Increasing competition, a massive spurt in operational costs, a sharp decline in revenues and Return on Investment, and a fickle economy. Physicians and health care practitioners these days have to contend with myriad challenges. The need of the hour is to not only to retain existing patients and attract new ones but also formulate a campaign that sticks to a tight deadline and a tighter budget while achieving these ends. The marketing maverick who gets called in to deliver a practice or a medical facility from these odds is expected to weave magic. Thankfully, he has his magic wand—the toll-free vanity number.

A Personal Number Sells Itself

It may not be realized by many health care professionals but a toll free vanity number, if wielded smartly, often has more potential than any number of glitzy ads, flashy spreads, and lengthy mailers to achieve the desired marketing ends. In fact, the nature of the relationships in this industry is such that ads are taken with a pinch of salt and going overboard with promotional campaigns labels a health care facility as suspect. Thus an analysis of the nature of the healthcare industry is essential to understand why custom 800 numbers succeed more as marketing tools here than probably in any other industry.

Times & People have Changed

The profession of medicine is one that is entirely built on trust and mutual respect. An individual seeking medical treatment is drawn to a facility or a practice not only because he is confident about the abilities of the practitioner, but also because he perceives the person as a compassionate, kind, and caring doctor. In this respect, medicine has not much changed since old times, when the “old doctor down the road with a kind face and who enquired about your aunt’s pie when you visited him” got more patients than the “that curt young man with a lot of fancy machines and no time to talk.” A health care professional advertising with a custom 800 number exudes such a favorable image.

What a Vanity 800 Number can do for You

A toll-free vanity number in your ads gives your target audience the perception that since you are willing to pay for their calls, you are someone who is keen to listen to them. This perception immediately creates a feeling of trust in you and patients feel more confident about approaching you. For a medical facility, a personal 800 number projects an image of a bigger organization than it actually is, and thus more competent. This is indeed a favorable image to project, and more so because it can be projected without the aid of flashy commercials and radio jingles with catchy tunes, which are apt to be viewed with skepticism. Character and substance matter more than superficial marketing ploys.

A Net Positive for Your Practice

Custom 800 numbers not only project a brand image but also add to your brand’s value. What is more, they achieve these objectives without you getting labeled as a minting machine. Rather, these phone words help you reach out to your target audience and build lasting relationships based on trust—the key to succeeding as a health care professional and helping your practice or facility flourish even during challenging times.