Why Are Numbers Such an Effective Call to Action?

There are times when it’s the simplest solutions that are the most effective. Even in the current climate of rapidly advancing technology and marketing channels, this holds true.

For all the app-based solutions, programmatic advertising  and algorithm-driven analysis available to your business today, could it really be  the case that a simple switch of digits in your phone number will make all the difference to the number of new customers you attract?

Our Minds Are Hard-Wired to Associate Numbers with Action

In terms of calls to action, there’s nothing as efficient as a phone number to trigger an automatic mental response.

Make that number memorable and you have a powerful combination that serves both that immediate response instinct and drives calls further down the line, by improving recall rates for those who can’t contact you right away (drivers, commuters in a rush, you know the drill!)

Of course, we don’t feel a need to call every number we hear or see… that would probably warrant some kind of medical intervention, after all.

But when the product or service is relevant to our needs, we’re primed to listen for opportunities to learn more about it.

Even better, when you pair that unconscious awareness with a number, our minds connect the desire to learn with an opportunity to satisfy that craving by calling. Factor in a toll free or local vanity number and you complete that loop, providing a branded, memorable contact point that can be dialed immediately or early stored away for later.

Part of the praise for creating such a strong impulse to call numbers when we hear them lies with traditional marketers.

If you think about classic TV spots or almost any radio ad from any generation, chances are it comes with a catchy jingle set to music and likely to include a number. Often these were toll free numbers, so that the incentive to call was even greater, but in general marketers found that numbers and memory hooks were their best bet for a short call to action.

With all of the effort they expended refining this technique over several decades, consumers are now heavily conditioned to listen out for digits to dial.

Does your marketing stick in the mind? | Image Credit: Nivet

Make the Most of Your Customers’ Desire to Dial

Modern marketers can take advantage of this impulse to call by integrating a memorable number into every campaign, saving space and providing a clear, branded way to connect with customers.

Used in conjunction with an easy-to-type website URL and a catchy tag line, your business covers all of the bases for potential customers to explore who you are and why the should do business with you. Here’s how that works:

• A memorable phrase or tag line is the versatile mental hook you use to bring your brand to mind within seconds. It might be a short phrase, a jingle, or just a few bars of music (think McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it” and the fiendishly catchy tune!) Whatever you go with, it must reflect your core brand value and be instantly memorable.

• An easy website address gives customers who aren’t quite ready to call, or have only just heard of your business, an easy way to do their homework and learn more about what you offer. Obviously this has to be backed up by solid site design and content, but the memorable URL is what connects your marketing to actually getting clicks to the site, especially if someone isn’t in a position to write it down.

• A vanity number ties everything together, providing a branded contact point that they can call right away, as well as one that’s easy to recall if they want to call at a later date. It augments your tag line because it attaches a tangible connection point to the intagible appeal of other brand assets (your colors, catchphrase, logo, etc.) and it makes more of your website because customers can easily remember who to call once they’ve learned more about you online.

These are all important marketing elements and it’s the memorable number part we can help with.

Start by searching our vanity number database today, or simply use 1-877-RINGBOOST to satisfy that craving to call and learn more!

Tags: advertising, brand awareness, brand recall, call to action, conversions, Marketing, Vanity Numbers