This is a followup to the web site posting we made last week  exploring the Twitter/Mongoose Metrics Phone Call Tracking integration through our API. We felt it would be helpful to touch upon some of the frequently asked questions in this blog post.

First, phone call tracking through Twitter has always been possible through Mongoose Metrics’ AccuTrack 1:1 service. You just need to tweet to a tracking number associated that that tracking number’s appropriate postback URL. You can do so with Google’s URL builder tool. This is helpful if you wish to include a tracking number on each tweet at a broad level.

With Twitter phone call tracking, our focus was on how AccuTrack Session can use our API to integrate with Twitter’s API  to construct unique DMs to all followers. Each of these DMs will include a unique phone tracking number. This is a mass auto DM method.  With Mongoose Metrics’ AccuTrack Session API there is an auto phone number provisioning method that allows you to select your follower and provision a new tracking numbe into the DM. Hence, constructing a DM and provisioning and publishing phone number can all be done in one step. Since AccuTrack Session charges only for the publishing of the phone number, a Twitter auto DM phone call tracking campaign could be launched at an affordable cost related to the size of your list.  Since each follower now as a unique tracking number each call will be published to their DM.

Before you consider phone call tracking your followers through Twitter’s DM think about waht your Twitter community would think of this advertising.  I must admit that I am not engaged enough in the Twitter community to understand its marketing potential. Your followed may consider these positings spam.  I suggest caution because there are many in the Twitter community who have well constructed arguments against mass DM methods.   Here is a great discussion I found that brings out the arguments on both sides of the issues.

I’m in the camp that believes that if you don’t like what you’re getting in your DMs you should unfollow.  However, I would be wary of conducting a phone call tracking campaign through mass DMing if your followers are not expecting such messages.  I think a far more sound approach would be to create a Twitter account where followers know ahead of time that there will be marketing DMs. There is currently now way to segment followers in Twitters and this seems like the best compromise.

Marketing DMs could come from a Twitter account such as “[mycompany]CallForDeals”. Think of a local restaurant where it is hard to get a table and  reservations free up at the last minute. Consider the travel industry where last minute promotions can entice customers. These are just two quick example, but  I’m sure there are many other inductries where phone call tracking through Twitter’s mass DM can proves helpful.

In the end it’s up to you and your Twitter community to find ways where this model might work. However, from a technical level, phone call tracking to Twitter DMs can easily be done through Mongoose Metrics’ AccuTrack Session API.

Jeff Tirey is a Co-Founder of Mongoose Metrics you can find him @TireyTv