The benefits of branding are well-known, but the disadvantages are often overlooked. Business owners invest a lot of time and effort into the design and marketing of their brands. A strong brand name can easily be remembered. However, cost remains a barrier to branding.
A lot of costs are involved in developing and promoting a brand (hiring a designer, printing new business cards/letterheads, etc). Aside from these, intangible downsides exist that you should be aware of, including the following:
Impersonal: Many branded businesses struggle to get the “hearts and minds” of their customers. They lose their personal touches because they are now catering to a larger market. In addition, a poorly implemented strategy can lead to a feeling that your business is losing its touch.
Fixed Image: Once you think of a branding image, it is important to stick to it. Although advantageous over the short- and even medium-term, this inflexibility may become a hindrance once you want to expand. That’s the reason why global companies develop different brands for different niches. If the brand becomes too big, it may hinder your ability to sell products. For example, a renowned soap brand will find it hard to sell condiments to its present customers.
Timescale: It is generally accepted that people need to see a brand at least three times before your message penetrates their consciousnesses. This need is costly and may involve a significant amount of time before it takes effect.
Image Credit: © Abdul Qaiyoom | Dreamstime.com
1. Website
Using your vanity number on your website is critical. Some people try to get by with just an email contact form, but failing to deliver credibility with full contact information can drastically reduce the advertising effectiveness of all your online marketing campaigns. In fact, it has been proven that providing your toll free number on your website not only increases conversions but helps prevent charge-backs.
2. Social Media
You should not only be including your vanity number on your company’s social media profiles but on your personal ones as well. This listing will make it easy for those who want to refer you business to pass on your business phone number.
3. Business Cards
Although the power of business cards may have become underestimated in the last couple of years due to all the other marketing channels available, you should have them, and you must have your vanity number on them. In fact, you should have a system that provides and requires all of your employees to have your toll free number on their business cards. This consistency not only improves effectiveness but makes sure you don’t lose clients when employees leave.
4. Email Signature
Many Internet marketing gurus are now insisting that you include links to your social media in your email signature, but doing so isn’t a substitute for including your vanity numbers. You don’t want prospects to get lost surfing Facebook; you want them either to email you or to pick up the phone and make a deal now!
5. Display Advertising
This tip should not even need to be mentioned; however, some companies still, surprisingly, attempt to use local numbers. You only have seconds for your number to be remembered, and using toll free numbers on your display advertising also provides easy capture of callers who do not leave a message and enables you to track performance better.
6. Blog
While you probably already have your vanity number on your website, you will probably find that your blog may receive more visits and that your traffic is spending more time on your blog each visit, so you must not overlook your blog as a crucial place for your vanity number to be prominently displayed.
7. Direct Mail
Direct mail has recently seen a resurgence in success, but without using your 800 numbers for testing and tracking, you are giving the edge to your competition.
When obtaining new vanity numbers, many organizations question which of their marketing pieces to feature them on. The answer is definitely all of them! If you have multiple vanity numbers for different marketing strategies and campaigns, of course, they should be used appropriately, but you should have at least one main constant toll free number that is displayed on all of your communications.
At first glance, it is already apparent that toll free numbers can yield a lot of benefits for both big and small businesses. A toll free number conveys a sense of credibility, professionalism, and customer care. In this regard, one particular challenge comes to mind, “What is the best place to promote toll free numbers?” Beyond advertising your toll free number on television and in print, placing it on products is an excellent way to keep your company at the top of the customer’s mind.
