What is a Local Vanity Phone Number?
A local vanity phone number is a phone number with a local area code that spells a word or phrase related to your business. For example, 708-ROOFING, 312-LAW-FIRM, or 847-PLUMBER. The number forwards all calls to any phone you choose. Customers remember a vanity number far more easily than a random 10-digit number, making every piece of advertising you run more effective.
Why a Local Vanity Number
The first and most important advantage of a local vanity number is that it says you're the local expert, and customers trust and want to buy from someone local. This combined with the instant credibility it gives you, establishes you as the de facto industry leader, right in their local area, all in just 10 characters!
Increases the Response Rate of All Your Advertising
The dollars and sense reason to get a more memorable front door to your business is simply that it increases the response rate of all your advertising by 10-30%. That means it pays for itself with just a few hundred dollars per month of advertising. But even a startup that isn't doing any advertising yet benefits tremendously from a good vanity number because it gives you the instant credibility of looking like the local industry leader right out of the box.
Creates a Brand Name
One of the big differences between this $79 investment and even investments thousands of times bigger, is that this tiny investment gives your whole business an instant and memorable brand name. That's why we recommend registering the matching domain name. If your number is 708-ROOFING, grab 708roofing.com too.
It's hard to get a good domain name, especially a short simple 10 character domain name. But having a matching phone number and domain name creates a killer combination that says who you are, what you do and how to reach you on the phone and internet, all in one memorable package.
Local Numbers Are More Textable
More and more customers want to text you questions, and customers are more comfortable texting local numbers than toll free numbers. You'll get texts on the vanity number at no additional cost, forwarded via email.
No Incoming Call Cost
Toll free numbers are free for the caller, but so are local phone calls. The difference is that you have to pay for the cost of the incoming calls with a toll free number. You don't pay for incoming calls on a local number.
1/10th the Cost of Toll Free
Generic toll free vanity numbers can go for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, not because they're 100 times more effective, but because there are 100 times as many prospective businesses to sell to and sellers feel like they have to hold out for a larger business. Local vanity numbers are harder to get than toll free numbers but they're 1/10th the cost or less. The specificity makes it both more effective and less expensive!
Simple, Transparent Pricing
One Price for Most Numbers
LVN has simplified the process in order to lower the cost and make it up by selling more. Most numbers here are the same $79 a month ($2.63 a day), with no setup fee and no contract. Other sites charge as much as they think they can get for every number, which means the prices vary and you end up negotiating. Here every price is on the page, so you never have to haggle. Some numbers are premium and priced one by one, and each one shows its price on its own page.
Why Not Free?
The price has to be high enough that it takes an actual business need to subscribe. If numbers were free or too cheap, people would grab them just because they could, and the number that would make a real difference to your business wouldn't be available. Regular phone companies have given them away to anyone for free, for a hundred years. That sounds great, but it ultimately means that the rare numbers that would make a huge difference to your business are never available.
First Come, First Served
We balance these two strategies with one simple flat fee for most numbers, lower than most in the industry, and give them away on a first come first served basis. We feel this makes the most valuable numbers available to the most possible customers, with an easy inexpensive monthly option and the option to own it with no strings too. There's no hidden cost or additional fees.
How to Search for Local Vanity Numbers
Searching for local vanity numbers is fundamentally different from searching for toll free vanity numbers, and most people don't realize why.
Local phone numbers are issued by phone companies in blocks of 1,000 or 10,000 at a time, typically spread over 50-100 years. Most phone companies only make numbers available that were given to them within the past 6-12 months. That means barely 1% of all potential local numbers are actually available at any one time, even if you knew which company they were issued to, and even if that company would let you pick whatever number you wanted from their inventory. Neither of those things is true.
That's why you can't just call your phone company and ask for a specific local vanity number the way you can search a database of toll free numbers. The system wasn't designed for it.
In an effort to solve this, LocalVanityNumbers.com has searched for potentially useful vanity numbers with all the major carriers for years, building a huge inventory of options organized by area code and industry, so you can browse what's actually available right now, instead of guessing and hoping.
Know the exact number you want? Look it up in the "Have a number in mind?" box. If it isn't for sale here, I can watch it for you or try to find it.
