How to Track Phone Calls with Facebook Custom Conversions

Are you interested in call tracking and are looking for an effective way to get the job done? Using this method is an excellent way to figure out where you are having success. Plus, marketers can know the specific sources where they are receiving the most traffic.

You can double down on your best traffic sources by funneling more marketing spending towards them. Likewise, you can find the traffic sources that are underperforming and remove them from the rotation.

Facebook custom conversions is a great tool to keep track of how your marketing is progressing. We will show you step-by-step what you need to do to take full advantage of call tracking using Facebook Custom Conversions. It’s a simple process that takes just a few minutes to set up.

What You Need Before You Get Started

You need the bare minimum to get the job done. Here is the inventory:

•       Pixel Helper Chrome plugin
•       Pixel correctly installed on your Facebook account
•       Your website set up with call functionality using the intended number
•       GTM installed for use on pixel implementation

Other than that, you don’t need anything special to complete the steps outlined below.

1^st Step: Create the Custom Event

The custom event feature will be the basis for the Facebook custom conversion. To adapt the standard lead event, you’ll need to change the name. To start, we can use a short script from the Facebook lead event:

     fbq(‘track’, ‘Lead’);

This article is about tracking phone calls, so we need to modify the code from “Lead” to “Click to Call” and change the “track” to “trackCustom.” You don’t need to be a qualified programmer to make these simple modifications. Here is the completed code:

     fbq(‘trackCustom’,’Click to Call’)

2^nd Step: Use Google Tag Manager to Create a Facebook Event

The idea is that the event activates when a person clicks on your number. Therefore, the event needs to be set-up correctly so that the activation trigger works.

Google Tag Manager (GTM) allows you to do this straightforwardly. Using GTM to manage pixel implementation means you only need two extra steps to complete the process.

Firstly, the customer event needs a new brand tag, which you can call something like “Facebook Pixel.” Suitably named brand tags are a helpful idea to avoid confusion down the line.

Start by selecting the custom HTML tag. Secondly, set-up the trigger so that there is activation when the event takes place. Use “tel” as the identifier and use “click” as the action. It means that the action is triggered when someone clicks on your phone number.

The GTM preview mode allows you to save the tag and test it. You’ll then need to publish the new tracking implementation to see if it works in the real world.

3^rd Step – Test Facebook is Receiving Your Custom Event

The third step is to test that the first two steps are correct. Use the Facebook pixel chrome extension and click on the phone number of your website. The event should appear as soon as you click.

You can also view the event in the Ad Manager, which is the next test you should perform. Navigate to the pixel menu and click on “details.” You will need to scroll down to see the event.

4^th Step – Create a Custom Conversion

Don’t overlook the last step of the process, which is to create a custom conversion. It allows you to figure out the number of clicks on your CTA from the campaign. The goal of marketing is to get the CTA clicked by as many potential buyers as possible. However, without tracking its success, you’re shooting in the dark.

Head over to “Custom Conversion” in the “Measure & Report” section of the menu. Here you need to fill out the form to create the custom conversion. It takes an extra few minutes but is worth the hassle.

Conclusion

The four-step process outlined above is simple and has a minor learning curve. Once you set-up the first Facebook Custom Conversion call tracking, then you can work at a faster pace in the future. Before you know it, you will be using Facebook custom conversions to track phone calls on all your pages. Then you can move on to call tracking with SEO!

Get in touch with CallScaler now to ensure your call tracking increases your company’s marketing success.