Digital Marketers Yawning as Philadelphia, PA Adds The 445 Code
What some see as a snooze fest event, we at Web Market Central see as an opportunity that many digital marketers will not see or grasp, how adding a new area code is an opportunity to play digital offense and defense at the same time.
Since today is (Super Bowl Sunday – Go E-A-G-L-E-S), I liken digital marketing strategies to football, NOT soccer. Some marketers don’t understand the importance of playing defense or offense in digital marketing strategies. Many just sit on the sidelines and watch while others do the hard work.
The State of Pennsylvania on March 3rd will be home to 13 telephone area codes by adding the new 445 code making area codes more relevant and less relevant at the same time. People are moving and taking phone numbers with them regularly. It has become extremely difficult to figure out where you are calling or receiving a call from; making the numbers less relevant. But from a digital marketing perspective who really cares? I believe that most digital marketers don’t care and if you have clients in Philadelphia or the region, you should care. In fact, this is a worldwide phenomenon that you should absolutely care about and here is why.
What could possibly interest you from a digital marketing perspective about new area codes? Did I say it is Super Bowl Sunday? Go E-A-G-L-E-S! (I am trying to stay on point.) Area codes are added across the United States and other capitalist societies to cover the ever-expanding numbers for cell phones, landlines, businesses, call centers and tracking phone numbers. Read that last sentence as there is a clue as to where I am heading with this post.
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As a marketer, you have the opportunity to show your existing client base that you can help them and be a resource to them. If you are providing digital marketing services like PPC and SEO and other services you are most likely using call tracking software. If you’re not, you’re really missing a huge opportunity to help your clients, but that’s another story. What I’m talking about is offensively acquiring things like vanity phone numbers, phone numbers that are similar to your competitors’ numbers, phone numbers that might look better than what you have now.
There are cool things you can do with a list of well-thought-out phone numbers. For example, I have competitors whose number is vanity phone number. The area code is followed by IGetSEO. I could go out right now buy the same seven-digit phone number with the new area code. Since my company is newer and not as well-known as my competitor, maybe I get a couple calls where they paid for advertising. Somebody didn’t remember the area code. I’ll take that call happily
Thinking about the client side a bit, I have clients that have phone numbers in local directories across the state. I can purchase business looking numbers or vanity numbers that are actually tracking numbers printed in a directory. There are rural areas where people actually do rely on printed phonebooks. Imagine the value when the subscriber is up for renewal with the directory, and I tell him he got zero calls. Helpful?
I’m not saying that this area code thing is the be all and all of digital marketing. What I am saying is there are opportunities presented to us, and many people just don’t see them. I for one had the opportunity to purchase Google at the $85 a share IPO price. A friend told me that Google would end up being more important than the telephone company. That was just about 14 years ago; I told my friend that he was nuts. Had I invested thousand dollars, then it is worth over $18,000 today pretty good return on my investment. Unfortunately, I sat on the sidelines and didn’t do anything. My friend on the other hand? Well, that’s another story. Did I tell you today Super Bowl Sunday?
