Notes from the toll free desk
Practical writing about vanity numbers, the RespOrg system, and the small decisions that make a phone number worth keeping. Written by Bill Quimby.
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Creative Ways to Improve Any Business's Marketing and Advertising
The most effective marketing is not the most expensive, it is the most memorable. Here are practical, low cost ways to make your advertising stick: give people something they can actually remember, say one clear thing everywhere, turn every touchpoint into an ad, and make the next step impossible to miss.
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Creative Ways to Improve Your Branding
Your brand is what people remember when you are not in the room. Strong branding is memorable, consistent, and ownable. Build it with a name and number people can say out loud, a look that is unmistakably yours, and a promise you keep every time.
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Creativity, Not Keywords, in Names and 800 Numbers
Keywords are for domain names. A real business name needs to stand out, not blend in.
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Finding a Niche for Your Small Business
Focus beats breadth. Pick a niche you know and build specifically for it.
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A PLAN Can Make All the Difference
Pick the message first, then make the name, the domain, and the number all tell the same story.
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The Easy Way to Put Your Number into a Different Name
Fill out the RespOrg change form in the new name and note who you are on the form. We'll match it up and release it.
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The 4-Step Process to Getting a Great Toll Free Number
The whole process in four steps: find a good number, place the order, we get it, you transfer it.
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What to Do When They Demand a Phone Bill
Some phone companies reject transfers over a phone bill. Here's why that's wrong and what to send instead.
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What Happens If I Forget to Transfer My Number?
The temporary service expires, the number doesn't. You get free parking while you decide where to take it.
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1-800 FLOWERS Is a Bad Example
1-800 FLOWERS cost seven million dollars plus hundreds of millions in advertising. It's not the model for a small business.
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Add, Subtract, and Be Flexible
You can add or drop words to make a vanity number work. Everything after seven digits is ignored anyway.
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Hidden Vanity Number Spellings
Some digits spell more than one thing. Check for surprise spellings before you commit.
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Why It's Better to Do the Searches Yourself
You get faster, fuller answers searching yourself than asking us to do it for you. There's no secret list.
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What to Do If You Have Generic Terms or a Generic Name
Generic words are crowded. Here's how a real customer's search went from generic terms to a number that fit.
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Due Dates for Transferring 800 Numbers
A due date is when the transfer should be done BY, not a date it has to wait for. Don't let them park your request.