What do your phone numbers spell? It may sound like a seventh-grade math exercise, but it might also unlock greater response rates to your marketing.

Vanity numbers are phone numbers that also spell something meaningful. They have been around since rotary-dial phones. People continue to use vanity numbers - even name businesses after them - because they work. Studies show that people remember vanity phone numbers better than all-integer numbers, and they can improve the customer's perception of the company as being more established and credible.

To establish your own vanity number you have three options.

• Check if one or more of your existing numbers already spells something useful
• Reserve a number that has not been released yet, such as the pending block of 855 toll-free numbers
• Secure a new local, mobile or toll-free number which translates into a desirable set of letters

The first option is the easiest and least expensive. Unfortunately, most numbers convert only to gibberish. To see the results of converting your existing phone numbers into letters, try these free sites (each has a benefit over the others, so you might want to try each of them):

• www.phonetic.com
• www.phonespelling.com
• www.phonespell.org
• www.labrocca.com/phone/

The next option can get you the number you want, but you will have to wait for it. The federal government dictates when new prefixes for toll-free numbers become available (today they are 800, 888, 877 and 866). The momentum is growing for them to approve use of 855 as a toll-free prefix, which will open up loads of new phone number options. There is no official site today to reserve numbers prior to the government authorizing the new prefix. The "notify me" option in the search results of tollfreenumbers.com can be helpful. Once you search a set of letters and numbers in the search box in the top right corner, you get a list of options. The 855 prefix shows up as a future option, and you can click a button to be notified when it becomes available.

You may find an available number at tollfreenumbers.com or another vanity number search engine. If you do - grab it. Just as people quickly procure Web URLs, they also speculate on the value of vanity numbers. So numbers available today may likely be gone tomorrow. Don't stop at just toll-free numbers. If you have ideas about a number you want, it doesn't hurt to call your local phone company and mobile providers to check its availability. (Please, do not just call the number to see if someone answers. We'll end up with a lot of folks frustrated with Broker Program Updates.)

For both toll-free and local phone numbers, here are a few ideas to get you started brainstorming:

• APP-ONLY (277-6659)
• LOW-PAYS (569-7297)
• START-UP (782-7887)
• FINANCE (346-2623)
• 4-EQUIPMT (437-4768)
• ZERO-DOWN (937-6369) yes, you can add digits to the end of the number without affecting it's functionality

Look into these options for vanity numbers. You might get lucky and discover that one of your existing numbers already spells something. If not, you're likely to find a number available now or in the future that works. Either way, using a vanity number can improve your response to any marketing you do.

SunBridge Capital has not verified the quality of the Web sites and companies listed in this article. Before making a commitment or investment, please independently research the product/service and provider.