800 vanity numbers can enhance your sales call volume and help promote your business. However, if you choose a vanity number that doesn't appeal or is too confusing, it will not have the desired impact on your bottom line. Vanity numbers should be easy to remember and somehow relate to the product or service that your company offers. While this may seem like a simple task, it's more difficult than it appears to be.

If you have the resources available, it’s prudent to test market a vanity number to see which numbers people respond to the most. To maximize the profit potential of a vanity toll free number, incorporate it in all media your company uses. The vanity number should accompany print, television, Internet and radio advertising to utilize it properly. When you’re making the most of 800 vanity numbers, there are few items to consider:

1. Employ the services of a vanity number marketing consultant.

2. Understand the do's and don'ts of vanity 800 numbers.

3. Locate 800 vanity numbers available in your industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Contact a professional to help you market the vanity number

A vanity number can boost sales and increase visibility. However, if you aren't comfortable establishing a marketing campaign for your vanity number, it may be prudent to hire a professional. These experts understand the market. They also know how to maximize the profit potential available with a vanity number.

I recommend: Contact Primary Wave Media to begin structuring a plan for your vanity number. Fill out an information request form from CallSource, which can help market and purchase 800 numbers for your company.

Utilize the experience of others to make the most of your toll free vanity numbers

As the old saying goes, 'There is no need to reinvent the wheel.' You can use the experience of others to make the most of a vanity number. This information can provide you a toll free vanity number roadmap that will help you avoid the pitfalls and achieve the best possible outcome.

I recommend: Examine the five common mistakes when you purchase 800 numbers from Tele-Name Communications and then use its vanity number categories to help you choose the right vanity phone number for your business. Read the six vanity number do's published by Target Marketing.

Get an 800 number that relates to your industry

Choosing a vanity number that doesn't remind people of your product, service or industry is potentially a waste of money. If the vanity number fails to impress the company brand in the mind of the customer, they won't think of your company when they need its particular product or service. This is what marketer's call a 'product disconnect.'

I recommend: Use the services from 1800PATHWAYS.COM to locate an available vanity number in your industry. Establish a website with VanitySource to accompany your vanity number marketing campaign.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  During a vanity number search, it's important to remember that the number is only a small part of your company's overall marketing campaign. If your company chooses a vanity number that doesn't reflect your mission statement, it can damage the overall brand recognition of your business.

An 800 "vanity number" that spells something — maybe your business name or special keywords — is a great way to help brand and market your business. Vanity numbers are easy to remember ("an instant recall toll-free trigger," in one company's words) and send a message to customers that you're a "player."

True 800 numbers that spell something business related are rare; most were taken long ago. But catchy numbers for the newer toll-free prefixes 888, 877 and 866 can still be found if you know where and how to look. The right vanity number can give you an instant edge over the competition.

Three things to keep in mind:

1) Unlike vanity license plates that cost a lot more in most states, toll-free "vanity" phone numbers don't cost any more. You pay the same whether it spells something or not. You can also "bank" several numbers now that you might want to use in the future, and pay only a small fee to hold them indefinitely.

2) Sometimes an easy-to-remember number trumps a number that spells a word, name or phrase, so don't automatically assume the "vanity" feature is better.

3) Think beyond 7-letter words. While the number is only 7-digits (i.e., 800-123-4567), the word or phrase you advertise could be longer (but not too much longer). When a caller finishes dialing the first 7 digits, the number will connect. Any additional numbers they might continue to punch in won't matter. Many businesses use vanity numbers that contain an extra letter or two.

Business.com's "What Works for Business" blog is a great way to keep up with the latest solutions, trends and strategies for small and medium business — including marketing ideas for small business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a toll-free search tool to find your perfect number

Online toll-free number search tools are terrifically helpful. All phone companies draw numbers from the same pool, so you can check availability anywhere, but sign up with a different company if you want.

I recommend: A search tool lets you quickly try out different letter and number combinations to see if anything is available in 800, 888, 877 or 866 all at the same time. AT&T's Toll-Free Lookup Tool is one of the easiest to use and most helpful available.

Use special tools and 'wildcards' to make your search easier

Using 'wildcards' in a number search tool in place of letters or numbers will make your search easier.

I recommend: For example, if you want the word "food" in your toll-free number, you could search for "***-FOOD" which would return all available toll-free numbers spelling the word FOOD as the last four digits. The AT&T lookup tool offers this capabililty. AT&T also offers a very handy toll-free recommendation tool that you can use to get a list of vanity number possibilities. Insert keywords or special terms, your business name, trademark or something else and the tool brings back number variations that might work.

Need help? Hire a vanity number specialist

Toll-free specialty firms help small companies find and set up the perfect vanity number.

I recommend: Dial 800 will assign a "Vanity Number Brand Task Force" to help your business find just the right number, using a keyword phrase that resonates with your target customers. They'll help identify your brand, select keywords, and set up your entire toll-free marketing program.

Can't find the right number? Try 3rd party providers.

A variety of firms have snapped up batches of toll-free numbers that they make available to small businesses.

I recommend: Firms such as Gotvmail, OurTollFreeNumber.com, Ring Central, TollFreeMax and Kall8 provide instant toll-free number activation for as little as $2 per month. One advantage of using these third-party providers is the additional features you get, such as online tools to track and manage your toll free numbers in real time, activate and forward 800 numbers and analyze results. Ring Central, for one, lets you pick a number before you proceed so you get what you want.

