My boyfriend and I were in search of a brewery in snowy Reykjavik, Iceland, and we were failing miserably in our quest to find it. The guidebook and Google Maps insisted that this was the spot – a little venue in an alley, with no sign and a locked door. Was there a secret code, we wondered?

We hopped into the restaurant next door to inquire about Micro Bar; we were told to walk into the town square and look for the yellow house. This would have been easier if there had been just one yellow house, but we eventually found this local hot spot.

We swigged our delicious stout and saison while asking the bartender why his craft brewery was a tad challenging to find. Turns out the establishment had moved locations this past October, and Google Maps was giving the poor business owner the run-around in confirming the new address. The owner anticipated the issue would soon be resolved, thank goodness.

Hopefully your business doesn’t encounter a similar situation – there are gobs of posts containing tips and tricks for updating your business address on Google properties. However, I think of how unfortunate this likely was for Micro Bar – how many krónur were lost when people couldn’t find Micro Bar and ended up at another pub?

Our persistence paid off. But it made me think about how important it is to put myself “on the map.” It made me think about how my clients are putting themselves on the map. How are you putting yourself on the map? I don’t mean physically, but instead, have you established your promotion and marketing goals for your product, your business, yourself?

If you’re like many, you have “marketing” listed as an item on your to-do list. Now is the time to step back, evaluate your business goals, and market yourself! Hire a publicist, create a media kit, seek a corporate sponsor, reach out to bloggers, create an editorial calendar of blog posts – the sky’s the limit.

Put yourself on the map. How else will your ideal customer ever find you?