Complete Guide to Offline Conversion Tracking (2024)

These days, people shop both online and in stores. This can make it tricky for businesses to understand which online ads actually lead to sales. Offline conversion tracking helps solve this problem. It connects your online ads to what customers do in the real world, like visiting your store or calling your business. This helps you see which ads really work and get the most out of your advertising budget.

So whether you’re selling in stores or online, offline conversion tracking shows how well online ads are working, helping you fine-tune your sales strategies. 

Understanding Offline Conversions

What are Offline Conversions?

Imagine someone sees your ad online and then walks into your store to buy something. That’s an offline conversion! It’s when your online marketing, like those ads you run on Google or Facebook, leads to a sale that happens offline.

Offline conversions can be anything from someone visiting your store after clicking an ad, to them calling your business, or even mailing in an order form. It’s all about connecting the dots between your online efforts and real-world results.

What is Offline Conversion Tracking?

Offline conversion tracking helps you understand how your online ads influence what customers do offline. Basically, it measures how your online ads lead to real-world results, like customers coming into your store or contacting your sales team.

By tracking these offline conversions, you can see the full picture of your marketing impact. This helps you:

• Know which online ads really work: See which ads drive those valuable offline actions.
• Improve your ad campaigns: Make smarter decisions about where to spend your advertising budget.
• Get a better return on your investment: Focus on the strategies that bring in the most customers.

Essentially, offline conversion tracking bridges the gap between your online marketing and offline sales, giving you the insights you need to maximize your results.

Why is Offline Conversion Tracking Important?

Offline conversion tracking is very important because it gives you the complete picture of your marketing success. It’s easy to track online sales, but what about those customers who see your ad online and then make a purchase in your store, over the phone, or even weeks later?

Here’s why you can’t afford to ignore offline conversions:

• See the real impact of your ads: Don’t just track clicks! See which online ads actually drive real-world results like store visits and sales.
• Make smarter decisions: Understand which online channels (like Google, Facebook, or Instagram) bring in the most customers and invest your budget wisely.
• Optimize your campaigns: Fine-tune your targeting, messaging, and bidding strategies based on what’s truly driving offline sales.
• Improve your ROI: By understanding the full customer journey, you can focus on the strategies that deliver the highest return on your ad spend.
• Get a holistic view of your customer: See how online and offline interactions work together to drive conversions.

In short, offline conversion tracking helps you connect the dots between your online marketing and offline success. It gives you the insights you need to make better decisions, optimize your campaigns, and ultimately grow your business.

Optimizing Offline Conversions

What is “Optimize for Conversion Value”?

Imagine you’re running a shoe store. You sell everything from basic sneakers to high-end designer boots. Wouldn’t it be great if your ads could focus on bringing in customers who are most likely to buy those expensive boots? That’s exactly what “Optimize for Conversion Value” does in Google Ads.

Instead of simply trying to get you the most sales, this setting prioritizes the most valuable sales. It helps Google Ads identify and target the people who are most likely to spend more, increasing your overall revenue and giving you a better return on your advertising investment.

Here’s how it works:

• You tell Google Ads what’s valuable: You assign values to different customer actions (like purchases or sign-ups) based on how much they’re worth to your business.
• Google Ads finds the high-value customers: Using its smart technology, Google Ads automatically adjusts your bids to reach the people who are most likely to take those valuable actions.

By focusing on conversion value, you’re not just getting more sales, you’re getting the right kind of sales – the ones that have the biggest impact on your bottom line.

When to Use Offline Conversion Tracking 

Offline conversion tracking isn’t just for businesses with physical stores. It’s a powerful tool for any business that wants to understand the full impact of their online advertising. Here’s when it’s especially useful:

• You have a physical store: Track how your online ads drive store visits, in-store purchases, and other offline actions.
• You offer services: Measure how online ads lead to phone calls, consultations, appointments, and service sign-ups.
• You have a long sales cycle: Connect online ad clicks to offline conversions that happen days, weeks, or even months later.
• You want to track specific touchpoints: See which online ads lead to key milestones in the customer journey, like contacting sales, downloading brochures, or attending events.
• You want to optimize your ad spend: Get a clearer picture of your ROI and make data-driven decisions about where to invest your advertising budget.

