Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI) is a call-tracking technology that dynamically assigns a unique phone number to each visitor based on their marketing source (PPC, social media, organic search, etc.). When they call your business, you know exactly which ad brought them in. Google Tag Manager (GTM), essentially a tool that transports data points to GA4, assists this technology further by tracking various on-site behaviors- what pages on a website they visited, how long they stayed, and whether they’ve been to your site before and much more.
Together, they create a complete picture of your customer’s journey, from first exposure/ click to your service or product to making a phone call. As Ruler Analytics explains:
If your business generates leads over the telephone, DNI is essential if you want to find out which of your online marketing efforts is generating the best results.
This applies to many businesses, including dealerships, hotels, law firms, and service-based industries. And if you’re using Pay per Click or PPC, DNI isn’t just helpful—it’s a necessity. With every click costing money and tight budgets requiring maximum efficiency, DNI ensures you’re not wasting precious ad spend on campaigns that generate clicks but no actual phone leads- the lifeline of many businesses.
3 Ways DNI & GTM Supercharge Your Marketing (Especially for Dealerships)
1. Pinpoint Your Highest-Converting Ads & Keywords
Not all leads are equal. Some callers are ready to buy; others are just browsing. With DNI + GTM, you can:
- See which ads drive the most calls that convert (vs which ones are duds).
- Identify high-intent keywords (e.g., “best truck deals near me” vs. “SUV reviews”).
- Pause underperforming campaigns and shift budget to what actually works.
Example: A dealership discovers that YouTube ads generate 3X more calls than Facebook- so now they can reallocate their budget, accordingly, saving thousands in wasted ad spend.
2. Retarget & Nurture Leads More Effectively
When a lead calls but doesn’t buy right away, DNI + GTM lets you:
- Track their entire digital journey (pages visited, time on site, returning visits).
- Retarget them with hyper-relevant ads (e.g., if they looked at SUVs, show them SUV inventory updates).
- Sync data with your CRM to personalize follow-ups (e.g., “Still interested in the F-150 you called about?”).
Example: A CRM-integrated dealership sees that leads who call after visiting their “Trade-In Calculator” page have a 40% higher close rate—so they prioritize those leads in sales follow-ups.
3. Optimize Bids & Budgets in Real-Time
With DNI + GTM, you can:
- Set custom conversion values (e.g., calls over 2 minutes = high-quality leads).
- Adjust bids based on call data (e.g., increase spend on keywords that drive calls, not just clicks).
- Test ad variations to see which messaging gets phones ringing (e.g., different formats and styles).
Example: A service department finds that “24/7 emergency repairs” drives more calls than “affordable oil changes”—so they update their ad copy and see a 25% increase in booked appointments.
The Cost of Not Using DNI & GTM
Failing to implement DNI and GTM comes with serious consequences for your marketing ROI and sales pipeline. First, you risk pouring money into campaigns that look successful (with high click rates) but ultimately generate zero phone calls- the most valuable conversions for many businesses.
Even worse, you lose the ability to retarget leads who called but didn’t immediately convert, since you can’t trace their original marketing source.
Without this crucial data, you’re forced to rely on guesswork rather than data-driven optimization, trapping your team in a cycle of inefficient trial-and-error marketing. The stakes are real: Invoca’s 2023 report revealed that 62% of marketers overspend on channels that appear effective but fail to drive actual conversions- a costly mistake that proper call tracking could prevent.
The Bottom Line? Stop Guessing, Start Tracking
Next Step: Pair DNI & GTM with a Smart CRM
To maximize your results, integrate call tracking with a smart CRM that lets you drill further into your data that can do all the work for you. Ruler Analytics suggests, a good CRM can “scrape the revenue data attributed to that user and fire it back to your preferred marketing Apps. So, revenue will be attributed to the correct channels, campaigns and keywords all without you lifting a finger.” In summary, it allows you the flexibility to:
- Automatically log call data to leads.
- Track revenue back to the original ad source.
- Personalize follow-ups based on the caller’s journey.
The result? More leads, higher conversions, and a marketing strategy that actually pays for itself.
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