The legal industry has always had an affinity with custom phone numbers, and it's clear to see why. Start humming the Cellino & Barnes theme song and you'll realize you've got their number committed to memory.
But in a world of lawyer SEO, PPC, and Instagram for law firms, are custom phone numbers really still relevant?
When we interviewed Paul Faust from Ring Boost on The Rankings Podcast, he was emphatic that custom phone numbers are not only a powerful tool, but their appeal is growing! In fact, we list it as one of our top 28 tactics for getting clients! To understand why we need to dive deep into the world of repeatable digits.
Vanity Vs. Easy-Dial: What's In A Number?
The three most popular types of numbers around are vanity, easy-dial, and tracking. So what's the difference, and why would you choose one over the other?
Vanity Is All About Words
These kinds of numbers were originally created in the days of rotary phones when we could spell out a word on the dial. Nowadays, however, it's more about creating a catchy word, saying, or reference that makes remembering your number as easy as ABC.
Easy-Dial Is About Muscle Memory
Easy-dial was also born in the pre-digital era. These kinds of numbers rely on muscle memory. In fact, there's a whole psychology around repeated digits and the effort of the hand as it moves around the handset.
How Memorable Numbers Boost Your Brand
Whether it's vanity or easy-dial, your personalized number can be a big asset to your overall brand strategy. Throughout all marketing, your brand has to be unified, clear, and coherent. Here's how the perfect attorney phone number can represent you as a firm:
Staying Local
If you're a St. Louis firm and you're darn proud of it, there's nothing better than a 314 dialing code! You're telling the local community that you're one of them, and you're proud to represent them.
1-800 For All
1-800 can be an indicator that your firm is national, but it's more than just that. This is a great way to align your phone number with your firm's expertise and let your future clients know what you're all about. Sure, 1-800-CARWRECK is probably competitively priced, but there's a good reason for that! A 1-800 number is even more powerful if you're in a niche market, particularly with specific product liability cases or niche personal injury claims.
Slogan-Led Vanity Numbers
Your custom number can also reflect your brand message. Paul Faust says that if you holler from the rooftops "WE FIGHT FOR ST. LOUIS!" then you might want to have 1-800-WEFIGHT. Stick to your message, and you can't go wrong! In our interview, Paul shared that the great thing about custom phone numbers is you can experiment. What better way to A/B test than to get several different numbers and see which one brings you the most business?
The Bigger Picture: Your Voice Is Your USP
A custom phone number is a powerful tool in the attorney branding toolkit, but let's not forget the reason why you're doing this: you want to get someone on the phone. That means if they've got to Google you - good luck! Someone with better SEO than you might just steal your lead. When you've got your future client on the phone, that's where the real magic needs to happen. You need to show the caller that you're the right person to help them and demonstrate that you care. Here's where the power of your voice, your core values, and your uniqueness come into play.
