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News About Toll-free Custom 800 Numbers & Services

Read press releases from 2009 and earlier about 800response and Custom 800 Numbers!

2009 Press Releases:

New Study Shows Consumers Have 45% Better Recall of Toll-free Vanity 800 Numbers over Web Addresses
First Research Study to Evaluate Recall of Vanity 800 Numbers and URLs in Advertisements Suggests Advertisers Should use Both Direct-Response Tools in their Advertising Campaigns for Effective Lead Generation

BURLINGTON, Vt – Jan. 27, 2009 – 800response, the leading provider of vanity 800 numbers and web-based call tracking, announced today new research that shows consumers have a 45% higher recall of vanity 800 phone numbers than web addresses.  The independent survey of 1,000 consumers tested recall of vanity 800 numbers and URLs in advertising, and uncovered consumers’ intended actions when visiting an advertiser’s web site.  Study results suggest that advertisers will benefit from featuring a memorable toll-free number in addition to listing a web address in their advertising campaigns.

RESEARCH COMPETITION IS A FIRST STEP WHEN VISITING AN ADVERTISER’S WEB SITE:
The majority of consumers surveyed cite “Research the Advertiser” and “Research the Competition” as their first steps when visiting an advertiser’s web site.  An examination of multiple industries (auto, home improvement, education and health care) reveals that as many as 40% of consumers research an advertising company’s competition as their first step once they move on from an advertiser’s web site.

“The results suggest that advertisers who use their web sites as the exclusive consumer response tool risk losing  potential customers right from the start, with about a fifth of consumers citing ‘research the competition’ as their first step.  And, fewer than 10% state that they would communicate with the advertiser as their first step,” says Laura Noonan, Vice President of Marketing with 800response.  “If companies aren’t including a phone number in their ads, then they are losing that valuable direct communication with consumers who are already beyond the research phase and ready to buy,” says Noonan.

FINDINGS OF CONSUMER RECALL:
In six out of seven tests, the data shows that consumers have an overall higher recall rate for vanity 800 phone numbers than they do for web addresses.

“To share an example of one recall test, a sample radio ad for the fictitious company, Bayside Auto Sales, featured 1-800-NEW-AUTO as the vanity number, and baysideautosales.com as the mock URL.  Survey respondents had a 52% higher recall of the vanity number compared to the URL, despite the fact that the URL was an exact match to the company name.  The higher recall for the phone number over the web address is significant for a business when they look at return on advertising investment,” says Noonan.

Recall data demonstrate that vanity 800 numbers are also more memorable than URLs when used in print, outdoor, and broadcast advertising formats.

“These recall findings combined with consumers’ proclivity to shop the competition while online suggests that advertisers will benefit by featuring a memorable toll-free number in addition to listing their web address in their advertising.  Using a URL as the sole direct-response method is not a sage tactic for generating the maximum number of leads from an advertising budget,” says Noonan.

About the Study
The vanity 800 provider and a third-party research firm conducted the first study of its kind to test consumer behaviors in response to advertisements featuring both URLs and toll-free 800 numbers in visual and audio advertising.  The advertisements represented multiple industries including automotive, home improvement, wireless, education, and health care.  For more information and details of methodology, contact lnoonan@800response.com.

About 800response
800response maintains the widest selection of vanity 800 numbers available today, and offers these dynamic advertising tools to increase response rates and improve ROI for businesses in North America.  Services include a sophisticated Call Routing platform, Web-based real-time Call Tracking reports, and Call Monitoring services like Call Recording and Missed Call Monitor.  For more information, visit http://www.800response.com/news/pressreleases/ or call 1-800-NEW-SALES.

About Infosurv, Inc.
Since 1998, Infosurv has established itself as a recognized leader in the field of online survey research.  Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Infosurv partners with companies of all sizes and industries to design, administer and analyze market research, employee, and customer surveys.  To learn more visit www.infosurv.com

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New Study Shows Consumers of all Ages have a Higher Recall Rateof Toll-free Vanity 800 Numbers Compared to Web Addresses

BURLINGTON, Vt – March 24, 2009 – 800response, the leading provider of vanity 800 numbers and Web-based call tracking, announced today new research showing that consumers of all ages have a higher recall rate of vanity 800 phone numbers than Web addresses.  The independent research survey of 1,000 consumers tested recall of vanity 800 numbers and URLs in advertising.  Survey results suggest that advertisers will benefit from featuring a memorable toll-free number in their advertising campaigns regardless of the age groups they target.