How to Get a Local Vanity Number
- Look it up or browse: Type the number you want, like 512-ROOFING, in the "Have a number in mind?" box, or browse by state, area code and industry. There are more than 36,000 numbers in more than 360 area codes.
- Choose your number: Pick the vanity number that best fits your business. Each number is exclusive and available first come, first served.
- Complete checkout: Simple online checkout, $79 a month for most numbers. No contract, no setup fee. Use code LVNC for the best price.
- Set up forwarding: Tell us which phone should receive your calls. Cell, office, or VoIP, your choice.
- Start receiving calls: Your vanity number is active by the next business day. Start using it in your advertising immediately.
Rent to own: the best of both worlds
You start small, like renting, and every payment counts, like buying.
Like renting
- $79 a month, about $2.63 a day, with code LVNC at checkout.
- No contract, no big check up front and no setup fee.
- It rings on any phone you choose (cell, office or VoIP) by the next business day.
- Walk away any time and owe nothing more.
Like buying
- Every payment counts toward owning the number.
- After 48 payments, $3,792 in all, it's yours.
- Buy out the rest any time after the first month. Every payment you've made is credited.
At the end
- After your last payment, the number is transferred to your own NumberBarn account. You control it, and we no longer have any access to it.
- No more payments to us.
- Keep it there, move it to any phone company, or sell it someday.
Where you stand at $79 a month
| Paid toward owning it | Left to own it |
|---|
| Month 1 | $79 | $3,713 |
| Month 12 | $948 | $2,844 |
| Month 48 | $3,792 | $0. It's yours. |
A local number that spells a whole word can sell for thousands up front. Some places will rent you one month after month, and you never own it. Here, the number starts working for you now, and you own it in the end.
Browse by Industry
Find vanity numbers for your specific industry. Each category page shows the best available numbers across every area code.
Show all 179 categories
Browse by State
Find local vanity numbers in your state. Each state page shows all available area codes with the cities they serve.
Who We Are
So many generic websites today seem designed to hide the owners and you have to ask yourself why. You'd be surprised how many phone number websites don't even have a phone number, and you have to ask yourself why.
Bill Quimby, the founder of LocalVanityNumbers.com, has been providing vanity phone numbers to businesses since 1995, before AT&T even had a website.
Call us at 1-800-MARKETER with questions. We're happy to help you find the right number.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a local vanity number cost?
Most local vanity numbers cost $79 per month ($2.63 per day), and some premium numbers are priced one by one on their own pages. There is no setup fee and no long-term contract. You can cancel at any time, with no penalty, and owe nothing more.
How quickly can I start using my number?
Your vanity number is activated by the next business day after you place your order. You choose which phone receives the forwarded calls and you're ready to go.
Can I keep my existing phone number?
Yes. Your vanity number forwards calls to any phone you choose: your existing cell, office line, or VoIP system. You keep your current number and add the vanity number on top. You can change the forwarding destination at any time.
Do I own the number after 48 payments?
Yes, completely. After your 48th monthly payment, the number is transferred to your own NumberBarn account, where you control it and we no longer have any access to it. No more payments to us, ever. You can keep it there, move it to any carrier, call from it, text from it. It's yours. Some places rent you a number month after month, and you never own it. Here, you do.
Can I own it faster than 48 months?
Yes. Any time after your first month, you can prepay the remaining balance and own the number immediately. Every payment you've already made is credited. At month 12, prepay 36 more months and it's yours. At month 30, prepay 18 more. It's simple math: 48 payments in all (48 × $79 = $3,792 for a $79 number), minus whatever you've already paid.
What if someone else orders the same number?
Numbers are strictly first come, first served. Each vanity number is exclusive to one business. Availability is confirmed at checkout. If you're considering a number, don't wait. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Does caller ID work?
Yes, incoming calls still show the caller's number. If you prefer to see which vanity number was dialed, we can configure that instead. Your outbound caller ID is unchanged since the vanity number forwards to your existing line.
Can I use it for text messages?
When someone texts your vanity number, we forward that message to you via email. To reply directly from the vanity number or have full two-way texting, you'd need to purchase the number outright and transfer it to your own carrier.
Find Your Perfect Vanity Number
36,825+ local vanity numbers available. $2.63/day, no contract, active by tomorrow.
Browse Numbers
or call 1-800-MARKETER