Consider 'shared use' toll-free vanity numbers

Shared-use services offer vanity numbers for dozens of specific types of businesses, from accountants, attorneys and antique dealers, to veterinarians, welders and window companies.

I recommend: Telename provides shared-used vanity numbers used by hundreds of businesses. You can search for something that works by category or check the entire list that includes numbers such as 800-Apt-Rent, 800-Framing, 800-Music Store, 800-Roof-Care and hundreds more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you have your vanity number, put it to work. Make it part of your regular branding. Splash it across your website, ads and marketing materials. Incorporate it into every promotion that your business does.
• •  Keep track of your toll-free activity, including calls from current customers as well as leads and prospects.

When customers call your company through 800 vanity numbers, it can boost their recognition factor of your business. Rather than just having a random phone number, a vanity number can stick in a person's mind and make a callback more likely. How many times have you seen those commercials where phone numbers spell out "get loans" and, despite your mind's best effort, you cannot forget the service numbers? Well, this is the distinct advantage that understanding the 800 vanity numbers basics can give your company.

A vanity number that is toll free can give your customer the added benefit of not accruing any charges. This will encourage a better relationship between you and your customer base. Vanity 800 numbers not only create brand recognition, they also make it easier for employees to remember the number, as well. However, before you purchase 800 numbers of any variety, there are a few items to consider:

1. Determine the 800 vanity numbers basics for the purchasing process.

2. Understand the regulations involved when you purchase 800 numbers.

3. Analyze the cost benefits when you get an 800 number.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start with the basics by verifying the toll free vanity number availability and pricing

Before you purchase a toll free vanity number for your business, it's important to decide the number that best suits your company and know the most cost effective way to attain that number. For instance, a company that relies heavily on sales may be much more apt to purchase a vanity number than a small company that has minimal sales revenue.

I recommend: Use the toll free vanity number look up tool available at Custom Toll Free, which allows you to search a variety of prefixes by number or phrase. Contact your local phone service provider to get vanity number rates and then contact a sales associate at RingCentral to compare the two.

Recognize the basics of regulatory implications of using a vanity toll free number

Most people don't realize that a toll free call to your business from in state is actually more expensive than one coming from outside the state. This is due to how each state taxes phone calls within its borders. This is just one aspect of the toll free number basics that you need to be aware of before any purchase.

I recommend: Contact the Federal Communications Commission and examine its tutorial on consumer facts regarding the toll free number industry. Scrutinize the vanity number frequently asked questions at 800 Adept where you’ll find the answers to many of the basic questions.

Evaluate the basics concerning potential sales revenue increase through using a vanity number

Just because a vanity number works for one business, doesn't make it a good fit for every business. You need to analyze and extrapolate the potential revenues minus the cost of the number. A proper cost benefit analysis will always help in making any business decision. If you need further assistance, a media consultant could be another option.

I recommend: View the advertising recall charts from Watershed Publishing, which show the effectiveness of 800 vanity numbers compared to regular numeric phone numbers. Contact the media experts at Primary Wave Media to learn more about the benefits of a vanity number and find out more about their toll free vanity number pricing and assistance.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you have the 800 vanity numbers basics down, be sure to ask the sales consultant about number sharing. This is cost effective in that your business can have a partnership with another business using the same phone number. This works great if your customers are only local and don't require national coverage with the 800 numbers for business.

Many businesses use toll-free numbers to allow customers to ask questions or make orders without paying long-distance fees. Vanity toll-free numbers also help promote a business when they use the letters of the phone pad to spell out key words about a business, product or service. There are many ways that companies benefit from using toll-free numbers. Some of the basic key terms for vanity toll-free numbers help to define how a business uses a toll-free number to facilitate transactions or boost sales.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Wildcard look-up tools

Wildcard look-up tools are automated software utilities on the net that help those looking for vanity toll-free numbers find out what's available. These tools help users find a phone number containing a specific string of numbers that the business wants to include in its phone number.

I recommend: Find out more about wildcard look-up tools from AT&T.

Prefix

The prefix is the part of a phone number that comes before the rest of it: the first three of ten digits. Common toll-free numbers use prefixes 800, 877 and 866.

I recommend: Get details on prefixes from Get 800 Today.

Shared-use numbers

A shared-use, toll-free number is an affordable choice that allows businesses to share the same number using PIN codes and other features. Shared-use numbers may be used when a business finds that the original number it wanted is already in use.

I recommend: Find out about shared-use numbers (at the bottom of the page) at 800AAATelecom.

FCC restrictions

The FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, moderates the use of toll-free numbers. This leads to some aspects that buyers of toll-free vanity numbers think about when considering a purchase.

I recommend: Learn more about how the FCC handles toll-free numbers at How Stuff Works.

Enhanced voice mail services

Toll-free providers offering enhanced voice mail services differ from traditional carriers in several ways. The main one is that enhanced voice mail services (a type of telecom service involving call carrying plus other extras) can go far beyond what standard carriers can offer, with high-tech automated answering services that will accommodate customer call-ins to a large degree and take part of the communications burden out of a business.

I recommend: Learn more about what enhanced voice mail services may offer at Toll-Free Numbers.

Word numbers, or alphanumeric numbers

Because of the way that vanity toll-free numbers sometimes promote a company or product through words, some refer to them as word numbers or as alphanumeric numbers.

I recommend: See more on these terms for vanity toll-free numbers, as well as more on using toll-free phone numbers for business at Street Directory.