What Is a Vanity Phone Number & How to Get One?

Small businesses must take every opportunity to stand out from the competition, and one way to do that is to get a vanity phone number. 

Vanity telephone numbers are those catchy numbers that often spell out a word or phrase related to a brand. They can enhance your brand recognition, strengthen your marketing campaigns, and make it easier for existing and potential customers to contact your business. They’re also highly likely to drive conversions and are easy to set up.

Let’s explore how to secure the best vanity number for your brand and uncover a few tips for choosing a provider that meets your business needs.

What Is a Vanity Phone Number?

A vanity phone number is an easy-to-remember custom phone number typically associated with a specific word, phrase, or numeric pattern related to a business or brand.

Generally, vanity telephone numbers can be up to 10 characters, including numbers and letters. Famous examples include 1-800-FLOWERS and 1-800-CONTACTS. Longer words and phrases are typically fine, as the telephone network will still route calls to the first 10 digits — but local numbers should b

This is an impactful tool for enhancing brand recall and brand identity, strengthening marketing campaigns, and improving the customer experience.

So, how do they work? Just like any other business phone number. When a customer dials the telephone number, these calls get routed to your business’s regular phone line, such as a landline or VoIP. The only difference is that the number is more memorable and relevant to your brand.

Are vanity phone numbers and toll free numbers the same thing?

A vanity phone number and a toll-free number can overlap, but they are not the same thing:

• Toll-Free Number: A phone number with a toll-free prefix (e.g., 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833) that allows callers to reach a business or individual without being charged for the call.
• Vanity Phone Number: A customized phone number that spells out a word or a memorable sequence (e.g., 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-888-BESTCAR). A vanity number can be either toll-free or local.

So, while many vanity numbers are toll-free, a vanity number could also be a local number with a recognizable or branded pattern.

What are the different types of business phone numbers?

There are three main types of phone numbers that businesses can choose from, depending on their needs: Local, Toll-Free, and Vanity Numbers. Each serves a different purpose regarding branding, customer reach, and cost.

Local Phone Numbers (Area Code-Based):

• Local phone numbers are tied to a specific geographic area code (e.g., 212-555-1234 for New York or 310-555-5678 for Los Angeles).
• This is ideal for small businesses or companies that want to establish a strong local presence and build trust within a specific community.
• Customers often prefer calling a local number when seeking services in their area.

Toll-Free Numbers (800, 888, 877, etc.):

• Toll-free numbers start with a prefix like 800, 888, 877, etc., allowing customers to call a business without being charged.
• Best for businesses with a nationwide reach or customer support teams that need to handle high call volumes.
• They project a professional and large-scale business image, making them popular for contact centers and customer service lines.

Vanity Phone Numbers (Branded & Memorable):

• A vanity number is a customized number that spells out a word or phrase related to the business (e.g., 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-888-BEST-CAR).
• Can be either toll-free or local, depending on the chosen number.
• Used primarily for branding and marketing, they are easy to remember and help improve customer recall.

Why Do Brands Use Vanity Numbers?

Vanity telephone numbers can be used in various ways to benefit your business:

• Print marketing: Include your vanity number on your business cards, brochures, vehicles, and marketing materials for easy recall.
• Outdoor advertising: Use your vanity number on billboards, bus benches, and other outdoor advertising to drive traffic to your business.
• Online marketing: Share your vanity number across your website, social media platforms, and digital ads to make it easy for a potential customer to contact you.

Brands use a vanity phone number rather than a random string of digits for the following reasons:

It’s easier to memorize

A custom vanity number is more recognizable, easier to remember, and quicker to share than standard numbers. According to one study, 72% of consumers remembered a vanity phone number correctly after watching a 30-second ad, but only 5% correctly remembered a standard phone number after watching the same ad.

It improves brand recognition

A catchy, relevant phrase or word aligned with your company, products, or services immediately catches people’s attention and tells them what your brand is about. For example, you know exactly what service 1-800-FLOWERS provides.

This brand messaging reinforces your brand identity, increases brand awareness, and helps distinguish your business from your competitors. While local vanity numbers resonate with customers in your hometown, a toll free vanity number amplifies your brand recognition nationwide.

It makes tracking marketing ROI easier

You can easily track vanity numbers, providing insights into the effectiveness of different inbound marketing campaigns and the level of customer engagement. Online advertising stats show that ads with vanity numbers outperform generic numbers by 33%.

It integrates well with VoIP

Vanity numbers are compatible with almost any VoIP provider, allowing your business to take advantage of advanced features such as call analytics, auto attendant, call recording, call forwarding, and call routing.

It’s flexible and portable

Like a virtual phone number, vanity numbers are not tied to a fixed location or landline. They can be transferred between service providers.

Note: Nextiva doesn’t provide vanity numbers. However, you can obtain one from a top vanity number provider and then seamlessly port it over to Nextiva. This empowers your brand to combine the benefits of a vanity number with Nextiva, voted the best business phone system by U.S. News four years in a row.

Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Vanity Phone Number

Selecting the perfect vanity phone number for your business can significantly enhance brand recognition. However, there are several pitfalls to avoid in this process. 

Here are some common mistakes to steer clear of:

Limiting your search to one source

It’s not uncommon for a business owner to check for available vanity numbers on just one website. This narrow approach can limit your options and potentially increase costs. To avoid this, explore multiple providers (including your favorite VoIP provider) and compare what they offer.

Limiting creativity

Don’t settle for a number because your first choices are unavailable. For instance, don’t be discouraged if a direct keyword related to your industry is taken, such as 1-800-PLUMBING for a plumbing business. Think creatively about alternatives such as 1-800-FIX-DRIP, use a different prefix such as 1-888-PLUMBING, or try a local vanity phone number such as (Your Area Code)-FIX-LEAK.

Misunderstanding toll-free prefixes

A common oversight is underestimating the significance of toll-free number prefixes. These are not equally recognizable:

• 800 numbers are the most traditional and recognized.
• 888 numbers are a strong second.
• 866 and 877 numbers are generally considered less memorable.

When making your choice, balance brand fit with memorability. Sometimes, a perfect match with a less popular prefix might be more effective than an average fit with an 800 number.

Best Vanity Phone Number Providers

Nextiva doesn’t offer vanity phone numbers, but you can seamlessly port your vanity number from a provider. Nextiva includes free porting of any phone numbers you’re authorized to use.

Be sure to evaluate the range of additional call-handling features, such as call forwarding, voicemail transcription, call tracking, caller ID, SMS capabilities, custom greetings, and other business apps.

Here are a few places to get a coveted vanity phone number for your business.

1. Ring Ring

Ring Ring has been working with Nextiva since 2009, providing phone number solutions. The company’s expertise goes beyond just offering vanity numbers (local and toll-free) — they take care of the entire porting process, including filling out and submitting the electronic paperwork (LOA) on the customer’s behalf.

What’s unique about Ring Ring is that you get to work with an expert who understands the value of vanity numbers and has a background in advertising, Aaron Beals. He’s your phone number expert who can help you obtain, port, and activate vanity numbers with Nextiva effortlesly.

Here’s how Ring Ring can help make your customers’ experience even better:

• Clean, quality numbers – We provide properly aged or brand-new numbers, ensuring the best results.
• Expert porting assistance – We handle everything to ensure a smooth transition.
• Marketing guidance – We help customers maximize their number’s impact.
• Toll-free text enablement – We can text-enable toll-free numbers on Nextiva’s platform.
• Number recovery service – We specialize in tracking down lost, disconnected, or hard-to-find numbers.

2. NumberBarn

NumberBarn is a leading vanity phone number provider, offering a vast inventory of memorable phone numbers for businesses of all sizes. They specialize in helping companies find the perfect national or local vanity number to match their brand, target audience, and marketing goals.

Here’s a rundown of their most popular plans:

• Porting out starts at $2 per number. You can search and choose from their database of over 46 million numbers, then activate it. You have 30 days to port out. Call logs, call blocking, a mobile app, number security, and a customizable 30-second message are included.
• Forward: New numbers start at $5 with a $5 port-in fee. For $6/month per number, you’ll get 300 minutes per month ($0.03/min for additional minutes), call forwarding, voicemail, auto attendant, text messaging, caller ID, outbound calling, and more.
• Unlimited includes everything in the Forward plan plus unlimited minutes for $19 per month per number.

NumberBarn offers email/chat support. Its no-contract, no-commitment, month-to-month plans make it easy to scale or cancel at any time.

3. 800.com

800.com is a leading provider of toll-free and local vanity phone numbers. Their built-in call tracking tool helps businesses improve customer engagement and achieve their inbound marketing objectives.

You can search their online database to see if your perfect pattern of numbers/keywords is available. Then, you can select one of three plans:

• Personal starts at $29/month, including 1,000 minutes and one toll-free number.
• Unlimited costs $75 per month, including unlimited minutes and one toll-free number.
• Pro starts at $149 monthly, including 5,000 minutes and five toll-free numbers.

Toll-free vanity numbers require a one-time $35 activation fee and take approximately three to five days to activate. 800.com charges a one-time port-out fee of $100, and the process can take up to six weeks to complete.

Create a Memorable Brand With a Vanity Phone Number

A custom vanity phone number is an impressive tool for small businesses striving to enhance their brand presence, improve customer engagement, and track marketing ROI. Once you brainstorm and select a memorable number, you can harness the power of vanity numbers across print, digital, and outdoor advertising avenues.

Remember, you can seamlessly port your vanity number to Nextiva (for free!) to leverage the best business phone system for your brand’s soon-to-be-skyrocketing growth.

Vanity Phone Number FAQs