by Sheryl Nicholson
I just came back from a networking event and was given a bag of brochures. Now I have a question. When was the last time you read your marketing material? Do you do a “name check” to see what Internet users find when they Google your company? It’s time to use new eyes!
Next time you go to the printer – give your brochure or marketing materials to someone who doesn’t know a thing about your company and ask if they “get it”. Many of us are so use to our jargon and our services that we just assume our readers will understand what we write and who we are—BIG mistake!
When was the last time you Googled yourself and your company? It’s amazing what you can find out about people and the companies they run. When I was googling myself (after all I don’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do) I found that American Greetings card has an ecard they send out with MY name and words on it from an article I had written. I never gave them permission, haven’t benefited monetarily for it, and found it interesting that I can now send a personalized Christmas Card from them to my friends. I’m sure I’ll get asked “how cha DO that?” from the receivers!
Want more positive exposure? Write articles, create a blog, write poetry and songs, and get them posted all over the internet for free. Choose a cause you are passionate about and write about issues that are important to you and get them posted as letters to the editor. Make sure you include your website and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much more exposure that will get you on the internet.
Called your own phone and listened to its message lately? How long does it take to get through? I just called a MetroPCS office number and it rang 17 times with no one picking up. I called again and again and got that same result every time! Also when you call their 866 number, their system disconnects when forwarding you to a local store. Have you called yourself and your company line to make sure it works…properly? I also called Bank of America to get a local address for a local bank and they couldn’t tell me that because their local number goes into their national number MANY states away. These are real issues for customers – so don’t assume anything…check.
Checked your website lately? I think you would be shocked if you started calling around. One site sent me to a Tax Preparer instead of their local office. Another was a fax number buzz in my ear. Are your links broken? Do they connect people or just leave frustration to a page that’s not working? Do you have a webmaster’s email address on your site so that when something does go wrong – they are emailed directly and can fix the problem in minutes? My site isn’t always working and I would never know if some customer didn’t alert me – so stay on top of your technology.
There! Now you’ll have some new ideas that will help ANY business thrive in this tough economy – if you use NEW EYES!
