Take a look at this toll free phone number: 866-741-6258.

OK, now don’t look at it again. Instead look away and repeat it, saying it out loud. How did you do? Didn’t cheat I hope. Most people will have a hard time remembering this number. Without a rhythm or cadence, it is very difficult to a recall a seemingly random series of numbers.

In radio advertising, the difference between a successful or failed direct response campaign could come down to the toll free number cadence, and how you use the number. That’s where the art of numbers comes into play.

There are three basic principles in the art of numbers you must account for in your radio campaigns:

1. Use Premium Toll Free Numbers
At Marketing Architects we only use premium toll-free numbers - simple, repeatable numbers - in our radio campaigns, like 800-500-1212. What are premium numbers worth? Does a 100% improvement in response seem significant?

2. Prepare The Listener For The Number
Besides the number itself, the other component to the art of numbers is when to say the number and how often to say it. Radio is a linear medium, so it matters when you give the listener the number. They can only act when you tell them to act or have prepared them to act. So there is a time to provide them a number to prep them for action, and when to drive it home when you want them to act.

Remember the radio listener is also trying to hear your message, form an opinion and emotionally connect to the offer. Until they have reached that point they are not ready to act. Pushing the number too many times, or too early, could result in a shutdown of that process.

3. Eliminate Any Doubt From The Equation
Finally, don’t use any toll free number if it doesn’t start with 1-800. Don’t use 1-866. Don’t use 1-877. Consumers hesitate when they hear these prefixes. They still don’t think of them as “toll free”. That hesitation causes them to not recall the number, or refuse to call it altogether. That translates to wasted media spending.

On the surface, the art of numbers may seem like a small component of your overall direct response campaign, but it represents free moves that translate into dramatic results. The proof is in the numbers.