Grow your small business — it’s all in the numbers

While many small businesses communicate with their clients via email and video meetings, there’s still a time and place for a good old-fashioned telephone call. 

What do your digits tell the world about your small business? Do those 10 numbers paint the picture of someone who’s wildly successful in multiple major cities, or do they make it clear you’re just a one-person show running things from your personal cell phone?

Here at PhoneHub, we write about how small business owners set themselves up with the business telephone numbers they need. (Landlines need not apply. It’s 2021, after all.)

Whether you’re a Realtor looking to add a bit of polish to listings halfway across the country, a manufacturer hoping to drum up business outside of your home city, or a busy creative looking to connect with clients at a distance, having multiple (and totally custom) business phone numbers can boost sales. 

Location, location, location

Straight off the bat, a second-number app like Hushed offers the opportunity to present your small business as being based in a certain geographical area. Even if you’re not located in that exact city, having the right area code can give you instant credibility with potential clients. 

Pinpoint your marketing efforts

The ability to have multiple phone numbers at your disposal creates several marketing opportunities for your small business. Running a specific set of ads? Include a dedicated number so the voicemail message can tell potential clients exactly what they need to hear. Trying to connect with a totally different market, in a different way? Use a different dedicated business phone number with a different voicemail message. 

More than just calling

A second business number isn’t just about calling. Your small business will also get full-featured SMS text messaging with photos and video for moments when seeing is believing — giving you the power to show your clients the important details that can make or break a sale.

Streamline your business

If you have multiple branches to your small business, A second line makes it easier to organize your calls — especially who answers them, and when. 

Use a high-priority number for your small business’s top clients and hottest leads, and set up a second number for low-priority items — like questions from vendors or accounting inquiries. Instead of having customer service calls come straight to your personal cell, potentially interrupting an important meeting, have them sent directly to an employee via a dedicated customer service number.

Simply your clients’ experience

By separating your small business’s phone numbers into categories, people only need to call one number to get exactly what they need. 

A system like this prevents your clients from navigating annoying “Press 1 for ___” phone systems where they have to listen to every option under the sun. Instead of listening to a long, droning menu to find their desired option, they just get to tap in a direct phone number. Easy peasy!

Keep it catchy!

Need an easy-to-remember phone number for your small business? This is where a second-number app earns its keep: you choose the number — unlike the phone company, which randomly assigns them.

You can usually browse available numbers across the U.S. and Canada, pick memorable phone numbers, and then promote the heck out of them in your branding.

Keep your personal life personal

We’ve saved the best for last. The most important reason to have at least two telephone numbers on the go is that it helps you separate your business life and your personal life.

We work with entrepreneurs every day, and we know how many hours you pour into your businesses. Instead of having your personal cell phone line ringing night and day and feeling guilty if you don’t pick it up — what if that unknown number is a friend, family member, or your child’s school calling?! — you can spend your non-business hours calmly letting work calls go to voicemail. 

We know it can be hard to unplug from business mode — especially when you’re a busy entrepreneur — but there’s nothing wrong with returning a client call the next morning instead. After all, the best way to grow your small business is by keeping yourself sane and healthy, and that requires enjoying some well-deserved downtime at the end of the day.