When it comes to phone numbers, 813 has been Tampa’s (and all of Hillsborough County’s) only area code—until now. As the 813 phone number supply dwindles, Florida is preparing its new area code (and a lot of phone numbers) for release. The new area code means some operational changes for local businesses and some major marketing opportunities. If your business markets to the Tampa Bay area and beyond (or would like to), now’s the time to understand what the new 656 area code means for you and how to procure your phone numbers as soon as they’re available.
A new area code means the ability to procure high value vanity phone numbers without a high price tag. Vanity numbers are easy to recall and market, like 656-123-4LAW and 656-123-LAWN. These kinds of numbers are hard to get ahold of in any existing area code since the businesses in possession of them won’t give up their best marketing numbers! The 656 area code means a chance for your business to get its hands on a number that will make your organization stand out in print or digital advertising.
Local presence is particularly important for service-focused businesses. Clients want to do business with someone they know, like, and feel connected to—so, even if your business isn’t located in the Tampa Bay area, if you want to do business with folks throughout Hillsborough and Pasco counties, it’s important to have a phone number that reflects local presence. 813 and 656 area codes cover the following cities:
Someone calling from the Tampa Bay area is more inclined to call a service with the same area code as they have rather than a Toll-Free or out-of-county number. From an SEO marketing standpoint, a local phone number, just like a local address, can improve your search engine ranking for local searches (those utilizing Google to search for “Law firms near me,” for example).
The new 656 area code enables your business to purchase clean, large, sequential blocks of phone numbers—an option that became rare or completely unavailable in the 813 area code years ago. Sequential blocks of numbers help larger organizations keep their staff’s direct dial phone lines organized neatly. Having distinct phone numbers for individual marketing campaigns like billboards, Google AdWords campaigns, and print or TV ads, allows for accurately tracking and measuring ROI via the number of phone calls to each number (and which of those converted into sales and marketing qualified leads).
As of January 22nd, 2022, 10-digit dialing is required when calling Tampa-based numbers and the 813 prefix can no longer be omitted for local calls. This is in preparation for the release of two area codes being in play in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll want to ensure all your marketing materials are up to date to include your area codes (whether 813 or 656) on content like:
You’ll also want to ensure any systems that perform outbound dialing (like fire and security alarms) are updated to include the area codes.
Phone carriers will have access to 656 area code phone numbers as early as February 22nd, 2022. That said, numbers are not available to be purchased or utilized by the public until the 813 area code has been fully exhausted. SmashTel will offer a wide range of phone numbers in the 656 area code including sequential blocks and high-value vanity numbers as soon as they are available.
