You want Long Term Memorability?
When people say they want a memorable toll free number, they’re usually thinking about something that will be memorable long enough to get to the phone and call you. Short term memorability is good, but the real value is something that will be memorable in the long term. That’s like the magic of compounding interest rates, as your recognition grows and grows. That’s why a nice numeric number which may be slightly more memorable in the short term isn’t as valuable as a word or a phrase that relates to the message or theme of your advertising.
Even if you’re not in the advertising industry you’ve heard that advertising requires repetition. That’s because people usually have to see something repeatedly, several times before it gets burned into their brain. But what you might not realize is that something that makes a memorable long term connection with the customer, will become memorable with far less advertising or with the same advertising will become much more of a memorable brand name.
Words and phrases work much better in the long run
Yes, you can write a good jingle and make even a weird number become memorable if you do enough advertising. But it takes far less advertising for something that makes a connection with you to become familiar. If it’s related to your job or a hobby of yours you may recognize a brand after just a couple repetitions because it makes a stronger connection.
The point is that the strength of the connection is what creates long term memorability. And that’s what builds a brand, and increases long term sales way more than short term memorability. Nice numeric numbers make it easier for someone to remember your number long enough to dial it but how far are most people from a phone today? The real question is how many people buy your product after hearing it one time versus how many have to hear your advertising repeatedly or have to do more research, or have an unexpected need come up before they’re ready to buy? That ratio is how many times better a vanity number with words, is better than a nice numeric number for most situations. And for anyone that thinks their product is so good people will buy it the first time they hear about it, I’m glad you’re that sold on it, but don’t count on those chickens too much.
It always helps to look bigger, safer and more professional
We all feel more comfortable going with a company we know than one we’ve never heard of before. That’s why big companies like AT&T can charge twice as much for toll free service than more competitive companies we haven’t heard of before. That’s because even though AT&T isn’t known for low prices, speed or efficiency, they are known and we feel safer with a name we know. And yes, that takes a while to show up but even if you don’t do hardly any advertising, and aren’t trying to build a brand, a vanity number adds credibility to even the smallest website and makes people feel like you’re more accessible and more real, more than a local number which can make you look smaller and more distant.
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Bill Quimby (678 comments.) says:
September 12, 2009 at 8:17 pm
There are a few studies or ‘pseudo studies’, that have been done, usually by someone trying to sell you something. But they have always measure the short term benefit. They are missing the real value, because the increased recognition, builds credibility, and increases the long term sales more than even the best numeric number ever will.
Bill Quimby