Use Toll-Free Numbers to Tell Your Story

For most marketers, toll-free numbers are more than just another way for customers to contact their business.

Toll-free phone numbers are an important part of your brand identity. Along with your company name and web address, they play a valuable role in setting your business apart from the competition. There is an inherent visual quality to numbers that means they act much like a logo, becoming an instantly recognizable part of your marketing materials.

A carefully chosen custom number can tell the story of your business in a single word or phrase. It can communicate your name, your industry, your target audience, your regional market, or even your brand promise and brand values. And if you need some inspiration to figure out how, you’ve certainly come to the right place!

Examples of Toll-Free Storytelling

Many of our case studies provide clear examples of the power of toll-free phone numbers to build a brand.

Take A/C Solar Solutions, for example, who used the number 1-800-SOLAR-USA to demonstrate both the power and patriotism ingrained in their business. Marketing campaigns centered on the ability to create your own energy at home and the value of domestic power production.

Or look at the legal vanity number 1-800-HURT-NOW, which thanks to the shared-use system is used by different law firms around the country to let clients know this is the company to call when you have a personal injury claim that requires immediate attention.

When combined with effective marketing campaigns, these numbers help to communicate a clear brand image that tells the tale of your business, who you are and what you do.

Sometimes, the phone number itself is a story. That was certainly the case for Brian Scudamore and 1-800-GOT-JUNK, a number that became a brand and qualified for its own episode of NPR's How I Built This podcast (listen below).

In fact, every week brings us a new batch of outstanding custom 800 numbers that fire the imagination, each of which tells a story all of its own.

Our weekly social media series Toll-Free Tuesday celebrates that fact with a selection of the most evocative 800 numbers licensed the previous week. Consider the example below and check out our Facebook or Instagram feeds for more examples just like this one.

While most custom numbers will attract more attention than random digits, the very best ones go a step further. They can encapsulate a brand value or promise. They can tell customers who to call or what to do next. They can help potential customers to understand your brand before they've even spoken to you.

For such a simple and affordable marketing asset, it's quite amazing how much you can accomplish with a great number. Let us know how you've used a phone number to tell the tale of your business by sharing a story with us on Facebook.

Alternatively, contact us if you need help to create a story with a new number from our database!