What is a Phone Word?
Overview
What is a phone word is a question asked by many marketers. A phone word is a 1300 number, 1800 number, or 13 number which spells a word. 1300 & 1800 phone words require 6 letters to spell a phone word, and 13 number phone words only require 4 letters to spell a word. The best way to explain what a phone word is to simply show you a few:
Over 30,000 Australian businesses, both big and small use phone words to drive their advertising efforts further. Phone words are so effective because it is very clear that they are easier to remember than their numeric number counterparts.
TYPES OF PHONE WORDS
Phone words can be 1300 numbers, 1800 numbers, or 13 numbers. Each has their strengths;
- 1300 Phone words are great for customers as they only cost a local call from landlines.
- 1800 Phone words are better for customers as the call cost is free from a landline.
- 13 number Phone words are the easiest to remember.
There are two key types of Phone words that businesses use. The right phone word for your business will depend on how well your brand is currently known, what your current marketing budget is, and how competitive your market segment is.
BRAND PHONE WORDS
The first type is a Brand phone word. In the examples above 1300 DOMINOS is an example of a brand phone word. These phone words help to build and reinforce the value of your brand. These work best when your brand is already known to come extent, but can also work well for small businesses in a local area.
GENERIC PHONE WORDS
The second type is a Generic phone word. The QANTAS and OFFICEWORKS examples above are both generic words in HOLIDAY and OFFICE. These phone words are considered to be the most desired as they block any competitors from using this generic number and own the category. These phone words work best when you have an advertising budget you can use to promote the phone word.