0800 Numbers – How to market effectively with them

March 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Birmingham, UK: 0800 numbers have always been an effective marketing tool for the simple reason that people would rather spend nothing than something on a phone call. “If people are checking out a list of companies online or in the phonebook, they are always likely to call a freephone number than one that is charging them large amounts of money for the privilege of making an enquiry”, says Jemma Fox, Marketing Director at The 0800 Number Company and a leading authority on UK 0800 numbers. However, there are other ways that a 0800 number can form a central part of a marketing campaign. 0800 numbers also enable accurate tracking to measure advertising response. Ms Fox examines the steps to take to market effectively with 0800 numbers below.

Step 1: Buy your 0800 number from a reputable reseller
Always double check that when you buy a 0800 number online that the reseller is trustworthy. It will help to research where they are located and maybe carry out a credit check to make sure you are fully protected.

Step 2: Remember 0800 numbers appeal more to your customers
It is well documented that if a company has a freephone number then potential customers are more likely to choose them. Therefore, it will help if you prepare for an extra boost in enquiries in order to deal with additional calls from your new 0800 numbers. You need to be organised so that you don't leave newly hard won customers waiting on the line in a queue to speak with you. After all that effort marketing your company, it would be a disaster to fall at the final hurdle.

Step 3: Monitor your advert with 0800 numbers
It is possible to track the performance of various marketing media by designating a unique 0800 number to each individual advert. So, if you had four adverts in The BT Phone Book, each one would need a unique 0800 number. Every different poster, leaflet, sponsorship ad, etc. should have a different 0800 number. These will all point to the same number so you will receive your calls as normal, but it will enable you to monitor the success of every advert you place. You should be able to get all the information you need online form your 0800 number supplier or perhaps online via a portal.

Step 4: Monthly reports on company adverts
A reliable 0800 number company usually provides a monthly report detailing call traffic to each 0800 number. This may be available online or perhaps be supplied with your printed invoice. Some companies go the extra mile and calculate the cost per enquiry for each advert for you. This is achieved by working out the monthly advert cost divided by the number of calls received on its designated 0800 number. For example if we know an advert costs £100 per month and it received 10 calls, then the cost per enquiry would equal £10. Comparing the cost per enquiry is a fantastic method of measuring the relative effectiveness of different media.

Step 5: Assess which media works best for you
Don't fall victim to commission hungry advertising sales reps who urge you to invest in their media platform. Use your research data gathered from the 0800 numbers to compare which media has worked best for your advert. This will enable you to weed out poor performing adverts. The cash freed up can be invested elsewhere rather than being wasted.
Follow these simple steps and you will be able to squeeze the maximum amount out of your advertising spend.

Further information on 0800 numbers can be found on the The 0800 Number Company website: http://www.the0800numbercompany.co.uk/

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We supply 0800 numbers to small, medium and large businesses in the UK.

If your not sure whether an 0800 number is the right choice we also offer 0844 numbers, 0845 numbers, 03 numbers and local virtual numbers for nearly 500 UK towns and cities.