Invite Them To Be Your Customer

Would you ever consider attending a wedding for which you had not received an invitation?

Would you go to someone’s home for dinner without first receiving a formal invite?

Do you think your customers, and the community in general, will walk into your place of business without receiving an invitation?

The answers to the first two questions are obvious. Most of us would never consider attending a wedding or simply showing up for dinner uninvited. The third answer is equally as obvious. Anyone can walk into a business without being invited.  But all of us are already knowledgeable about where to buy most things.  If we don’t know, we ask.  There is a better way and that is to invite before we have the need for a product or service.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines advertising as “the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by a paid announcement”.

A random definition is, “a form of communication that attempts to influence the behavior of a defined target audience or any message developed and placed with the ultimate intention of persuading a group to take specific action”.

There is certainly more to it, but in a nutshell, advertising is asking or inviting people to do business with you.

Soon, people will be roaming the streets and communities and they will be making decisions as to where they are going to shop and what they are going to shop for.

The question is, are you going to formally invite them to your business, or are you simply going to put up a “We’re Open” sign?

A formal invitation regardless of the form of communication you use is a far better bet than hanging the “We’re Open” sign.

As we begin to invite the public back into our businesses, some of the normal rules of advertising will change.  Rule #1 is “Ask Them”.  This may seem obvious, but now more than ever, simply saying, “Hey, we’re open. Come in and see us” may be all you need to get them to show up.  But there is certainly more that you can and should do.

What I just shared with you is from my weekly Sound ADvice newsletter that subscribers received last week.  If you would like to be included in receiving these weekly marketing and business tips, fill out the information in the subscriber box below.

To see the short-term “New Rules of Advertising – Post COVID-19”, click here. 

I also have several ideas on how to invite people to your business that we can talk about when you contact me.  Send an email to Scott@WOWO.ocm