There are two simple mistakes that I hate to see small businesses making… but unfortunately, they are mistakes that I see far too frequently.
They are also mistakes that are sooooo easy to resolve and would make a business look far more professional, which in turn could lead to far more work for the business.
So, what are these two mistakes?
Both of them were beautifully illustrated in a flyer that was pushed through my letterbox last weekend. Here is a scan of the flyer (with the businesses details obscured to protect the innocent), so have a read and see if you can spot what I’m going to say before you read any further. Just click the image to see a larger version of it.
Mistake 1 – Not having your flyers, (or adverts, menus, business cards etc) proof read before you have them printed
Not everyone is brilliant at spelling and grammar, but please, please, please, have someone else read your suggested blurb BEFORE you have 3 million of them printed!
I’m sure you spotted it in our decorator’s leaflet so can you now be sure that they’d deliver their work in a professional manner – or could we now be slightly questioning their professionalism?
This is by no means the worst example I’ve seen recently but the point remains that the more professional your business looks (and your promo materials look), the more work you will get.
The simplest way to correct mistake number 1 is to ask a partner or friend to proof read for you before you go to print. Or you could upload a version to Facebook and ask your friends to proof read it on there for you (you may even end up getting some extra business from that too!)
Another way of doing it, would be to get it professionally proof read for you. This needn’t be expensive. In fact, on Fiverr.com there are lots of people that will proof read your document for just £3.50.
Here is a link to a friend on mine that offers a quality proof reading service on Fiverr that you could check out: https://uk.fiverr.com/keywordterrier
Whichever way you go about it, please get someone else to read your work before it goes to print. Your bottom line will thank you later!
Mistake 2 – Using a Freebie Email Address
This is a real bugbear of mine but I see it far too frequently… on vans, on websites, on flyers, in newspaper ads…
Call XYZ Plumbers on 01283 000000 or email us at steve62811@hotmail.com
AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A freebie email address looks rubbish! It looks unprofessional! And most importantly, whether you have a website or not, it is sortable in about 5 minutes, for a cost of about £5 (or $10) per year.
Not sure how to quickly get a professional looking email for your business? Let me show you…
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It’s that easy and that cheap to sort, so please, if you are still using hotlips246@gmail.com or jsmith1968@hotmail.co.uk for your business email address, spend a fiver now to make yourself look far more professional.
A final short note if you’re one of my students who offers marketing services to local businesses… I hope you’ve noted that here are two more simple services that you could be offering to small businesses in your area! 🙂