| Vanity numbers, also known as phone words in | | | | vanity numbers usually start with 1-800, 1-866, 1-877, or |
| Australia and Japan, are the alphanumeric equivalents | | | | 1-888. The most popular is 1-800. A toll-free vanity |
| of phone numbers. Do you notice three to four letters | | | | number is much easier to remember because it spells |
| that correspond to a number (1-abc, 2-def, and so on) | | | | something that relates to the business or individual. |
| in a phone's number pad? Basing on your own | | | | Examples are 1-800-PAINTS for a paint company or |
| telephone number, you can choose carefully from | | | | 1-800-PIZZA for pizza delivery. |
| these matching letters to form a word, part of a word, | | | | Also available for these numbers are ones with call |
| an acronym, abbreviation, or a combination of letters | | | | tracking. The tracking of these direct-response tools |
| and numbers. | | | | permits businesses to verify where their incoming call |
| The purpose of doing this is to increase memorability. It | | | | traffic comes from. Call tracking reports allow business |
| also increases the rates of response in advertising. It is | | | | owners and managers to put up a database of leads, |
| easier to remember a word or phrase than a set of | | | | access the demography on callers, scrutinize a wide |
| numbers. So much more if these words can be | | | | range of call data, improve personnel allocation based |
| correlated to your business or your name. They are | | | | on the calling patterns, study the results of campaign |
| proven to increase response rates by 30-60% and | | | | ads, and export data into added programs. |
| generate twice as many calls as a standard phone | | | | This information also helps in tweaking advertising plans |
| number. | | | | and media budgets by providing meticulous reports on |
| In the United States, they have used these numbers in | | | | specific media buys, like radio, television, cable and |
| toll-free numbers for the past thirty years. These | | | | outdoor media, among others. |