A Guide to Choosing Your Own Phone Number

These days, people are accustomed to building their personal and professional brands through customization. From social media handles to personalized URLs, logos and color palettes–you can pick what best promotes you. 

Similarly, a vanity phone number can reflect your brand identity and stay at the top of their customers’ minds. This guide will assist you in choosing the perfect phone number to fit your needs. 

What are vanity phone numbers?

A vanity number is simply a personalized phone number you choose for yourself. In lieu of a random series of digits, vanity numbers give you the option of selecting an easy-to-remember word, phrase, or an ‘easy-dial’ sequence of repeating digits. 

A vanity number will enable your callers to simply pick up the phone and dial your number whether or not it’s saved in their contact list. 

Why choose your own phone number?

While many successful companies (like 1-800-flowers) know the value of a customer phone number, many professionals and business owners don't realize they too can pick their own memorable number that's easy for callers to remember and dial.

The advantages of having an unforgettable phone number are numerous. Here’s a few reasons to pick your own phone number:

• Memorability! A memorable number by design, will boost your inbound calls. 
• With more inbound calls and conversions, a vanity number maximizes the results from your advertising spend. 
• A well-chosen custom phone number reinforces your brand, your message and value proposition.
• Giving your customers a convenient way to reach you is key to providing a better customer experience.
• A valuable asset that’s easy to implement, getting your own custom phone number requires no technical knowledge and very little time investment. 

How to choose the best vanity phone number

The process for securing your own personalized phone number is simple enough that anyone can do it in just a few steps.

1. Decide what type of phone number is best for you

Depending on your professional goals, one type of number may be better suited for your needs over another. Here’s how they break down:

Toll free

Toll Free numbers have the advantage of being widely familiar and accessible to audiences all across the country. These numbers provide a nationwide branding opportunity and are available for licensing in many options beyond the premium 800 and 888 prefixes.

Local

Local numbers are characterized by their area code, showcasing their corresponding geographical locations. Available for purchase to use no matter where your business is physically located, they inspire a sense of being an ‘insider’ in the local community. This option is especially useful as an entry point into new markets.

Both local and toll free numbers are available in Vanity or Easy-dial options. By being clear on your brand strategy and your needs, you can avoid choosing a phone number that doesn’t align perfectly with them. 

2. Brainstorm possible phone number ideas

With so many potential options for choosing an effective phone number, a little bit of strategy goes a long way in helping you hone in on the best ones. 

These simple tactics can be used to inspire some great custom phone number ideas:

• Know your audience in order to reach them with the most effective message 
• Consider using your company name
• Consider incorporating the service you offer
• Browse by category
• Have creative back-upsm, in case your first (or second) choice is already taken

3. Team up with a professional vanity phone number service

Here at RingBoost, we’ve cultivated relationships with dozens of providers across the country, giving you the most resources for finding your own custom number. 

Working with the best in the business gives you access to a searchable database of millions of phone numbers at your fingertips. To simplify the process, our dedicated support team is available to assist you every step of the way.

4. Search available options

With the largest inventory of available phone numbers on the market, RingBoost’s search options makes it easy to zero-in on the right one. Our search engine lets you search by:

• Keyword
• Area Code
• State

If you have a specific number in mind and it comes up unavailable in your search, you might call the current owner and ask if they’re willing to part with it. 

5. Implement your new digits

Once you’ve found your phone number, purchasing and putting it to use is straightforward. You don’t need any special technical knowledge to do it, but we’ve broken down the process into a few simple steps to make it easy.

• Purchase – Pay for your new number via mobile using a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. 
• Port – If you’ve chosen a local number and are ready to start using it, porting it moves it to your carrier of choice. The phone company will do the heavy lifting, all you have to do is provide them with the information you’ll receive at purchase. Plan on waiting about 7-10 business days for the process to be complete.
• Pick a Call Forwarding Plan – Toll free numbers require that you pick a plan to activate them. If you’ve bought a local number and don’t have a carrier or need a temporary communications solution while porting your number, this option works too. RingBoost has plans with value-added features to fit every budget. 
• Park – If you’re not ready to start using your number right away, parking it lets you secure ownership for wherever you’re ready, at a fraction of the price of a plan.

Best practices for choosing your own phone number

An effective vanity number communicates a compelling message to your target audience about who you are and what you do. Here are some tips for picking a marketable number: 

Optimize your choice for memorability

The biggest advantage to personalizing your own number is the opportunity to make it an unforgettable one. Simplicity is key to this process. Leverage patterns and repetition (1234, 4242, 3333) to boost memorability and avoid tacking on more numbers than you need.

Pick a number that it easy to say and spell

To avoid misdials, your number should also be easy to convey orally and easy for anyone to spell (and dial) right on the first try. A phone number that rolls off the tongue will also better enable word-of-mouth referrals. 

When picking your number, prioritizing convenience for your customers equates to a better experience when they reach out to you.

Choose a number that aligns with your brand

Your choice of phone number should be informed by brand strategy. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your number reinforces your brand:

• Opt for a number that tells your audience what you do, instead of simply using your business name. You might make an exception to this if your company name already has renown.
• Target your ideal audience. Knowing who you’re aiming for will determine whether or not your message hits home.
• Consider a number that doubles as a call to action. This sends a concise message about how to reach you and why (1-833-BUY-BREAD)

Choose a vanity phone number with the help of RingBoost

Ready to find the perfect number for your brand? Start searching for your new number in RingBoost’s extensive database.