Is your company ready to try a new growth strategy? Consider choosing a toll-free vanity or mnemonic phone number for your organization. By doing this, you will choose a phone number that spells out a phrase or name. It’s powerful because it’s much easier for customers to remember a vanity number than a random string of numbers.
Typically, businesses use the name of their business, a product name, or simply what they offer as the basis for choosing the numeric combination, such as 1-800-FLOWERS. This customized number takes the place of a traditional phone number and can make your business’ phone number instantly recognizable and memorable.
While a vanity number could be locally based, 555-FANS for instance, it is often built on the toll-free platform because there are seven digits available for customization instead of only four.
Vanity Number Benefits
Vanity numbers can enhance your company’s image with current and prospective customers. The image boost is often due to the association of toll-free numbers with more reputable businesses, since the burden of payment is on the company and never the caller. The use of a toll-free number leads customers to believe that your business goes beyond the local market and that you have the stability of a larger company.
Vanity numbers can also enhance industry recognition by promoting a product or service, such as legal services (ex. 1-800-LAWYERS). Vanity numbers can even directly advertise your brand, with a number such as 1-800-PICK-UPS.
When used with mass advertising outlets, such as billboards or direct mailings, having an easy to remember phone number can help customers act. For example, with a vanity number, callers do not need to write down a number spotted on a billboard or heard on a commercial while driving. The ease of recall helps convert this prospect into a customer.
Caution!
While vanity numbers can help promote business image and branding, unique combinations are now sometimes hard to find. The toll-free industry has expanded beyond 1-800 into 888, 877, 866, and 855, 844, and recently, 833 prefixes. Even with more options, unique combinations are in high demand.
If a combination is available but is also associated with one of the other prefixes, confusion can ensue. Likely, dialing 1-800-FLOWERS, instead of 1-877-FLOWERS, will not reach the same company. This mix-up could cause customers to not receive the level of service they’ve come to expect from your organization.
Due to the scarcity of vanity numbers, your organization may also be tempted to use unique spelling to obtain a number. However, this often backfires, as your customers reach other companies with the correct spelling.
The Competitive Advantage of Vanity Numbers
If you have a vanity number that reflects your organization, it’s important to incorporate it cleverly into your marketing and branding. With the right vanity number, your customers are far more likely to remember your number when they need it. Using slogans and phrases that incorporate your vanity number engagingly into advertising campaigns will help customer recall as well. When your vanity number is paired with effective marketing campaigns and excellent customer service, your organization can build and sustain a distinct competitive advantage.
Are you ready to look for a vanity number? Halloo can help! Click here to search for available numbers.