You are driving to work in rush hour traffic, half listening to the news on the radio. You hear the date and realize that today is your sister’s birthday. Mildly panicked, you grab your cell phone to order flowers. What number will you dial? If you are like most, you will dial 1-800-FLOWERS. Most people do not have the local florist on speed dial but everyone can recall 1-800-FLOWERS.
A toll-free vanity number combined with strong branding statements can help your company stand apart in a competitive marketplace. Sit N’Sleep Mattress maximized its memorable slogan, “We’ll beat any advertised price or your mattress is freeeee” with a 1-800-FREEEEE vanity number.
Toll-free vanity numbers optimize advertising efforts by providing an easy-to-recall Vanity number for customers to follow up which facilitates direct response. There are three types of response times in advertising:
1)Immediate. Customers hear the advertising message, want what is being offered, and buy it.
2)Delayed. With a delayed response, the customer hears the message but is too busy to take immediate action. They want what is being offered and plan to take action later.
3)Long Term. You hear or see the marketing message and you are interested but may not take action for a week, month or even a year later.
Vanity numbers provide an effective follow-up solution for all response types. Customers will remember how to reach you whether they need your services today or long after they have heard or seen your advertising message.
The immediate customer can effortlessly move from hearing to buying with a vanity number. The delayed response customer does not have to hunt for pen and paper or stop their activities to write down a phone number. A customer in need of flowers will remember 1-800-FLOWERS even if responding hours later.
Long-term response customers may not have an immediate need for the product or service (i.e. plumber, travel agent, automobile). Vanity numbers provide a strong recall trigger for customers who do not or cannot respond in the short term.