Technically, if you want to understand how your online marketing influences offline actions and ultimately drives business growth, offline conversion tracking is a must-have.

Offline Conversion Tracking for Every Industry

No matter what business you’re in, offline conversion tracking can help you see how your online ads are working. Here are a few examples:

• Stores: See which online ads bring people to your store and get them to buy things.
• Real Estate: Find out which online ads lead to people viewing properties and closing deals.
• Healthcare: Track which online ads get people to book appointments.
• Car Dealerships: See which online ads convince people to visit your dealership and take test drives.
• Banks: Track if your online ads get people to visit your branch or apply for loans.

By tracking what customers do after they click your online ads, you can get a better understanding of how your marketing is working and make smarter decisions.

What You Need to Track Offline Conversions

Think of tracking offline conversions like building a bridge between your online ads and your offline sales. Here are the building blocks you’ll need:

1. A Conversion Tracking Pixel:

This is a tiny piece of code that lives on your website. It’s like a hidden camera that records when someone visits your site after clicking on your ad. Think of it as the starting point of your bridge.

Here’s how to set one up:

• Create a pixel: Platforms like Facebook and Google make this easy. They’ll give you a unique code snippet.
• Install the code: Add this code to your website. You might need a little help from a developer if you’re not comfortable editing your website’s code.
• Define your offline conversions: Tell the pixel what actions you want to track, like store visits, phone calls, or in-person purchases.
• Test it: Make sure your pixel is working correctly so you can trust the data it collects.

2. A Way to Collect Offline Conversion Data:

This is how you’ll record those valuable offline actions. You might use:

• Your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system: If you use a CRM to manage customer interactions, it can be a goldmine of offline conversion data.
• Your point-of-sale (POS) system: This can track purchases made in your store.
• Call tracking software: This can help you connect phone calls to specific online ads.

3. A Way to Connect the Dots:

This is where the magic happens. You need to link the data from your pixel (online ad clicks) to the data from your offline tracking system (offline actions).

• Unique IDs: Platforms like Google and Facebook use unique IDs (like GCLID and FBCLID) to track individual ad clicks. Capture these IDs and store them with your offline conversion data.
• Data integration: Use tools like Zapier or APIs to automatically send your offline conversion data to your ad platforms.

By putting these pieces together, you can build a complete picture of your customer journey and understand the true impact of your online advertising.

Facebook Offline Conversion Tracking

If you’re running ads on Facebook and you see they’re driving people to call your store or come in and buy something, you might want to boost your spending there to get even better results.

How to Set Up Facebook Offline Conversion Tracking

Want to see how your Facebook ads drive real-world results? Offline conversion tracking unlocks those insights. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Connect the Dots:

• Link your Facebook pixel to your CRM or POS system: This allows Facebook to see what happens after someone clicks your ad. Think of your CRM (like Salesforce or Zoho) or POS system (like Shopify) as the record keeper for your offline sales.
• Popular CRMs/POS systems: Facebook plays nicely with many popular tools, making this connection a breeze.

2. Tell Facebook What to Track:

• Create custom conversions in Facebook Ads Manager: Define the specific offline actions you want to track, like “store visit,” “phone call,” or “purchase.” This tells Facebook what to look for in your CRM or POS system.

3. Set Up Offline Event Tracking:

• Enable offline event tracking in your CRM or POS system: This ensures that the important offline actions are being recorded and properly labeled for Facebook to understand.

4. Send Your Data to Facebook:

• Regularly upload your offline conversion data: This can often be automated, so Facebook gets a constant stream of information about your offline sales.

That’s it! Once you’ve set up offline conversion tracking, you’ll be able to:

• See which Facebook ads drive the most offline sales.
• Understand your true return on ad spend.
• Optimize your campaigns for better results.

By connecting your online and offline data, you can get a complete picture of your marketing performance and make smarter decisions about your Facebook advertising.

What is FBCLID?

FBCLID stands for Facebook Click Identifier. It’s a parameter that Facebook adds to the URLs of your website when someone clicks on your ad from Facebook. This helps track the performance of ads by showing which visits to your website came directly from Facebook ads.

