by Kim Nowatzke
Where is
my favorite store? When is it open? What is the phone number? Well into my 40s,
I admit that I may think differently than those a few years – ahem – decades
younger than me. Yes, I still even use a phone book from time to time. In fact,
before I got my first smart phone a few years ago, I still carried a phone book
in my car. A somewhat crumpled and dirty one tucked under my passenger seat. It
was my back-up plan for whenever I got lost, needed to find a business and
more. And, although I readily consult websites and Facebook, sometimes I prefer
to call a store and talk to a real live person.
No
matter the method, I’m frustrated when a business’ basic information such as
street address, phone number or hours are nowhere – or very difficult – to be
found.
How
easily can your target audience reach you and vital information about your
business?
The
Marketing Donut recommends including your address, email and phone number on
all pages of your marketing materials – both online and offline. And, if space
is lacking, include a QR code that links to a mobile business card so your
target audience has access to all the info they need.
Maybe
you have shifted away from your website to focus more of your attention on your
Facebook page. As someone approaching 60 reminded me last night, “Not everyone
is on Facebook.” Are you making the mistake of only posting information on
special events on your Facebook page when the not-so-techie customers are just now
getting comfortable with looking up your website?
On the
other hand, as The Marketing Donut points out, there’s also those in your
target audience who won’t even believe you exist if you haven’t entered the
world of social media. Are you using Facebook and Twitter to your greatest
advantage to spark conversations, increase your presence and provide
up-to-the-minute information?
And, for
those people that still choose to call you, how user-friendly is your phone
system? What is the recording when you’re closed? Does it list hours? Can
customers leave a message?
If a
customer chooses to contact you, is it on a more formal form on your website
(that’s rarely checked?) or through a personal email address? There needs to be
a plan in place on not only who is responsible to handle customer queries but
how quickly those responses are turned around.
You may
have a great product, a super marketing plan and, seemingly all your “I”s
dotted and “T”s crossed, but if your customers can’t find you, then it’s all
for naught. They’ll just skip the stress and head to your competitors.
