Here’s Why Small Businesses Need a Pocket Strategy
Ever cleaned out your coat pocket and found a crumpled flyer from that pizza place down the road? Or pulled out a business card you forgot you’d tucked behind your debit card? Well, even though it’s not as common as it used to be, those little scraps hang around far longer than you’d expect. And honestly, that’s the magic of all of this. It’s very “analog,” right? Well, that’s what I call the “pocket strategy.” You know how you want to focus on first impressions with potential customers, well, this technically ties into all of it, too.
While digital marketing is screaming at you from every corner of your phone, the things that land in a pocket or wallet just… sit there, biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to remind someone you exist. Sure, it’s one of those “long haul” strategies, and it’s super old school, but if it’s still around to this day, it might work to a degree, right?
It’s Real Estate Everyone Ignores
Okay, so for starters here, people obsess over digital real estate, which includes websites, Instagram feeds, and ad slots. Yeah, it’s all standard, but you know what’s overlooked? It’s the pockets, wallets, and handbags. They’re like prime property that no one’s bidding on.
Now, just go ahead and picture this for just a second: a customer leaves your café with a loyalty card shoved into their jacket. Someone walks out of a networking event with your details tucked into their wallet. A shopper heads home with a little flyer at the bottom of their tote bag. These three examples are super common, and these three examples are probably something you’ve dealt with yourself, right? Well, those pieces travel with them, and instead of disappearing in a click, they’re rediscovered later.
You don’t get that when it comes to digital marketing.
Why Tangible Sticks Around
Getting blunt here: digital is forgettable. It’s not that it’s useless; rather, half the ads you scroll past, you couldn’t recall two minutes later if someone paid you. There’s just so much digital noise, and everyone is constantly connected, so it’s hard for anything to actually stick. But a physical thing? Well, that has staying power.
Seriously, think about it; something like a discount voucher doesn’t vanish when someone swipes up, it sits there on their kitchen counter until they decide to use it. And so that rediscovery moment is pure gold. Honestly, that’s basically why business card printing and even flyers, postcards, brochures, stickers, and everything else just keep sticking around: people will remember them.
It’s About Building a Pocket Strategy that Works
Okay, so this doesn’t mean stuffing random bits of paper into people’s hands. Honestly, a pocket strategy is about thoughtful little touchpoints. Maybe it’s a loyalty card that earns them a free coffee, a brochure that has a mini guide, or a QR code, or something like that. But the whole key here is to keep it small, simple, and worth holding onto. And yeah, that’s something that pretty much feels like a bonus rather than clutter.
Image source: Van Tay Media via Unsplash.
