At last, you’ve got it: Your new vanity toll-free number. It’s catchy and memorable — and powerful. But only if you get it out there where prospective customers can see it. While you certainly have plans to use it in the next big direct marketing campaign you roll out, keep in mind that there are many other ways you can a vanity toll-free number to boost business and improve ROI.

• Update your advertising. Redesign your ads and get new versions to all the publications, websites, and broadcast outlets where you currently advertise.
• Update your printed materials. This includes business cards, envelopes, packaging, invoices, brochures, and signage. It’s amazing how many people may drive by your bricks-and-mortar business every day and not stop in, but who will call as a result of seeing your 1-800 number.
• Update your website. The new custom toll-free number should be prominently displayed on the home page and any sales pages — not buried on the “Contact Us” page or at the very bottom of the web pages.
• Update your phone message. If people who call your current number get a recording (when you are closed, or if they are on hold), take advantage of those recordings to inform them about the new toll-free number. It will make it easier for them to call you next time.
• Explore new types of advertising that are now open to you with an easy-to-remember vanity toll-free number. Those include vehicle signage, t-shirts, and all manner of corporate memorabilia, from mugs to license-plate frames.

Toll-free numbers are popular for business of all sizes. Large companies and government agencies use them for sales and customer service. But, increasingly, small- and mid-size businesses are finding toll free service to be a valuable tool for marketing, advertising, and direct response research. According to experts, a toll free phone number can level the playing field and help smaller businesses compete. Because a toll free number is often portable, it’s ideal for a small business that may relocate as it grows.
Industries most like to employ toll-free numbers include telecommunications, internet service providers, beauty, banking, insurance, and travel. You’ll also see research organizations list toll free numbers to improve response to their surveys.

No question about it—TV advertising remains one of the best ways to get a time-sensitive marketing message in front of prospective customers. Pair it with a vanity toll free number, and you’re maximizing the chances of a direct response to your campaign.

TV viewers not only see and hear your number—they see and hear it at a time when it’s convenient for them to take action. (This is in contrast to radio and billboard advertising, where the potential customer may be driving a car, in a hurry, or otherwise distracted.)

Yet, since few people watch TV with pen and paper at hand, it helps enormously to use a highly memorable toll free vanity number in your TV ad. It’s no surprise that the proportion of TV ads featuring toll free vanity numbers continues to grow.

A 2005 industry study found that the majority of toll free numbers in TV ads (using the prefixes 800, 866, 877, and 888) are vanity numbers, spelling out words associated with the advertiser’s name or service. Some advertisers claimed that switching from purely numerical toll free number to a vanity number for TV-centric campaigns more than doubled their call volume.

If your business is one of the many bolstering marketing efforts for this holiday season and using TV ads in your campaign, you’ll want to make sure the number you feature is an easy-to-recall vanity number.

Please contact us for more information on getting the perfect toll free number for your business.