Tips for Choosing the Right Local Business Phone Number for Your Business

Tips for Choosing the Right Local Business Phone Number for Your Business

Many small businesses need help finding the right local business phone number. A few factors to consider include the prefix, area code, and vanity numbers. Choosing the right local business number can help establish your business as a trustworthy and respected company. A dedicated business number can also separate your professional and personal calls to ensure a healthy work-life balance.

Location

Local numbers are your best option if you’re an independent business primarily serving a specific area. They’ll give your clients the feeling that they’re dealing with a neighbor and not an impersonal corporation.

These numbers also help boost customer trust by associating you with the community you serve. This is important to remember in a world where customers increasingly long for locally-based small businesses.

However, opting for a toll-free number might make more sense if you plan to expand your business beyond your office or service territory’s city limits. Luckily, many phone system providers offer local and toll-free numbers for the best of both worlds. This is especially helpful if you use your business phone number in marketing campaigns to capture a wider consumer base. It allows you to promote your brand without worrying about whether your potential customers will incur additional charges when calling from different areas.

Target Audience

When choosing a local business phone number, it’s important to consider your target audience. This is the group of customers who are most likely to purchase your products or services. For example, a maternity store could identify its target audience as women 25-40 years old and needing professional clothing for work or a baby shower. A bike shop focusing on single-track mountain biking gear would likely have a different target audience, such as young single men who love riding bikes. Local numbers have area codes associated with specific geographic locations, which helps businesses establish a local presence in their markets. They also look more trustworthy than national numbers since they are recognizable by customers as belonging to a nearby company. However, calling local numbers from mobile phones can cost customers money depending on their service provider’s plan. This is why many small businesses opt for a toll-free number that will not incur additional costs for out-of-state customers.

Vanity Numbers

A vanity number reflects the unique selling point of your business or at least makes it clear what you do. It can be as short as seven numbers, but stick to that limit. Also, have backup options if the number you want is already taken. A memorable vanity phone number helps customers recall how to reach you and what you do, increasing recognition and brand loyalty. One study showed that TV ads with a memorable vanity number outperformed random toll-free or local numbers. Some offer a variety of local and toll-free vanity phone numbers that are easy to remember and dial. Just enter your area code to find a list of available numbers. Some providers offer additional features such as call announcement, SMS texting, and call recording with 30-day storage. They can be added a la carte, depending on your business needs. They’re a great option for small businesses that need to quickly and easily grow their customer base.

International Numbers

The type of business phone number you choose depends on the kind of customers you want to connect with. It would help if you also considered your growth strategy and what the future holds for your company.

Local numbers are best for companies that want to build trust and reliability in a specific region. This is because the area code identifies the location, and people know that you’re a local company that they can call without incurring charges. However, an international number may be more appropriate if you expand beyond your current geographic territory. These are easy to set up and allow your company to appear as if it has a presence in multiple cities, regardless of whether you have an actual physical office in those locations. You can even get numbers with prefixes such as 800, ideal for businesses looking to appear big and trustworthy. You can also customize your caller ID to reflect your brand while keeping your phone numbers separate from your professional ones.