There are plenty of ways to get someone’s contact details online. For starters, there are social media platforms, allowing you to contact practically anyone for free. Sometimes, however, a text message will not work. Certain matters require a more personal approach when a phone call is far more appropriate.
Once again, plenty of tools — starting with social media and ending with specialized contact databases like Signalhire.com/— can help with that, as well as a variety of other options in between these two. The best approach will depend on the information you already have. So, let’s take a look at different scenarios and see which one works best for you.
Start with social media platforms
This is the first and most logical step that comes to mind. Social networks — both personal and professional ones — have become indispensable in our lives. Besides, they gather plenty of information about their users, phone numbers included. Most people share this information with the public, so if you know the full name of the person you are looking for, social media is always a good start.
Note, however, that LinkedIn — the first choice when it comes to professional communication — does not usually allow seekers to preview its users’ phone numbers. Facebook, on the other hand, is way less secretive about their user data. So, it is easier to start your search from there.
Go to official websites or personal blogs
One more suggestion would be to look up the official websites. Most small or medium-sized businesses have their founders’ contact details right on their official websites. Of course, when trying to contact the owner of a huge corporation, such an approach would not work. Still, in most cases, you can find people’s contact through official channels representing those people.
When none is available, you can always look up personal websites and blogs. Once again, you may find the phone number you are looking for. On the other hand, you may also be greeted by a standard contact form that typically redirects all emails to a spam folder. So, scanning official websites, along with personal blogs, is not a 100% sure method of getting someone’s phone number, which brings us to the next point.
Use the professional tools & contact databases
Tools help us to multiply our productivity. Professional email hunter services are perfect for finding someone’s contact details — not just phone numbers, but also emails, links to social media networks, and other communication channels. One of the advantages of using platforms like SignalHire is that they offer all contact details neatly wrapped in one package. Besides, you can look up someone’s phone number if you know this person’s email or full name. Recruiters use such databases extensively because they provide direct communication means with prospective candidates. However, it does not mean they cannot serve other purposes.
So far, the only disadvantage of using such databases is that they usually run on paid subscriptions. Still, if you are not going to look up phone numbers every day, you can always opt-in for a free trial. As a rule, you get the first five searches for free. So, if looking for people’s phone numbers is not a regular activity, free versions may well suffice. If, on the other hand, you search for contacts regularly, paying for pro databases is still a wise investment. The subscription fees are moderate, and they help you do your job quickly and effectively.
Don’t forget to google it
This one sounds so obvious that many people forget this simple step. Still, Google has plenty of information on its users and makes it possible to lay your hands on many people’s contact details. Similar to a contact database, it may pull data from someone’s phone number if you know this person’s email or full name. Of course, it may get very confusing with common, popular names. Still, it is worth a shot — after all, you don’t need to pay for trying. This method is not as certain as using a paid contact database, of course. But who knows — you might just get lucky.
Bonus: how to identify the owner of a phone number
Sometimes, it’s not about finding someone’s phone number to convey your message. Often, people get phone calls from someone they cannot identify. This could be as frustrating as not knowing how to reach out to someone you want to talk with. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools that can help you identify an unknown caller (unless the number is hidden, of course).
For starters, you can always google an unknown phone number. Once again, this idea is mostly based on luck and does not guarantee any certain results. Still, it is quick and 100% free, so there is nothing wrong with trying. If the phone number you are looking up has been added to the National Do Not Call Registry, you may see it on Google.
Another idea would be to use reverse phone lookup tools. Some of the largest databases include WhitePages, WhoCallsMe, and SearchBug. WhitePages and SearchBug deal only with North American phone numbers (the USA and Canada). WhoCallsMe is technically an international service, but it still has more North American contacts.
When looking for a foreign number, your best chance is with NumberVille. It has plenty of international numbers in its database — expect for Australia, that has made phone tracking illegal. Also, note that none of these databases are free. So, unless you are really determined to find out who’s calling you, sticking to Google search is more budget-wise.
With such an extensive pool of options to choose from, it’s almost impossible not to find someone’s contact details, just like it is almost impossible not to find the person behind an unknown number. Whichever works best for you is an entirely different matter; sometimes, you might even have to try several of those to find the info you need. In the end, though, you will find the person you’re looking for and have a chance to convey your message personally.