To set up offline conversions, add the FBCLID parameter to the page URL where the conversion occurs.

After someone fills out a form on your thank you page, you can grab the FBCLID and send it to your CRM or sales tools.

What is Facebook Conversion API?

The Facebook Conversion API is like a direct line of communication between your website and Facebook. It allows you to share information about what people do on your website, even if they don’t make a purchase online. This is especially important for tracking offline conversions, like when someone sees your ad on Facebook, then visits your store or calls your business.

Think of it like this:

The Facebook pixel is like a messenger who observes what people do on your website and then reports back to Facebook. But sometimes, this messenger can be blocked by things like ad blockers or privacy settings.

The Conversion API is like sending a direct message to Facebook. It bypasses those potential blockers, ensuring that Facebook receives accurate information about valuable customer actions, even if they happen offline.

Here’s why it’s important:

• More reliable tracking: Get a more accurate picture of your ad performance, even with ad blockers and privacy changes.
• Better data control: You have more control over the data you share with Facebook.
• Improved ad performance: By providing Facebook with more complete data, you can help improve your ad targeting and get better results.

In short, the Facebook Conversion API is a powerful tool for businesses that want to:

• Track offline conversions more reliably.
• Gain deeper insights into customer behavior.
• Maximize the effectiveness of their Facebook ad campaigns.

Facebook Conversions API or API documentation can be found here.

Zapier Facebook Conversions

Zapier makes it easy to connect your Facebook ads to your other business tools, like your CRM. This means you can automatically send information about offline conversions (like store visits or phone calls) to Facebook.

Why is this helpful?

• Saves time: No more manually uploading data to Facebook!
• Shows the full picture: See how your ads lead to real-world results.
• Improves your ads: Facebook uses this data to show your ads to the right people.

Getting started is simple:

1. Connect your accounts: Link Zapier to Facebook Ads and your CRM.
2. Set up a “Zap”: Tell Zapier to send offline conversion data to Facebook.

With Zapier, you can put your Facebook ad tracking on autopilot and get more out of your advertising budget.

Google Offline Conversion Tracking

Google’s offline conversion tracking lets you measure the sales you’ve generated from your AdWords campaigns, even when customers don’t purchase items online. You can track phone calls, store visits, and other types of conversions that happen offline.

Google has a great article on creating and setting up offline conversions.

Pro tip: Make sure you turn on auto-tagging and grab the GCLID in your sales process.

What is GCLID?

The Google Click ID (GCLID) is a unique code that Google attaches to your website links in ads. When someone clicks on your ad, this ID tags along in the URL they land on. You can use the GCLID to track offline conversions like phone calls or in-store sales that happen after someone clicks your ad.

How to Use GCLID for Offline Conversion Tracking:

1. Capture the GCLID: Add a snippet of code to your website to grab this unique ID from the URL.
2. Store the GCLID: Save this ID in your CRM or any system you use to track offline conversions.
3. Connect the dots: Match the GCLID with the corresponding offline action (like a sale or phone call) to see which ad led to that conversion.

Why is this important?

• See the full picture: Understand how your online ads drive real-world results.
• Optimize your campaigns: Make data-driven decisions about your ad spend and target the right audience.
• Improve your ROI: Get more out of your Google Ads budget by focusing on the strategies that drive offline sales.

Need help with the code? If you’re not a web developer, you can easily hire someone to add the GCLID tracking code to your website. It’s a small investment that can pay off big time by giving you valuable insights into your customer journey.

Google Ads API

Want to see which Google Ads actually lead to sales at your store or over the phone? You can! Just tell Google Ads to track “offline conversions” and upload your sales data. This helps you see which ads really work and get the most out of your advertising budget.

Zapier Google Ads Offline Conversions

To set up Offline Conversions in Zapier, start by making a new zap and choose Google Ads as your trigger. Then pick “Offline Conversion” as your action, and put in your Google Ads account info. Choose the specific offline conversion you want to keep an eye on. With Zapier, you can send conversion data from your CRM to Google Ads for each step of the customer journey.

