What Happens When Your Marketing Is Accurate – Or When It Isn’t?
Happy New Year!
Have your website and social media joined you in 2022? Do you have accurate marketing that is currently up-to-date?
Every year, my wife and I spend New Year’s Day with 2 particular friends. It’s a tradition that keeps us connected. This year we decided to go out for some al fresca brunch to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather and avoid any unnecessary Omicron exposure.
We’re a group with a few different dietary restrictions (allergies, a vegetarian, etc.) so after some research, we were pleased to find a nice spot with a good menu and met our friends there in the late morning.
Upon arrival, we checked in. The hostess promptly told us they would not be serving brunch because they were short-staffed. Instead, they would just be serving burgers and appetizers.
We were disappointed but were already there, so we stayed anyway.
I understand that a) we’re living in unprecedented times, and b) even if we weren’t it’s not the fault of the staff at the restaurant so we tried to give a bit of grace.
Still…
Shortly afterward I found someone in my neighborhood complaining on Nextdoor about the very same restaurant asking “What happened to _____?”
Never a good sign.
Word of Mouth is The Ultimate Marketing Tool
As important as written marketing is, you can’t beat good word-of-mouth for marketing your business. Likewise bad word-of-mouth is nearly impossible to defeat once it has already begun and the power of social media amplifies it.
The sad fact is the restaurant manager could have easily avoided the disappointment of my party or the more vocal Nextdoor patron with a simple post to Facebook or better yet a pop-up on their website.
My slogan is “Let’s tell your story.”
I also often add that if you’re not telling your story, then someone else is.
And if you’re not giving out accurate up to date information, customers, or would-be customers, will create their own narratives.
Whether it’s true or not, customers feel unappreciated and uncared for when accurate information is not made available to them.
That may not be the intent of the business but is the effect. What inaccurate information shows me is a lack of communication and professionalism, and therefore a lack of a good marketing company in their corner.
Accurate Marketing Is The First Step To Happy Customers
Accurate up-to-date information is crucial to keeping your customers happy. It shows respect and care. It also shows that you know what you’re doing. It’s hard to trust a company that has told you something untrue in writing!
And unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to motivate someone to share a bad experience than a good one.
When you have some time, peruse some Google and Facebook reviews.
One of the most common complaints you’ll find (especially for newer businesses) is that posted hours were inaccurate.
I gave up on one of my favorite (now departed) restaurants because I drove across town one too many times only to find it was closed even though their hours said otherwise.
Incidentally, consistent inaccuracy is also often a sign to me that a business won’t be around much longer, though whether it’s a relationship of causation or correlation I can’t say.
Accurate And Up-To-Date Marketing Material Has Never Been Easier
Today there really is no excuse for inaccurate or outdated information.
Keeping your customers informed about important changes to your business has never been easier. Adding a product? Gram it and share it! Closing early for a holiday? Change your hours on your Google and Facebook pages. Run out of something? Let your customers know before they drive out.
And accuracy is the floor not the ceiling.
I’m all for fun and informative posts being part of your marketing social strategy. But accuracy is something you can’t do without.
Had either of the above restaurant examples been a POP client, we would have advised announcing any changes with a gracious “sorry for the inconvenience” before they got the bad press. Even if customers hadn’t looked at Facebook before coming out, they’d have been more understanding. It’s amazing how far an apology will go.
People want to feel like they matter.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and it’s easier to keep a happy customer then to find a new one.
So, is your site up to date? Do you let your clients know about changes? Doing so is just the start of telling your story.
Are you telling your story?
You can do it! Or I can. Either way.
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