Vanity Phone Numbers: A Complete Guide

If you’re looking for an effective and exciting way of marketing your brand and building brand image, one of the options available to you is getting a vanity phone number. Usually, these numbers are easier to recognize and recall.

Rather than performing a phone lookup to find your business number, with a vanity number, your customers can remember your number when they need to contact the business. This makes it easier for clients to reach your business. But what exactly are vanity phone numbers?

What Exactly Are Vanity Phone Numbers?

A vanity phone number is an easy-to-remember phone number custom-made for a business. It has a unique sequence that makes it easier to identify and remember. A good vanity phone number will include critical characters, such as a business name.

This allows customers to associate the business with that number, for example, 1-800-Google which corresponds to 1-800-786-5353. However, vanity phone numbers don't always include the business' name in some cases.

Sometimes, a vanity phone number contains a unique combination of numbers like 800-666-0000. Vanity phone numbers are available as either local numbers or toll-free numbers. The majority of them are usually toll-free.

How to Get Vanity Phone Numbers?

If you’re looking for a vanity phone number for your business, follow the steps below:

1. Find an Ideal Vanity Phone Number Provider

The first step to getting a vanity phone number is to find an appropriate provider. The good news is that there are a variety of vanity phone number providers out there for you to choose from. They include:

• RingCentral - This is one of the best business phone system providers. After getting a regular phone number for at least $19.99/month, this service charges you a one-time fee of $30 plus $4.99/month to get a vanity phone number. You must also pass an application and review process to get your phone number approved.
• Grasshopper is a leading provider of phone numbers, including local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers. During the sign-up process for this service, you can quickly check the availability of your desired vanity number. After getting your vanity number, you can have an existing phone number forwarded to it. The service charges $26/month for one number and their extensions.
• Nextiva - This service doesn’t have its own vanity phone numbers. However, they get vanity phone numbers and integrate them with their business phone software. Their plans usually start at around $20/month.
• Unitel Voice offers the ability to search its vanity phone number directory so you can find out if anyone has already taken the number you want. Their plans usually start at $9.99/month.
• Phone.com - This service offers local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers. They charge a one-time setup fee for a toll-free vanity phone number, starting from $49/month.
• Planet Numbers offers vanity phone numbers and business phone systems. They allow choosing toll-free or local phone numbers from different locations

2. Pick Your Plan

After you find an appropriate vanity phone number, the next thing is to choose a suitable payment plan from that provider. As you can see above, every provider has its pricing plan. Choose a pricing plan that is ideal for your business needs and affordable for your business.

 3. Get Your Number

Here, you have three options. You can pick:

• An instant activation toll-free number.
• An instant activation local number.
• A custom vanity phone number.

After receiving your vanity number, you should perform a phone lookup check to ensure that someone isn’t using it.

Why Do Businesses Need Vanity Phone Numbers?

Vanity phone numbers have numerous benefits. Some of the reasons why you should get a vanity phone number for your business include:

1. They Are Easy to Remember

These days, there are endless things we need to remember, like passwords, numbers, and much more. A unique phone number ensures that people recognize your business quickly.

People are more likely to remember an easy set of numbers like (1-888-HUBSPOT) than many digits buried in marketing literature. You can add your vanity phone number wherever your business appears, including radio jingles, TV ads, signage, and branding on company vehicles.

2. They Reinforce Your Brand

A vanity number that spells out a word that emphasizes what the business offers is an excellent way of increasing brand awareness. For example, a children’s charity with the number 1-888-HELP-KIDS will quickly spread the message to many people.

People calling the number will know they’re contacting the correct number for the service they need.

This way, the vanity phone number will establish your business as honest and transparent, thus helping build customer trust and loyalty. A vanity phone number also provides uniqueness. Your number will stand out from your competition.

3. They Facilitate Better Customer Support

These days, customer service and support are essential for all businesses, small and big alike. One of the perks of a vanity phone number being memorable is that it gives your customers the ability to easily reach your business.

With a vanity phone number, any new customers know what number to call when they need a specific service and don’t need to do a phone lookup to find a contact number.

Equally, your existing customers can get any help or assistance they require instead of using social media platforms for support.

4. They Look Professional

Suppose you are a new business or trying to build your business's credibility. In that case, a toll-free vanity number can be an effective way of letting customers and prospects know that your business is professional.

A toll-free vanity phone number can increase people's trust in your business. This is because it communicates that you care for your customers and plan to be in business for more than just a couple of months. 

5. They Allow Expansion Into New Markets

A vanity number is an effective and easy way to give your business a national presence. Even if your business is relatively small and you're running it from your garage, a carefully chosen vanity phone number can make your business appear to have a national reach.

This will attract more customers beyond your local area, allowing you to expand into new and more profitable markets. What's more, if the number is toll-free, it can increase the call volumes and edge out the competition.

6. They Make Your Business Management “on the Go”

You can set up a vanity number to divert to a cell phone. This can make it easy for you to manage the business on the go while maintaining a professional image. This gives you the flexibility to work when and where you have to.

You can also divert the vanity number to voicemail or another staff member during unavailability periods to avoid missing an important call.

All business types can benefit from vanity phone numbers. As long as you choose a good vanity number for your business, you’ll experience the benefits immediately.

Before signing up for a provider, ensure the vanity number you want is available. Place this number where a customer or prospect may look for it or wherever it’s likely to be spotted.