithmetic, but the ROI calculator and our guide to measuring cost per call show how.
Limits worth knowing
- Some people will see a mailer and dial your main number from memory. Those calls will not be attributed to the mailer.
- A tracking number cannot tell you why someone called or whether they bought. The desk has no lead statuses or notes today.
- Old print stays in circulation. A number on a printed piece keeps ringing until you retire it, so keep it forwarding for as long as the piece is out.
Common questions
Do I need a different number for every mailer?
Only if you want to compare them. Pieces you will always judge together can share one number.
What happens when a printed number is no longer needed?
Once you have the number, you can release it in your account. Until then it keeps forwarding, so a stale flyer will still ring your line.
Can I use my existing local number on a mailer?
You can, but you will not be able to tell mailer calls from any other call to that number. A VereTel tracking number for each piece is what makes each piece countable.