Short-Term Memory: Why 800 Vanity Numbers Are More Effective

How Do People Remember Phone Numbers

Human short-term memory is incredibly limited – most people can only retain seven items in their short-term or “working” memory.  If you want to test someone’s short-term memory, give them a string of random numbers, like a phone number, and then ask them to repeat it.  They can probably do it the first time, but if you give them a new string and ask them to perform some activity before repeating it back, they’ll likely have forgotten.

Helpful Tips for Memorization

To combat the weakness of short-term memory, people have been devising mnemonics since the time of the ancient Greeks.  A number of memory tricks are popular today, all based on the idea that you can associate a string or list of information with a simple concept that’s easy to remember.

Method of Loci: a technique advocated in ancient Greek and Roman texts.  To memorize a list of information, picture yourself walking through a familiar place, like a house or a park.  At certain places, stop and “deposit” a piece of the information.  To recall the information, “walk” the same route in your head, and pick up each piece of information in turn.

Acronyms: a technique popular in many schools.  Use the first letter of each word in a list to form a word or phrase that’s easy to remember – for instance, many people remember the order of mathematical operations with the acronym “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” (parentheticals, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction).

Get a Vanity Number So People Remember Your Business

Chances are, the first time potential customers see your phone number, they won’t already have a memory key prepared for it.  Help them out by creating the memory key for them.  With an 800 vanity number, you give customers the ability to remember your phone number by using a word that’s associated with your business.  It’s much easier to remember that a real estate company’s phone number is 1-800-NEW-HOME than 1-800-639-4663.  Contact us today to learn more about using a vanity number to increase response rates and improve your customer service.