Importing Offline Conversions to Google Ads

You’ve tracked those valuable offline conversions—now it’s time to get that data into Google Ads so you can see the full picture of your ad performance!

Here’s how to import your offline conversions:

1. Set up conversion tracking: In your Google Ads account, create a new conversion action specifically for your offline conversions (e.g., “store visit” or “phone call”).
2. Organize your data: Put all your offline conversion information into a spreadsheet. Make sure to include important details like customer information, the date and time of the conversion, and any relevant IDs (like the GCLID).
3. Import your data: Upload your spreadsheet to Google Ads. You can find the import option under “Tools & settings” > “Measurement” > “Conversions.”

That’s it! Once your data is imported, Google Ads will connect your offline conversions to the clicks on your ads, giving you valuable insights into which campaigns are driving results.

Google Enhanced Conversions for Leads

Google Enhanced Conversions for Leads lets businesses track offline actions like phone calls or store visits. This way, you can see how much your online ads really help and make sure the right channels get credit for leads and sales.

Google enhanced conversions for leads work by using first-party data that is then hashed and attributed back to the click.

When you log a sale offline, Google uses customer details like first name, last name, phone number, and email to link it back to the ad click.

What are Google WBRAID and GBRAID Parameters?

Apple’s iOS 14 update made it harder to track ad clicks from iPhones and iPads. To help advertisers, Google introduced two new tools: WBRAID and GBRAID.

Think of them like special codes that help Google understand what happens after someone clicks your ad on an Apple device.

• WBRAID: Tracks when someone clicks your ad and then does something on your website.
• GBRAID: Tracks when someone clicks your ad and then does something in your app.

These tools help you see which ads are working, even with Apple’s new privacy rules. So you can keep getting the most out of your Google Ads!

LinkedIn Offline Conversion Tracking

Want to know which of your LinkedIn ads lead to actual deals? Offline conversion tracking can show you!

By connecting your LinkedIn ads to your offline sales data, you can:

• See the full picture: Understand which ads drive valuable actions like sales calls, demos, and deals – even if they happen offline.
• Target the right people: Make sure your ads reach the professionals who are most likely to become customers.
• Prove your ROI: Show how your LinkedIn ads contribute to your bottom line.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Add the LinkedIn Insight Tag to your website: This little piece of code helps LinkedIn track what people do after they click your ad.
2. Set up a lead generation form: This makes it easy to capture leads from your LinkedIn ads.
3. Connect your offline data: Tell LinkedIn about your offline conversions, like closed deals or sales calls.

With offline conversion tracking, you can unlock valuable insights into your LinkedIn ad performance and make sure you’re getting the most out of your campaigns.

Importing Linked In Offline Conversions

You can upload offline conversions to LinkedIn Ads from a customer relationship management (CRM) system or a data file:

You need to set up a server-to-server integration with LinkedIn to send offline conversions from your CRM system. For details on how to set this up, check out the guide on setting up server-to-server integrations.

To upload offline conversions from a data file, create a CSV file containing the offline conversions you want to upload. The CSV file must include the following columns:

• timestamp
• event type
• amount
• currency
• email
• first name
• last name

Popular Tools You can Use to Manage Offline Conversions

1. Zapier – Zapier is a cloud-based application that allows users to connect and automate various web applications
2. Make – Make is a no-code automation platform and is supported by a variety of platforms.
3. LeadsBridge – Ledsbridge offers a wide range of integrations with popular CRM, marketing, and sales platforms, making it easy for users to transfer leads between different systems.
4. LiveRamp – LiveRamp is a data onboarding platform that helps marketers connect their customer data to over 100 marketing platforms.
5. Adobe Marketo – Marketo allows businesses to automate and measure marketing activities and provides a single view of the customer.
6. Ruler Analytics – Ruler Analytics provides out-of-the-box integration for offline conversions, call tracking, and lead attribution.
7. Google Tag Manager – Google Tag Manager is a free tool allowing the management and deployment of marketing tags (such as pixel tags, analytics, and remarketing tags) on your website or mobile app. There is no need to edit your code.

How to Protect Privacy in Offline Conversion Tracking

You’re capturing valuable customer data to track offline conversions, but it’s important to handle this information responsibly and respect privacy.

