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Just when I though had all the facts and figures on word number recall rates I came across another study on Word Numbers (Vanity Number) recall rates.

Advertisers can expect an 84% improvement in recall rates for vanity 800 numbers vs. numeric phone numbers shown in visual media (TV, billboard, print) - and a much more significant 9-times higher recall rate in the case of audio (radio) ads, according to a recent study.

Some 65% of survey respondents were able to correctly recall the vanity 800 number that was featured in a visual advertisement.

Over 72% of consumers correctly recalled the vanity 800 number after hearing one 30-second radio advertisement, compared with just 5% of consumers who correctly recalled the numeric toll-free number.

Another American user of a word numbers (vanity numbers) made these comments on his blog.

Hundreds of businesses have harnessed the tremendous marketing power of 1vanity numbers. When combined with a world class Web site, vanity telephone numbers can help drive business and spin off profits that create fortunes.

Why would a couple of successful financial gurus abandon Wall Street to start a diapers company? Who would have thought that there was a ton of dough to be made collecting Junk ? And you mean to tell me that a New York florist now runs a billion dollar flower shop?

Yep.1-800-Diapers, 1-800-Got-Junk and 1-800-Flowers are some of the world’s premiere Web sites that use vanity telephone numbers to dominate their respective categories.

In addition, experts say that 84% of current Internet users rely on electronic media to search for product or service information in order to make a purchase (Source: InternetTrak). Being able to locate the 0861 word number on the Internet greatly improves the success rate of any Internet ad or Web site.

I am predicting a significant increase in the use of Word Numbers by South African business.

Although South Africans are relatively new to 0861 Word Numbers or Smart Numbers they are not afraid to use new technology. This is true for 0861 Word Numbers. But if you are new to this technology why should you use an 0861 word number?

1. Phone Word Numbers, like 0861 Florist, are 14 times easier to remember than remembering this number 0861-3567478. By the way: 0861-3567478 is the regular phone number for 0861 Florist. According to another study (see graph) word number recall is 72.3% and numeric number recall is only 5.1%.
2. Word Numbers can increase advertising response rates by 290%.
3. More customers will return to spend more money with you because they now know your phone number.
4. More happy customers will refer your business to their friends if you give them an easy to remember word number like 0861 Florist instead of 0861-3567478.
5. Your lead generation becomes cheaper. Let’s say you have on the radio and you punt your word number 0861 Florist and then your opposition comes on and they punt their number 0861 34687. A day or two later the listener wants a florist. Whose number will the listener remember.
6. Word Numbers increases your credibility.
7. It creates perceived Market Leadership
8. It completes the “Golden Triangle of Marketing”. This is when your Phone Word Number matches your Company or Main Product Name AND your web site name. Let’s assume you are called InterFlorist, your word florist phone number is 0861 Florist and your web site name is www.InterFlorist.co.za.
9. Because people anticipate word numbers they will dial 0861 Florist, for example, even if they don’t know if such a florist is available in the area.
10. Word Numbers are easy to use and easy to setup for individual business owner.
11. As many as 180 unique stores or locations can utilise one word number.  

A word of warning: Word numbers and specifically the generic word numbers extremely popular, they are a valuable asset and a scares commodity. Therefore they increase in value and it’s critical to identify your word number early.

To verify some of these claims read more about phone word numbers by Roy Morgan research and article dated December, 1998 DRTV, "Experts Miss the Point About Vanity Numbers"

To dial a word number is not the same as creating a text message. When you send a text message you sometimes press a number repetitively. For example to enter the letter C  you press the number two on the dial pad three times. But when you dial a word number you look for the letter on the dial pad and when you find it you press it once. You Press The Letter Once!