Campaign Numbers vs. DNI: Choosing the Right Call Tracking Solution for Your Communities

When families pick up the phone to call your community, they’re often in a critical stage of the decision-making journey. But do you know what prompted that call? Was it your latest Facebook campaign? A Google ad? Or an organic search?

Call tracking helps answer those questions—but not all call tracking solutions are created equal.

In senior living, where every lead matters, understanding exactly what drives your calls is key to making smarter marketing decisions and proving ROI. That’s why it’s important to know the difference between Static Campaign Numbers and Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI)—and when to use each.

What Are Campaign Numbers?

Campaign Numbers are unique, static phone numbers assigned to specific marketing efforts. For example, you might assign one number to a Google Ads campaign, another to direct mail, and another to a billboard.

When someone calls that number, you can attribute the lead back to the specific campaign.

Best Use Cases for Campaign Numbers:

• Offline channels like direct mail or print ads
• Email signatures or nurture campaigns
• Digital channels where you don’t have control over the landing page (like Google)
• Quick A/B tests on CTAs or media placements

Pros:

• Easy to set up and manage
• Provides general source attribution
• Great for measuring top-level channel performance

Cons:

• Doesn’t capture visitor-level data
• Can't track the full prospect journey (e.g., what they clicked before calling)
• Less effective for digital channels with multiple touchpoints

What Is Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI)?

Dynamic Number Insertion takes tracking to the next level by assigning a unique phone number to each individual website visitor. The number changes dynamically based on the traffic source—whether they came from Google Ads, Facebook, or organic search—and links that phone call back to that specific visit.

That means you can track each call down to the exact ad, keyword, and session that drove it.

Best Use Cases for DNI:

• Paid search campaigns (Google Ads, Bing, etc.)
• SEO and organic traffic performance
• Website A/B testing and landing page optimization
• Multi-location attribution and advanced campaign reporting

Pros:

• Tracks calls at the visitor level
• Provides full-funnel attribution for better ROI reporting
• Unlocks granular insights about what’s working—and what’s not

Cons:

• Requires a snippet of code on your website
• Slightly more complex to configure than static numbers

So… Which Should You Use?

For most Senior Living operators, the right call tracking strategy isn’t an either/or—it’s a combination of both Campaign Numbers and Dynamic Number Insertion.

Imagine you’re running a multi-channel marketing campaign: direct mail postcards, Facebook ads, Google search ads, and a brand awareness billboard in a new market. You assign unique campaign numbers to your postcards and billboard so that when someone calls, you immediately know which offline effort caught their attention. It’s simple and effective.

But let’s say a prospect clicks a paid search ad, browses your website, looks at floor plans, then calls your community. With campaign numbers alone, you’d never know that journey. That’s where DNI comes in. It dynamically assigns a unique number to that visitor, connects the call back to the exact ad and keyword they clicked, and gives you a full picture of their digital path to your front desk.

When you pair these two methods, you gain complete visibility—from the analog to the digital, from first touch to final conversation. And that’s exactly the kind of insight that empowers your team to invest smarter, coach more effectively, and ultimately drive more move-ins.

Further’s Call Tracking: The Best of Both Worlds

At Further, we’ve built a Call Tracking system tailored to the unique needs of Senior Living operators. With us, you don’t have to choose between Campaign Numbers and DNI—we offer both.

Our solution includes:

- Static Campaign Number Management for easy attribution across traditional and digital channels
- Dynamic Number Insertion with visitor-level tracking
- CRM Integration so every call is automatically matched with source, campaign, and outcome
- AI-Powered Call Sentiment Analysis to uncover the tone and quality of each conversation
- Full-Funnel Visibility into your marketing ROI—by community, region, or ownership group

Ready to See What’s Driving Your Calls?

Don’t settle for guesswork. Get the full story behind every phone call with Further’s Call Tracking.

Request a demo today by clicking the button at the top of this page. Let’s help your communities get credit for every move-in.

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