In a previous article, we discussed research showing that the “old-fashioned” personal phone call remains the most popular form of communication with companies and organizations for consumers. This is despite the convenience of email, chat, and social media.

But your phone number must be easy to remember! When choosing a service number, it’s important to consider why certain numbers are easier to remember than others and how you can benefit from this.

There are two ways to find a service number that’s easy to remember. You can choose a memorable number where digits repeat in regular patterns. For example, 0800 - 2020202. An overview of memorable numbers currently available can be found in our 0800- and 0900-number shops.

Even easier to remember is a vanity number. A vanity number is a phone number where the digits form a word combination. For example, you can dial 0800-BELFABRIEK simply by pressing the corresponding letter keys on your phone. You can read more about how vanity numbers work here.

American research of over 1,000 consumers clearly showed how easy vanity numbers are to remember. Participants in this study were shown advertisements containing both regular phone numbers and vanity numbers. The study found that vanity numbers were remembered 75% more often. This even applies when comparing vanity numbers to web addresses, with vanity numbers being remembered 57% more often than a web address.

Why vanity numbers are so effective and how to use this knowledge to choose the perfect vanity number for your organization is what we explain in this article.

Why Are Vanity Numbers Successful?

To understand why vanity numbers are so much easier to remember and how to make the best use of them, we need to look at how our brains store information. Recent scientific research into how our brains work has taught us a lot, and we now better understand why memorable numbers and vanity numbers are so successful.

When we see or hear a phone number and try to remember it, we rely on what scientists call our working memory. This is where our brains store all the information we need at the moment.

Our working memory uses two strategies to store information. One strategy is focused on remembering visual information like images and faces, while the other is focused on auditory information like sounds and spoken text.

When we try to remember a regular 11-digit phone number, our working memory uses the latter strategy, known as the phonological loop. This is also known as “mentally repeating a number in the hope of remembering it.” Everyone knows from experience that this is not a very reliable strategy.

To retain information longer and better, our brains need to apply another strategy: making associations.

When our brains manage to associate new information with something familiar, our working memory no longer needs to actively try to remember it by repeating it as often as possible. If the association is strong enough, the information is stored for the long term, freeing up our working memory for other tasks.

To choose an unforgettable vanity number, we need to associate the phone number with something we already know or give meaning to the number sequences in some other way.

By linking numbers to words or even brands and slogans, vanity numbers create the associations that allow our brains to store them almost effortlessly.

4 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Vanity Number

As we’ve seen, vanity numbers leverage what our brains are good at: making connections between two or more pieces of information. This is why these numbers are so easy to remember. A carefully chosen vanity number is one that helps our brains make these associations as much as possible.

How do you choose the perfect vanity number?

Define the Purpose of Your Vanity Number

First, consider what you want to achieve with your vanity number. Do you want a number associated with your organization’s name, or do you have a general slogan used in all your advertising? In that case, choosing a number based on your organization’s name or slogan makes sense.

An alternative strategy is to base your choice on your Unique Selling Points (USPs), or what sets your organization apart from competitors. Ensure that the emotions and associations evoked by a name or word align well with your company culture.

Look at Your Competitors

Analyze how your competitors use phone numbers and vanity numbers. This ensures that your new vanity number distinguishes your organization in the right way. Since vanity numbers haven’t gained as much traction in the Netherlands as they have in the United States, you’ll find that many competitors don’t use vanity numbers. In that case, look at their slogans and advertising to ensure your vanity number doesn’t cause confusion.

Choose the Right Word Length

Most service numbers in the Netherlands consist of 7 digits after the prefix. However, since phone systems ignore extra digits, you can also choose a vanity number that’s slightly longer. When searching for a suitable vanity number, check out the list of seven-letter words for the game Lingo. You’ll be surprised at which vanity numbers are still available. At the time of writing this article, the following 0800 vanity numbers were still available: 0800-VERHUUR, 0800-CONSULT, 0800-BROODJE, 0800-KLEDING, 0800-KAPSELS, 0800-GEZOCHT.

You can search for available vanity numbers in our 0800- and 0900-number shops.

Keep It Simple

Short, catchy words attract the most attention and are remembered more easily. Your vanity number should briefly convey something about your product or service. Be careful not to choose words with double meanings or that could cause confusion in pronunciation.

Apply for Your Vanity Number Today

Once you’ve found the perfect vanity number, don’t wait too long to apply! Service numbers and business numbers are assigned on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about vanity numbers, feel free to contact us via our free number 0800-BELFABRIEK.