What your ringtone says about you

When Simon and Garfunkel released The Sounds of Silence in 1964, smartphones didn’t exist. Yet the duo’s tune might be the anthem for modern cell users, who often opt for silent mode, vibration, or even the flashing LED on their phone’s camera instead of ringtones.

What’s up with that? It’s a phone, right? Phone ringtones go with phones like peanut butter and bananas. (Not everyone loves jelly.) Custom ringtones and fun notification sounds ought to be as common as cream and sugar in coffee.

Point is, if the phone rings, you’re going to be talking. So bring on the ringtones!

Phone ringtones: Now hear this

In the heyday of traditional landline telephones, all ringtones were the same: a resonant trill that meant an unknown person was calling you. Yes, hard as it is to believe now, when landlines were the only means of phone connection, you had to pick up the receiver to discover who was on the line. Unless you had Caller ID. But that feature didn’t debut until the 1980s. So in the days when The Sounds of Silence was cresting the airwaves, phone calls were essentially anonymous until you said, “Hello.”

But just as plain old coffee became fancy once coffee shops sprouted on every corner (“Brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso with pumpkin spice and white mocha, please”), ringtones evolved once everyone had a phone in their pocket—or a VoIP phone such as Ooma Telo, which enables you to create custom ringtones, so people could choose a ringtone that showcased their personality.

Once upon a ringtone, people often chose funny ringtones like a barking dog, or a ringtone song such as the theme from the Pink Panther, or a clever line from one of the best sitcom phone calls on The Office, in which Michael tells everyone “911, call me” to get them to return his calls. However, the ringtone market has dropped sharply in the past few years, from a $1.3 billion industry to just over $10 million.

Why? Initially, clever ringtones were a novelty, and a cool way to advertise your personality in a few-second snippet. But over time, hearing the sound grows tiresome. Now, it’s considered cooler to just leave your phone on vibrate.

Plus, having the same ringtone as so many others makes for a lot of confusing noise. Is that my phone ringing, or the guy sitting across from me? In an age when the volume of life has been amped up exponentially, these identical ringtones actually create social anxiety. And there’s enough of that already.

Also, as the population ages, flashing ringtones have grown in popularity among older adults, whose hearing may be compromised from all those rock concerts in the 1960s and ’70s. Accessible call notifications are a blessing now if you had a chance to see bands like the Stones or Led Zeppelin then. Multiple times. Without earplugs. Yeah!

The best ringtones tell a story

So given all these options, why would you decide to use a certain tone or song in lieu of simply setting your phone to vibrate?

To tell a story.

Storytelling is the watchword of business today. Think about web content: brands don’t just want a decent writer who can churn out copy; they need someone who gets their brand and their strategy, and can build a story that drives interest, page views, and ultimately, sales.

The same is true for your personal brand. You are your own brand; everything you do defines you: the brands you like, the way you dress, the car you drive, all tell the world a story about who you are. Your ringtone, like your phone case, is an extension of your brand.

Phone numbers are also a great example of this.

Consider some fun phone numbers that, as Taylor Swift sang in a different context, never go out of style. Remember that classic song title about a girl named Jenny, 867-5309? Like one of today’s ringtone songs, the tune became so popular in the ’80s that multiple businesses obtained it for promotional purposes.

What does your ringtone say about you?

How do you want to be known, personally and professionally? Do you use the same phone for both business and personal calls? Will the ringtone you select work for multiple audiences? Consider these options:

Silent ringtone

For those who embrace The Sounds of Silence in the modern era, a silent ringtone may be an obvious choice. By muting incoming calls without turning off your phone, you can still see call notifications on your screen and choose whether to answer. Great if you’re in DND mode except for emergencies. It also signals you’re considerate of other people and don’t want to disturb them.

Vibrate ringtone

Vibrate is similarly an easy choice in a cacophonous world. Practical and considerate. But when you have a built-in brand-building opportunity, why not use your best ringtone advantage?

LED flash

Older ears may appreciate getting a visual accompaniment to their ringtone. An LED flash ringtone makes your phone’s camera light blink when you receive an incoming call or text. Good if you’re still attending those loud concerts…now with your tween.

Song ringtone

A ringtone song is a go-to if you can’t get enough of your favorite tune or artist, especially if the song represents you because you identify with the lyrics. With a singer as prolific as Taylor Swift, for example, Swifties can switch up their ringtone song weekly, and it’ll still be quite a while before they run through her catalog. By then, she’ll have a new album out.

Audio clip

A recognizable clip from a well-known song or show tells people who you are, from comedy to horror to action. Are you a Twilight Zone fan? Everybody remembers that eerie intro clip, just before Rod Serling’s voiceover welcomes viewers to a dimension of mind.

Sound effect

We’ve heard of folks who love to play the old dial-up modem sound as their phone ringtone. Or the Star Trek emergency alert. If you like sci-fi alerts, this type of ringtone might be your jam. It also tells people you’re probably playful.

Stock ringtone

Sometimes default works. If you’re relaxed about ringtones, or a no-nonsense type of person, your phone’s pre-installed sound could be perfect for you: plug ‘n’ play.

Alternative manufacturer ringtones

But if you want to get creative, there are a number of third-party apps and open-source sound collections to replace the default ringtone. Zedge is popular for downloading community-shared ringtones; Audacity is open-source audio software that allows you to create personalized audio clips.

The right ringtone for you

You don’t have to try and create a sonic as memorable as 867-5309. Think about what your business does, and start there. If you own a pet care business, those barking dogs or meowing cats might cleverly segue into a custom ringtone of your business name—especially cool if it’s something akin to the ’80s duo, Pet Shop Boys. No, they didn’t sing about animals. We’re taking poetic license here.

So when it comes to the strategic use of sound, make your ringtone memorable. Creative. Humorous, if possible. Something that identifies it as uniquely you, so that the next time someone wants or needs what you offer—or you feel like talking to your bestie rather than texting—they’ll recognize your ringtone by a country mile. And smile.