​I once heard a freelance writer tell a story about a direct mail piece he was working on for a teachers association. In the past the audience (the teachers) would call in and complain about any grammar mistakes or other mistakes they found in the letter. The main complaint: "How can you send a letter to TEACHERS with a typo in it?! Not professional at all!"

To beat them at their own game, he put a teaser on the OSE (outside envelope) that said “There’s a typo in this letter. Can you find it?” … He had the letter proof read like always, didn’t leave a typo on purpose or anything, but knew there’d be something in there they would probably complain about.

The response was amazing and positive. The teachers LOVED it and thought it was funny. And they decided to purchase what the company was selling. The moral of the story? Get creative and beat the haters at their own game. Your audience just might reward you for it.

And … how many mistakes can you find in my post? (Ok, don’t actually tell me.)

​How are your clients finding you? Do you know? Like REALLY know (not just guessing)? Many business owners don’t and it’s one of the most important things you should know.

​If you’re like … well, everyone else … you’re probably switching from print advertising to digital advertising to help people find your business. As you make that switch, you need to keep your eye on your bottom line, but you also need to make sure your clients are responding to new mediums. This is especially important for businesses in smaller towns where print might still be necessary to help you reach specific demographics. You may find yourself moving back to some forms of print advertising to hit a niche audience and then using more affordable digital advertising to hit the others.

Ask clients how they heard about you the first time they contact you. Some people have a survey form. Some people ask before getting off the phone. Do what works for your business. As you gather this feedback from clients, start sorting the responses into two categories: Free and Paid.

Free
Examples include …

• Word-of-mouth
• Networking
• Church
• Google organic search

Paid
Examples include …

• Facebook ads
• Phone book
• Google paid ads

Once you’ve started collecting responses and have categorized them, it’s time to start looking more closely at your list. How can you capitalize on each item in the list?

For example, do you have some customers coming by through word-of-mouth? Ask yourself …

• How can you get even more coming in through word-of-mouth?
• Should you look at asking for Facebook reviews and Google reviews?
• Should you start a reward points system for referrals? Hint: giving rewards points for referrals is MUCH less expensive than other forms of advertising!

While you’re looking at the paid category, ask yourself …

• Which is bringing in the most customers?
• Which is bringing in the BEST customers? (Sometimes you have to pay more for those, but it’s worth it.)
• Which is the most expensive?

Now that you’re collecting responses and observing results you can start making small tweaks and changes to how you advertise. First, see how you can capitalize on the items in the “Free” category. Then start moving your budget around so you’re spending more money on the most successful items in the “Paid” category and decreasing your spending on the least successful.

Good luck and have fun! As always, if you need help you can contact me any time at [email protected].