For some reason it seems like almost every small business that starts looking for a toll free number assumes that they need the most generic term for their business. It’s probably because when people start a business, they think that the purpose of their advertising is to let people know what they do. They forget that people don’t buy from you just because you’re in that business.
They use 1-800 FLOWERS as their reason to pursue a toll free number with the most generic term they can think of. They forget that Jim McCann spent 7 million dollars for 1-800 FLOWERS, over 20 years ago, in 1987, and that they’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising. This isn’t 1992, and even though most people know that they can’t get a generic.com domain name, you’d be amazed how many people call up expecting to be able to get a pure generic 800 number.
Look for something Unique
They forget that this term is not only relevant for them, but it’s unfortunately equally relevant to all of their competitors. So in short, it doesn’t differentiate them or set them apart from their competitors the way they think it does. When someone searches for that term they don’t come up at the top, and even if they do, they’re in a list of all their competitors. The Patent Office doesn’t give trademarks for generic terms unless a company has done an enormous amount of advertising, not because they’re being mean, but just because a generic term doesn’t look like a unique source of products and services. It quite simply doesn’t make a good phone number.
The first goal of your advertising isn’t to let people know what you do, it’s to get their attention and stand out. Generic doesn’t equal memorable in real life, the way you think it does when you write it on a piece of paper. Generic equals non descript, bland, or just like everyone else. In the context of not only your advertising, but your competitors advertising it is easy to overlook. And if you think that word gives you an advantage, what happens if your competitor gets a number one digit away? If you have a unique brand name, they can’t do that or you can stop them if they do. But if you’re building the recognition of a generic term, it’s just a matter of time before one of your competitors gets a similar number with the same generic term.
1-800 Credibility not 855?
A generic 1-800 name in the 1-800 FLOWERS example does give the business a degree of credibility, just like a generic.com name does. But that credibility comes from the fact that they’re not available any more. You know that business either paid a lot or has been in business for a long time. If it was easy to get an 800 number like that would it still add credibility? Not for very long. Unfortunately it doesn’t work the same way for 877, 866 or 855 numbers. They don’t give you the same big business credibility and make you look like an industry leader the same way the generic 1-800 would. I market them so I’d love to say they’ll make you look just as big and successful, but that’s just not how it works in reality.
1-800 FLOWERS is the exception, not the rule.
Be more creative and find something more unique to your business. A generic term sounds like it’ll be easier in the beginning but in the end something more unique will be much more valuable. There are thousands or even hundreds of thousands of examples of more creative brand names in every industry you can imagine. Stack that up against a hand full of exceptions that have been able to build even just a partial brand name around a generic term and the real answer is clear. Don’t waste much time trying to copy 1-800 FLOWERS. You’re at least 15 to 20 years too late to get a generic number, so don’t waste your time, on something that’s not even worth what you think it is.