Importance of correct contact information

We recently started up our postcard mailing initiative.  This is where we send postcards to prospective businesses letting them know about our small business and the value we could provide them.  Again as in other years we found a substantial stack of postcards returned due to incorrect address. 

While it could be said that these businesses are not getting solicitations in the mail, they may also not be getting potential clients.  Making sure that your contact information for your business is correct is very important.  In the past it would have been as easy as letting the yellow pages know you moved or changed phone numbers, but with the large number of sites on the internet along with social media where you can list your business the risk of incorrect contact information or location address is high.

Today we can find anything we need via our smart phones.  I can walk down the street  and if I was in the mood for a particular food or meal I would pull out my smart phone and search the internet for the nearest restaurant.  If that restaurant has moved to the part of time I am at but has not updated their information I will not know about them, therefore I won't visit them.

If you have moved recently or need to update your contact information here is a list of sites you might want to review to make sure that they are up to date:

  1) State of Texas - Make sure your address and contact information is up to date with the state.  You can either file a form (include fee) or wait until you file your Franchise Tax to update your information.

  2) IRS - Make sure your address and contact information is up to date with IRS.  IRS now charges a penalty if you do not file an update by the deadline.

  3)  Social media - Update your contact info on Facebook, Google Adwords, Google Places, etc.  This is important          especially if you are using Google since anyone performing a Google search automatically gets routed to Google maps and locations from Google Places

  4) Internet list pages - there are so many listing pages that allow you to post your business for free that it's easy to forget that you have your information there.  Keep a spreadsheet with a list of the sites you have your business on.  That way if you ever need to update your information you can see what sites need to be updated.

Marketing your small business is hard enough, make sure it's easy for potential clients to find you.