If you are looking to get more patients around your area, one way to do so is to acquire what is known as a vanity number. A vanity number is a type of phone number that corresponds to numbers with letters, which the numbers meant to create a word or phrase that is easy to remember. One of the first known vanity numbers was “1-800-FLOWERS”, and since that time, not much has changed.

With the help of a vanity number, a whole slew of businesses from answering service for doctors to local restaurants often see a rise in business thanks to tying these means of communication to something that consumers can easily remember. Compared to vanity numbers, a simple, numeric phone number is harder to remember.

No matter if you are looking to buy a vanity number for sheer vanity, for business purposes, or both, odds are, there are many straightforward vanity numbers that are already taken. With this in mind, you will need to be creative by using a unique series of letters to make your number easy to remember, as well as to share with other people.

For instance, if you run a medical facility in Alabama, a great choice for a vanity number would be “1-800-AL-MEDIC”, with “AL” being an abbreviation for Alabama. Another example would be “1-855-CURE-LEG” for a doctor who specializes in leg problems. Vanity numbers, of course, don’t have to start with “1-800”, but with a different number from a patient’s local area code, it helps them get the impression that you are a more professional business. Or if you prefer to keep your local area code in the number, to sound less monotone and robotic, an area code of any string of digits is possible, too.

Answering service for doctors, can also use vanity numbers, but they are sold separately by another entity. No matter which number you own, however, any patients who dials that number will be forwarded to your team of representatives. There is no need to worry about the number not working or belonging to somebody else entirely.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that you might need to accompany the number version of your vanity number for possible patients to dial, too. For a medical answering service, their vanity number should be accompanied with a numeric phone number to call on websites, online ads, and newspaper ads; sources where the possible patient might be close to a phone. For collateral materials, newsletters, and postcards, only the original vanity number is required.

It is important to consider that not all potential callers will have numeric keypads on their phones. Your vanity number will have no meaning if the caller doesn’t have an alphanumeric keypad. There are some smartphones that do not have this kind of keypad present. In this scenario, the numeric version of your vanity number can be places in parenthesis underneath your vanity number in advertisements. With both these numbers in your ads, you will ensure that most readers will be able to call your medical practice, albeit the vanity number would be the easier of the two numbers to remember.

There are many ways you can market, but vanity numbers are one way that you can market your medical practice with the best results. It has been a tried and true marketing vehicle for decades. A vanity number can cost hundreds of dollars for a one-time fee, but this money could be miniscule compared to they money you would expect to make with it from all the patients signing up with you.