CONSUMER RECALL by AGE:
The research data demonstrate that consumers of all ages have a higher recall of vanity 800 numbers over URLs when both response tools are featured in the same ads.  Results showing correct recall for the vanity 800 numbers in visual and audio media ranges from 50 percent recall to 61percent recall, spanning the various age groups, while correct recall for the URLs ranges from 26 percent to 46 percent.

“Looking at each data set, based on age group, the results show that using a memorable 800 number in advertising campaigns – no matter what age group they’re targeting – is a valid advertising strategy for companies,” says Laura Noonan, Vice President of Marketing at 800response.

The demographic data and recall results demonstrate that although there is a broad perception that the younger population tends to be more Internet focused, 61 percent of those ages 18 to 24 correctly recalled the vanity 800 number presented in an advertisement, while only 46 percent could correctly recall the URL.

“The data show that although the Internet is an increasingly popular method of conducting research and making some purchases, advertisers should consider this new research which shows consumers retain and recall vanity 800 numbers better than they do Web sites,” says Noonan.

Overall, each age group had a higher recall rate for the toll-free vanity phone numbers in advertisements, than they did for the advertisers’ Web site addresses.  The highest average recall rate of 98 percent was among the 65 years and older age group.  Consumers aged 50 to 64 also had a high average recall of vanity 800 numbers at 63 percent.

“Another interesting point to note is that the survey was deployed to a group of opted-in respondents who frequently participate in online surveys and are a Web-savvy group of people attuned to accessing Web addresses,” says Noonan.

Five age groups spanning 18 to 65 years old and over were tested for recall of vanity 800 numbers and URLs in visual and audio media formats.  The data represent an equal distribution among the age groups:

Study Methodology
Infosurv, Inc. conducted a market research study testing consumer recall and behaviors in response to advertisements featuring both URLs and toll-free vanity 800 numbers.  The first portion of the survey included four sets of questions focusing on consumers’ recall of vanity 800 numbers and URLs in audio and visual advertisements.  The images were displayed on the screen for seven seconds and followed by two open-ended recall questions.  The same test method was used to measure consumer recall of vanity numbers and URLs in radio advertisements. 

About 800response
800response maintains the widest selection of vanity 800 numbers available today, and offers these dynamic advertising tools to increase response rates and improve ROI for businesses in North America.  Services include a sophisticated Call Routing platform, Web-based real-time Call Tracking reports, and Call Monitoring services like Call Recording and Missed Call Monitor.  For more information, visit http://www.800response.com/news/pressreleases/index.html or call 1-800-NEW-SALES. 

About Infosurv, Inc.
Since 1998, Infosurv has established itself as a recognized leader in the field of online survey research.  Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Infosurv partners with companies of all sizes and industries to design, administer and analyze market research, employee, and customer surveys.  To learn more visit www.infosurv.com.

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Advertising Awards Season Kicks-Off to Honor Creative Use of Vanity 800 Numbers

BURLINGTON, VT – Sept 21, 2009 – 800response, the leading provider of vanity 800 numbers and web-based call tracking, today announces the company’s fifth annual advertising awards contest, The Bull’s-Eye Ad Awards.

The advertising contest honors their customers for the creative use of vanity 800 numbers like 1-800-NEW-RIDE in advertising campaigns.

The annual advertising contest evaluates customers’ advertisements that include vanity 800 numbers in five media categories including radio, television, outdoor, print/direct mail, and alternative forms like promotional items.  A sixth category evaluates customers’ ads submitted into multiple media categories that make up a company’s overall integrated advertising campaign.

“We are pleased to announce our fifth annual Bull’s-Eye Ad Awards, and look forward to seeing all of the wonderful advertising campaigns that feature Custom 800 numbers.  We invite our customers, as well as their advertising agency partners who work tirelessly to create and execute campaigns, to submit their best work into the contest,” says Laura Noonan, Vice President of Marketing at 800response.

A complete list of past Bull’s-Eye contest winners for 2005 – 2008 is available at http://www.800response.com/bullseye_2008winners.html along with samples of the winning ads that can be viewed at http://www.800response.com/marketingideas/sampleads/index.html.

Introduced in 2005, the Bull’s-Eye Ad Awards pays tribute to the customers of 800response and their advertising agency representatives who use advertising prowess in choosing effective response-generating methods to execute successful advertising campaigns.  Visit http://www.800response.com/bullseye.html for more details on the annual advertising competition.

About 800response:  800response maintains the widest selection of vanity 800 numbers available today, and offers these dynamic advertising tools to increase response rates and improve ROI for businesses in North America.  Services include a sophisticated Call Routing platform, Web-based real-time Call Tracking reports, and Call Monitoring services like Call Recording and Missed Call Monitor.  For more information, visit http://www.800response.com/news/pressreleases/ or call 1-800-NEW-SALES. 

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