Tag Archives: vanity numbers
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Posted on May 17, 2011 by Gary G
Your business phone number is often the first solid impression a customer has of you. After all, it’s the only part of your ad they’ll go out of their way to remember. What it says about your business is important. A regular 10-digit number is hard to remember but a vanity phone number creates a lasting impression. These numbers create a clever or memorable association with the business, and provide a higher level of competition. At other levels, they are nice but unnecessary or not valuable at all.
Vanity numbers first hit the scene in the 1970s, as an adjunct feature to AT&Ts toll-free number service. They didn’t get much traction until a 1984 law mandated that all toll-free numbers must be portable between long-distance providers. This portability suddenly made vanity numbers an attractive proposition, since a memorable number you can’t move with you can be as much a liability as a benefit.
Why Get One
As cell phones, with their inherent free long-distance and portability, grew in popularity some expected vanity numbers and other toll-free services to fade. What they didn’t count on was that vanity numbers would become a matter of prestige among businesses and their customers. Since vanity numbers were once the hallmark of established national corporations, any company with a vanity number appears more established and professional. A brand-new company can take on an air of experience and importance simply by having a vanity number.
Posted in Small Business, Toll Free & Local Numbers |
Tagged vanity numbers |
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Posted on September 28, 2010 by Gary G
If your company does business via phone or uses display advertising, a vanity toll-free number is a must. Expecting rushed viewers to remember a random 10 digit string is simply unreasonable, and relying on this could destroy the bottom line. However, not all of these numbers are created equally.
While any vanity number is certainly preferable to a normal one, they, too, can be problematic unless proper precautions are taken. Indeed – picking out the perfect vanity number is something of an art form.
Here are a few key steps:
Stay Away From “Hybrid” Numbers
The whole point of a vanity toll-free number is letting viewers abstract the numbers away by remembering letters instead. Unfortunately, some business owners manage to mess this concept up by using what are known as “hybrid numbers.” We’ve all seen these. It’s when a company uses a telephone number like 1-800-642-PETS.
While PETS is surely easier to remember than 7387, there’s still that pesky 642 to worry about. Chances are, more than a few viewers wont remember it. Instead, strive to get a full word or phrase, such as 1-800-PET-FOOD.
An excellent real-life example of what to shoot for is 1-800-FLOWERS (of course we know these aren’t always available but you can also check the 866, 877, 888 or 855 version)
Posted in Marketing & Brands, Tips & Tricks, Toll Free & Local Numbers |
Tagged Toll Free Numbers, vanity numbers |
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Posted on March 3, 2010 by Gary G
When you start a business there are obviously a number of things you need to think about. One of these things is your phone system. While it may seem fine to start with your cell phone, eventually you will want to expand, have a dedicated number, hire employees and so on. Using your personal cell phone probably isn’t going to work for long.
What is it you will really need though? A big expensive PBX system? An extra phone line? A virtual phone system is a low cost solution that may be exactly what you need.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing your phone system & plan:
Phone Numbers
Your phone number is the first thing to consider and hopefully will stay with you as your business grows. Your phone number will be how your customers communicate with you.
Posted in Small Business |
Tagged 800 number, Local Numbers, Small Business, Toll Free Numbers, vanity numbers, virtual phone number, virtual phone system |
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Posted on February 19, 2010 by Gary G
While we have an FAQ section on the site, I thought we could address a few things specifically about 800 numbers right here on the blog.
Here are a few common facts about 800 numbers that you may not know.
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A “true” 800 number is simply a toll free number with an “800″ prefix.
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You own your 800 number.
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800 numbers are portable. If you change service providers, you can take your 800 number with you.
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800 numbers that spell out a company name, product, etc are called “vanity numbers”.
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800 numbers have been around for over 35 years.
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800 numbers are regulated by the FCC.
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800, 888, 866 & 877 are all toll free numbers. The only difference is the numbers themselves.
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800 numbers can be used for home numbers as well as business numbers.
Posted in Toll Free & Local Numbers |
Tagged 800 number, Toll Free Numbers, vanity numbers, virtual number, virtual phone number |
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Posted on January 29, 2010 by Gary G
Being in the business of 800 numbers, we love to see what other people are using, especially when it comes to vanity numbers. Vanity numbers are a great way to market your business and help your customers find, contact and remember you.
Most of us are familiar with big names like 1-800-FLOWERS, 1-800-CONTACTS or 1-800-MATTRESS but there are so many other numbers out there, creative ones. Since it’s Friday we thought we’d have a little fun and show some of the lesser known 800 numbers out there.
Here are 5 of our favorite 800 numbers:
- 800-Giant-Men
The Gentle Giant moving company sure knows how to grab our attention.
- 800-Virus-No
McAfee makes it known just what their product does. Backwards but you still get the point.
- 800-Junk-USA
College Hunks Hauling Junk found just the right 800 number. Unless of course they used 800-Junk-Hunks
Posted in Toll Free & Local Numbers |
Tagged 800 number, vanity numbers, virtual phone number |
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