A vanity phone number is just as important for lawyers in Canada as for lawyers in the U.S.
Why? Because a vanity phone number is a branding tool used to get more business and compete with other lawyers. Competition is just as important among lawyers in Canada and will explode over the next ten years.
This article will explain why fewer Canadian lawyers advertise with vanity phone numbers than lawyers in the U.S. and how Canadian lawyers can get a vanity phone number.
Vanity phone numbers work just as well for Canadian lawyers as they do for lawyers in the U.S.
Why Don’t More Canadian Lawyers Use Vanity Phone Numbers?
A Canadian lawyer asked me why so many lawyers in the U.S. use vanity phone numbers, but only a few lawyers in Canada use them.
The lawyer wanted to use a vanity phone number for personal injury advertising in Ontario. However, he was concerned that it might not attract Canadian clients like it does in the U.S. because so few lawyers in Canada use vanity phone numbers. He thought that if it worked well for advertising, more Canadian lawyers would have a vanity phone number.
Vanity phone numbers work just as well in Canada as in the U.S., so why are so few lawyers using vanity phone numbers in Canada?
Because it’s harder for a Canadian lawyer to get a toll-free vanity phone number.
There are two reasons why vanity phone numbers are not commonly used for advertising by lawyers in Canada.
First, Lawyer Advertising in the U.S. Had a Head Start over Canada
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed American lawyers to advertise in 1977. However, lawyer advertising took a few years to take off in the U.S.
Lawyer advertising in the Yellow Pages became common in the 1980s. TV advertising took off a few years later and exploded in the 1990s.
The Law Society of Upper Canada changed its rules to allow Ontario lawyers to advertise in 1987, 10 years after the U.S. You’ll see below why this caused Canadian lawyers to be at a disadvantage concerning vanity phone numbers.
Like in the U.S., it took a while for personal injury advertising in Canada to take off, and it wasn’t until the 2000s that Canadian lawyers began routinely advertising.
Competition among personal injury lawyers in Canada is ten years behind the U.S. and is seeing the rapid growth that U.S. lawyers saw in the last ten years.
Second, Toll-Free Vanity Phone Numbers Work Throughout North America
Toll-free vanity phone numbers work throughout North America. That means a toll-free vanity number in the U.S. can also work throughout Canada.
This applies to 1-800 toll-free vanity phone numbers, 1-888, and other toll-free area codes.
A toll-free vanity phone number is also under the exclusive control of the person or company it is registered to. If a lawyer in the U.S. uses a vanity phone number, it won’t be available for a lawyer in Canada.
A lawyer in the U.S. who advertises a toll-free vanity phone number can use it locally, throughout the state, or nationally. It’s simple to turn off telephone routing and restrict incoming calls to one or more areas.
Even lawyers in the U.S. who advertise nationally will prevent incoming calls from Canada.
Because Canadian lawyers are ten years behind American lawyers in advertising, American lawyers grabbed most of them first. But a few Canadian lawyers got lucky.
One lucky Canadian law firm is Diamond & Diamond, which advertises 1-800-567-HURT and is now also in Miami, Florida.
Why Did Lawyers in the U.S. Rush to Get Vanity Phone Numbers?
There was a rush of lawyers in the U.S. to begin advertising, and they were all looking for a competitive advantage.
U.S. lawyers learned long ago that a vanity phone number attracts potential clients and increases the response rate everywhere the vanity phone number is advertised.
A vanity phone number will increase the response rate whether advertised on TV, radio, billboards, Google Ads, or the law firm’s website.
You can easily see how a vanity phone number increases the response rate and ROI from U.S. lawyers advertising on TV, radio, billboards, Google Ads, or a law firm’s website.
How Can Lawyers in Canada Get a Vanity Phone Number?
Unfortunately, for Canadian law firms, U.S. lawyers started using 1-800 vanity phone numbers long before Canadian lawyers.
That means the U.S. lawyers took all the good vanity phone numbers, leaving Canadian lawyers behind and making it almost impossible for a Canadian lawyer to find a toll-free vanity phone number.
Now, getting a toll-free vanity phone number is almost impossible for lawyers in the U.S. or Canada. But Canadian lawyers can still get a vanity phone number with a local area code.
Although a vanity phone number with a local area code doesn’t provide the branding power of a toll-free vanity number, it still provides a competitive advantage over lawyers who don’t have one.
Another solution for lawyers in Canada is to license a toll-free vanity phone number.
1-800-HURT-911® is available for exclusive use throughout Canada or one or more Canadian provinces and territories.
844-444-HURT is also available for exclusive use throughout Canada or in Canadian provinces and territories.
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What Is the Future of Lawyer Advertising in Canada?
Canadian Lawyer Magazine (12 Nov 2012) says advertising by personal injury lawyers in Canada is growing, like in the U.S.
There is no doubt that lawyer advertising in Canada will continue growing as it does in the U.S. The only difference between lawyer advertising in Canada and the U.S. is that it started ten years later in Canada.
Canadian Lawyer Magazine wrote:
As a result, advertising campaigns Canadians previously saw on U.S.-based television channels are now cropping up on local radio and TV stations, especially all-news channels.
“Get ready. You are going to see plaintiff personal injury ads everywhere,” predicts Todd Reybroek, who heads Reybroek Barristers in Toronto. “It is absolutely the future…”
Like in the U.S., starting advertising as soon as possible is important.
You shouldn’t have to spend much money competing with lawyers in Canada because the competition is still growing.
If you want to start advertising but don’t have enough money for an advertising budget, see What’s the Best Way for Lawyers to Start Advertising and how to advertise with little to no money.
You may also be interested in reading, How Can Lawyers Advertise When Lawyer Advertising Is So Competitive?
Read Some of Our Other Informative Articles
Philip L. Franckel, Esq., is the author of this article.
Phil Franckel is the owner of 1-800-HURT-911® and over 1,100 domain names. He is a personal injury lawyer and a former Member of the Board of Directors of the NYS Trial Lawyers Association. He is an expert in branding, advertising, marketing, and SEO. He has been doing SEO since 1994.
Phil Franckel has written and produced TV commercials for lawyers and other industries and has been a consultant to businesses, including several using vanity phone numbers. Phil writes a blog about lawyer advertising at LawyerAdvertisingBlog.com.
Phil Franckel began a mail order business in 8th grade, bought and sold coin-operated amusement games in 10th grade, and a used car business in 12th grade through college. After law school, he worked in the wholesale diamond business and part-time for a TV production company. Later, while a lawyer at a large personal injury law firm, he worked part-time for ABC Wide World of Sports and ABC Monday Night Baseball.
Phil Franckel then started a personal injury law practice and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the NYS Trial Lawyers Association.
In his spare time, Phil Franckel became an Aux. Police Cadet in 12th grade and is the Commanding Officer of the Communications Bureau, NCPD Aux. Police Section.