Here’s how to ensure your offline conversion tracking complies with regulations like GDPR and CCPA:

• Obtain consent: Always get clear consent from customers before collecting and using their data for tracking purposes. Be transparent about how you’ll use their information.
• Anonymize data: Whenever possible, anonymize or pseudonymize customer data to protect their identities. This might involve removing identifying information like names and email addresses or replacing them with unique identifiers.
• Provide opt-out options: Give customers the choice to opt-out of tracking. Make it easy for them to withdraw their consent at any time.
• Secure data storage: Implement strong security measures to protect customer data from unauthorized access or breaches.
• Stay informed: Keep up-to-date with the latest privacy regulations and best practices. Laws and guidelines are constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay informed and adapt your tracking methods accordingly.

By prioritizing privacy in your offline conversion tracking, you can build trust with your customers while still gaining valuable insights into your marketing performance.

The Future is Now: Smarter Offline Conversion Tracking

Offline conversion tracking isn’t just about spreadsheets and manual uploads anymore. Here’s how technology is making it even smarter:

• AI is taking over: Artificial intelligence is helping to better understand complex customer journeys and figure out which online ads truly lead to offline sales.
• Everything is connected: New tools are making it easier to track conversions across different platforms and devices, giving you a complete view of your marketing.
• Privacy matters: New methods are being developed to track conversions while keeping customer data safe and secure.

So, while the basics of offline conversion tracking remain the same, keep an eye out for these exciting advancements that can make your tracking even more accurate and effective.

Offline Conversion Tracking: Best Practices for Success

Want to get the most out of your offline conversion tracking? Here are some tips to ensure accurate, reliable, and privacy-compliant tracking:

• Ensure data accuracy: Double-check your data for errors and inconsistencies before importing it into your ad platforms. Accurate data leads to accurate insights.
• Use unique IDs: Always capture and store unique identifiers like GCLID and FBCLID to connect online ad clicks to offline conversions.
• Automate data uploads: Use tools like Zapier or APIs to automate the transfer of offline conversion data to your ad platforms. This saves time and reduces errors.
• Monitor your match rates: Keep an eye on how well your ad platforms are matching your offline conversions to online clicks. Low match rates could indicate technical issues or data discrepancies.
• Respect customer privacy: Obtain consent, anonymize data where possible, and provide opt-out options to comply with privacy regulations.
• Stay up-to-date: Keep learning about the latest offline conversion tracking techniques and best practices to stay ahead of the curve.

When you follow these best practices, you can maximize the effectiveness of your offline conversion tracking and gain valuable insights into your marketing performance.

Turn Online Ads into Offline Success

Offline conversion tracking might seem complicated, but it’s simply about connecting the dots between your online ads and the sales that happen offline. By tracking these conversions, you can see which ads really work, make smarter decisions about your marketing, and get more out of your advertising budget. So, start tracking those offline conversions today and unlock the full potential of your online advertising!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Offline Conversion Tracking?

Offline conversion tracking is the process of measuring and attributing sales, leads, or other conversion events that occur offline, such as phone calls, in-person purchases, or form submissions, to online marketing efforts. It helps businesses understand the effectiveness of digital campaigns that lead to real-world actions.

How Does Offline Conversion Tracking Work?

It works by linking data from offline events (e.g., phone calls, purchases in physical stores) with online interactions. This is typically achieved by uploading offline conversion data (such as customer information or transaction IDs) to platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or CRM tools, where it can be matched with users who previously engaged with online ads or websites.

Why is Offline Conversion Tracking Important?

Many businesses operate across both online and offline channels. Without offline tracking, companies can’t get a full picture of how online ads drive offline sales or leads. It helps to improve return on investment (ROI) measurement, optimize ad spend, and fine-tune marketing strategies based on more accurate data

Which Industries Benefit Most from Offline Conversion Tracking?

Industries like retail, automotive, healthcare, real estate, and professional services that rely heavily on offline interactions, such as in-store purchases or consultations, can greatly benefit from offline conversion tracking.

References

About conversion tracking – Google Ads Help

What is Conversion Tracking? A Beginner’s Guide