As most of you know, I love my iPad and I never go anywhere without my
laptop. Sometimes I even take both laptops when I travel, just in case. I
don’t consider myself all that technology-challenged. However, if I want a
new phone programmed or show recorded on the DVR, I give it to my kids. They
don’t even have to read the directions; somehow they just know what to do.
Okay, they aren’t in fifth grade anymore but I know my sister’s
children, who are 6 and 9 years old, are even more technologically proficient.
When it comes to your
marketing, are you smarter than a fifth grader? Maybe not.
The other day we were in the car on our way back from the airport and we
decided to call ahead and then stop and pick up dinner on the way home. We knew
where we wanted to go but we didn’t have the phone number. Out comes the
trusty iPad and I pull up the website. The
phone number is listed, but it’s 631-555-FOOD. Easy. I
pull out my phone and realize there are no corresponding numbers for the
letters listed in the phone number. I go back to the website and search all
over it for a phone number that doesn’t include letters. Numbers are
nowhere to be found. I can’t dial FOOD on my cell phone. I don’t know
what numbers FOOD correspond to. Guess what, restaurant owner? You made me work
too hard to give you my money. No dinner order for you.
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Back in the day, creating a phone number like 1-800-NICE-LEG or
212-GET-A-LEG or whatever words you could make out of your phone number that
made your phone number memorable was probably the subject of this column. That
strategy doesn’t work anymore.
Run right over to your computer and see if your website only lists your
phone number with letters to make it easier to remember. If it does, at the
very least, add the numbers to it. Marketing is all about making it easier for
people to do business with you. What used to be easy like the phone number word
is now hard.
Here is another example: I just spent 4 days in Puerto Rico doing sales
calls with a client. Although they have customers in Puerto Rico, she had never
been there before and wanted some help with logistics, navigation, etc. So what
was the marketing lesson learned? Get out your GPS right now. Type in the
address listed on your business cards. Does the GPS take you to your office?
Type in the address that comes up in Google when you search for your business.
Does the GPS take you to your office? More importantly, will it take your
customers, payors, vendors and potential employees to your office or will it
take them somewhere completely different because you didn’t realize that
the GPS doesn’t know the difference between Jesus T. Pinera and J.T.
Pinera? When in doubt, the GPS will often pick the wrong location.
Technology is amazing. Technology used for marketing purposes can be
fantastic but even a fifth grader knows you have to put some thought into how
you use it. Use it like your customers and clients might. Don’t make it
harder for your customers to reach you.
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