How often do you see (or hear) a business spending so much of their advertising space giving directions, hours of operation, phone numbers, or any other methods of connecting the dots between the consumer and the business’s front door? This mistake is made over and over again. The reason is simple, and it’s based on the point of view of the person making it.
The business owner only sees the customer when he or she walks through the door. So the owner thinks this is the beginning of the transaction. It isn’t, of course, but the owner thinks it is, because that’s where he becomes involved. And therefore, if no one is calling or visiting, it must be because people don’t know how to contact him.
Really. He thinks this.
If he spent more time persuading consumers to choose his brand, he wouldn’t have to worry about giving directions. Have you noticed Apple doesn’t give directions to their stores? Have you noticed that Volvo doesn’t put their phone number in their ads? Large brands know that the key is in persuading people to want what you sell. Once they want what you sell, they will find your front door. And the best part is, a simple web address gives them all the information they need to find you anyway.
A web address tells them where you are, when you’re open, what you sell, everything. But remember, don’t turn your message into a showcase for your web address. That’s just the modern version of the old mistake. Put 95% of your effort into telling them why they should contact you. Once they’ve chosen you as the preferred brand, they’ll find you one way or the other.
UPDATE: This is part 1 of, you guessed it, 10 in what will eventually be a video series. We can't quite get the CG right on the dinosaurs yet, but we wanted to get the ball rolling with this sneak preview of the series in the meantime.
So stay tuned to our YouTube channel and our other social media for updates
~Mick