Thinking differently about common tools

I'm from a big town. 300,000 people live within 14 miles of me. It's almost the smallest town I've lived in.

When I look at a placemat like this, I think "small town."

It's an advertising medium designed for people without access to or budgets for large media. It's an advertising medium designed for diners and cafes and pizza joints rather than steakhouses and chains. It's an advertising medium with instant gratification for local businesses. ("Hey, I just saw your name on the placemat.")

I saw this placemat last week in my big town. It was in a diner, yes. And it got me thinking.

What if you used a placemat to drive traffic to your business's website?

Here are three examples:

• A placemat that has a web address on it and suggests that people visit for an ebook.
• Buying the bottom right corner of the placemat and leaving it mostly white, saying "This drawing space sponsored by..." might put your web address in someone's pocket.
• An ad for your blog (rather than for your business) which offers information about your industry.

We are constantly trying to figure out how to get people to our sites. Maybe using the lowest tech version of advertising can build a bridge to everyone who is hungry.

At least for the next three months at Liberty Diner.

Photo by Jon Swanson, used by permission.

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Jon Swanson is your customer, presenting every day perspectives in a new way. He was a regular contributor to the Great Big Small Business Show podcast, as the Entrepreneurial Chicken. Jon also writes at Levite Chronicles.