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Many small business owners find themselves wondering if it’s really worth it to get a vanity phone number for their company. After all, in today’s digital-centric age (and a world where almost everyone has caller ID), does the business phone number even matter?
Ultimately, it does. Vanity numbers are easier for customers to remember than a typical ten-digit number, so they’re more likely to call a business with a local vanity number. This guide walks through the essential facts about vanity phone numbers, including what they are, why they work, and how to get one set up.
What is a vanity number?
When a business owner gets a vanity number, they’re purchasing a specific phone number. But it isn’t just any phone number: it’s a sequence of numbers or letters that’s easy to remember. If it’s a sequence of letters, they’re alphanumeric, with each letter represented by a specific number. One of the most famous examples of a vanity phone number is 1-800-FLOWERS. It’s a huge part of their brand recognition: even though they do most sales online these days, it’s still their brand name.
It’s easy to think of other vanity phone numbers. For example, one local vanity number might tell listeners to “Dial all 9’s” as the phone number to reach the local injury attorney. A vanity number of all 3’s might use a jingle to make the number stick in the person’s mind (easy to remember when they need to make a phone call to that business).
Super 8 Motels even has a toll-free vanity number of 1-800-800-8000. The number is easy to remember, and since it contains a lot of eights (their brand name), it suits their brand identity well.
Related: The 6 Best Business Phone Services
Do vanity phone numbers work?
Custom phone numbers cost money, so it’s only natural that a business owner would want to be sure they’re worth the effort and expense. It’s a little tricky to find super recent statistics about them (it’s not a heavily researched topic). One commonly cited statistic from around 2008 claims that there’s an 84% improvement rate in number recall for vanity phone numbers over ordinary ones. That, in turn, leads to a higher call volume, and ultimately, a boost in sales. There have even been surveys that have shown some customers feel more comfortable working with brands that have toll-free numbers because they seem like more “elite” brands.
Why Toll-Free Vanity Numbers Work
Here are a few of the main reasons why vanity phone numbers succeed, even for smaller brands:
- Easy to remember: Linguistic associations just “stick” in people’s minds. All too often, people who would have become actual customers don’t because they can’t remember the phone number or they lose it, even in the era of cell phones and caller ID.
- Make product connections: Often, vanity numbers are verbally associated with the product or service that the brand provides. For example, 1-800 FLOWERS makes a very clear connection with the product they sell. A personal injury attorney might use a line like HURT-NOW to associate their number with the relief they give clients after an accident.
- Professionalism: As mentioned earlier, customers tend to have higher opinions of a brand when its business number is a vanity number. The number appears very professional and more competitive than a business with a normal number.
- Continuous marketing: Even after a business ends a marketing campaign that featured its vanity number, there’s a good chance that customers will continue thinking about it. Vanity numbers tend to imprint on people’s minds and get repeated.
How to Get Custom Vanity Numbers
Small business owners can buy vanity phone numbers from a variety of different service providers. GoDaddy is a very famous provider, but there are plenty of other providers, such as 800.com, NumberBarn, RingCentral, RingBoost, and more.
These providers often have different pricing plans for custom numbers, with some offering flat fees, monthly subscriptions, or annual ones. Some even offer perks like the ability to keep an existing cell phone, text messaging, and more. Ultimately, a business owner will need to do some research to find the provider that works best for them and their business needs.
Conclusion
As simple as vanity numbers appear, they can be a strategic choice for a small business owner who wants to make a good impression on their customers. They’re memorable, they send a professional image, and they can boost call rates, all in exchange for a fee that many entrepreneurs find is worth the expense.
