Far away from civilization
Several months after a new owner took over the burger joint/convenience store/gas station, my boss asked me to order him a bacon-cheeseburger for lunch. With the change in ownership there was a change in name and phone number and neither of us remembered either one.

Our office was located in a remote part of the county at the very end of a dead end road. I watched deer graze in the yard and could hear the hum of our work trucks as they approached nearly a mile away. Needless to say, our office was isolated. Every day was a brown-bag day and it was rare that I ate lunch anywhere but my desk. The gas station was the only place to “call in a lunch order” so we rarely ate out. But this is where my story began; chasing a cheeseburger.

You’d think “calling in an order” would not have been an event – certainly not anything that would require more detail than, “So, I called in the order.”  … but nay.

After several 411 attempts, confusing conversations with operators from another state, and a myriad of Google searches I finally came up with a phone number. With the most updated information in my hand, I picked up the phone and called. My sense of accomplishment quickly turned to disappointment when I heard, “We’re sorry. The number you dialed is not in service.”

Unsolicited assistance
Let me tell you a little secret: I’m a fixer. If it’s broken, crooked, or squeaky, it takes every shred of self-control in me to hold back the obsessive-compulsive urge to fix it, straighten it, or oil it. And considering my Ms. Fix-it personality, the fact that their business information was incorrect or absent from search engines altogether really seemed like an invitation to meddle.

Determined to fix the problem (and order a burger) I drove the short distance to the store. Much like hoping for a first date, I scribbled out my name and phone number on a piece of scrap paper from my purse and handed it to the clerk. I explained that I wanted to help their store update their listing on the Internet and asked if the owner would give me a call. No strings attached.

Two days passed and my phone didn’t ring. I realized scribbled phone numbers weren’t exactly high on the Marketing 101 agenda but I was hoping the owner would call – especially since I was offering to help for free; trying to be a good neighbor.

Three days passed and as I drove by on my way home from work I spotted the CLOSED sign in the window. The front door was boarded up and the signage taken down. I was shocked!

When I handed my scribbled number to the clerk I thought the worst case scenario might be rejection of my offer. I had no idea it was already too late. They had been operating in an unpopular part of town with a simple neon sign. No advertising. No online marketing or business cards.

Online and On the Map
All this to say, I don’t want this to happen to you. Your business belongs on the map. Your customers want to find you. You may have a place “out in the middle of nowhere” but your presence on the web can bring you face to face with customers who want what you have to offer. Get online and get on the map!