I think every business owner would agree that branding is a very important part of a business marketing strategy. That’s why so much thought goes into the business name, company logo, and even the color scheme that’s used on the company website and other marketing media. The whole point is to create a business brand that is recognizable to as many people as possible.
What’s often overlooked in this equation is the company phone number – particularly the toll-free vanity number. Businesses that don’t have a toll-free vanity number are missing out on a huge branding opportunity. And this can even be true for local businesses.
Toll-free vanity numbers can be used in a couple of ways.
- If your company is already well known in the market, a good vanity number might contain the company name, or part of it. 1-800-STEEMER is a good example. Stanley Steemer is a widely recognized carpet cleaning company.
- If you’re not so well known, you might want to opt for a vanity toll-free number that describes your service or product line. If you sell or service cars, you might go with something like 1-800-555-CARS, or 1-800-555-AUTO.
If you can’t figure out how to squeeze your name, service or product line into 7 digits, you might be able to just add the additional digits to the end of your actual phone number. For example; you could advertise your toll-free number as 1-800-CLEANCARPET when your actual number is 1-800-253-2622 (1-800-CLEANCA). Most telephone switching systems will just drop those four additional numbers that correspond to “RPET”. However, this may not work when the number is dialed from some cell or digital IP/VoIP phones.
If you are a local business with no aspirations of expanding to a broader regional, national or international market, you can still benefit from having a toll-free vanity number. It’s all about perception.
Even though you’re only doing business locally, having and advertising a toll-free vanity number gives the appearance that you’re much larger than you really are. In the minds of consumers, larger means more trustworthy.
If you’d like to further explore how a toll-free vanity number can help in branding your business, contact us online or call 1-800-NEW-SALE. We’re here to help.