Vanity Numbers Hall of Fame Nominations

Vanity numbers are most effective for consumer-facing off-web multichannel advertising campaigns where the number has to be memorized. We nominate 11 great vanity numbers for the hall of fame.

Vanity numbers like 1-800-Flowers are most powerful and effective in off-web advertising campaign channels where the customer sees the ad content or brand placement without benefit of a laptop and perhaps without a mobile device.

“Off-web” is synonymous with any advertising channel where your brand can appear but the customer can’t click on a link, immediately call your number, or even write down your phone number. It can also represent circumstances where your branded phone number and the need don’t occur simulaneously. For example, you may not need to find a FedEx dropoff location when you pass a FedEx truck bearing the number 1-800-GoFedEx.  When you later need to reach the nearest location, you’ll easily remember the number.

Graybar Uses a Vanity Number for Customer Service and Sales

The toll free vanity number aids your marketing campaigns by associating your brand with an easy-to-remember number word. This number word lives in the memory of your customer long enough for the customer to reach a telephone or an internet connection. It does’t matter as much whether you use an 800 or 888 number, for example, as it does that you choose a memorable number word.

Top Channels for Vanity Numbers

Although nearly all the examples we’ll show here are B2C examples, Vanity numbers work great for both B2B and B2C marketing.

For example, every plant manager or builder in the United States will at one time or another buy lighting, electrical panels, motors, or solar equipment from Graybar. Graybar uses 1-800-Graybar as their vanity number, and what an obvious and excellent choice this is for Graybar. It’s the number every customer would guess. When marketing, being obvious about contact information is an advantage.

But which channels really need vanity numbers? Here are the top few channels where vanity numbers can really help. And I’ll bet you didn’t remember packaging, right?

1. Outdoor advertising – Drivers can’t really jot down an obscure number like 800-416-2178
2. Packaging – Sometimes the only instruction the clerk gets is “order some more of these” and an empty box
3. Radio and Television – Consumers are primed to look for catchy number words like 888-CALL-NOW
4. Trade Show Displays – Only half the people who contact you after the show actually stopped in your booth. The rest walked by or saw your number in a flyer, on a frisbee, or in a show catalog.
5. Vehicle Signage – Also on the highway with those drivers who should not be texting or writing
6. Your Email Signature – Yes it’s online, but for most folks they have to find your email, paste the number into their address book or soft phone dialer. With a vanity number, many customer can just recall your number from memory and make the call.
7. Your Business Cards and Letterhead – Again, you can never find a business card with the number you need. An obvious vanity number is a winner here.

Vanity Number Hall of Fame Nominees

We nominate these wonderful vanity numbers for the Vanity Number Hall of Fame. OK, there’s not really a vanity number hall of fame, but these are really great examples of how to compose a vanity number that’s easy to remember.

Vanity Number Nominees

Vanity Numbers – Honorable Mention

Vanity Numbers Hall of Fame – References

The vanity number references here provide some additional insights into how you can use vanity toll free numbers in advertising. You’ll find in these articles more information about the benefits you can gain by associating your brand with a vanity toll free number.

• Vanity Numbers from CallForwarding.com
• 1-800 Business Numbers Work Great as Vanity Numbers
• What’s So Special About Vanity Numbers?
• Advertising with Vanity Toll Free Numbers