📬 If Social Media Vanished Tomorrow, Could Your Customers Still Find You?
Edition 09 - Originally sent Sunday, October 4, 2026
Dates, events, and offers below were current that week.
OWN YOUR NOTICE BOARD
A website, a newsletter, a well-timed coupon code, and a town that deserves to know where the award-winning BBQ is.
Don't rent your audience when you can own the relationship.
🍂 Live From The Cozy Woodsy Retreat
Not live from The General this week. A lingering headache has me convinced the caffeine is hurting more than helping, so no coffee or bomb-ass breakfast sandwiches for the last two days. Yes, I'm shocked too.
Good news: the meeting for that big marketing opportunity went well, and now I'm waiting on the universe to decide what happens next. I also finished my last filling (braces or Invisalign are next, but no rush), and my retail shifts at the co-op kicked my ass in the best way. Watching someone buy something right in front of you beats any dashboard graph.
Smokey Road BBQ was at DTSB's First Friday, but this week kicked my ass so thoroughly that I couldn't drag myself off the couch. By Saturday's retail shift at Alchemy, I was full-on regretting it, and I'm still thinking about the plate I didn't eat. I'd love to tell you where they'll pop up next, but I don't do social media (and about half of Americans cut back last year), so announcements often slip past me, aw. The moment I hear anything from around town, though, I'll be sure to pass it along.
(Psst, Smokey Road, a website landing page would help your hungry fans without socials find you. Good thing The Wiley Haase knows a thing or two about that, just saying. ;))
👀 What's Happening Around Town?
Big news from Alchemy Healing Arts: The Herbal Bitch Society has officially opened her seasonal pop-up shelf there, hooray! Kelly (the Herbal Bitch) will be stocking natural fragrances in 5ml and 50ml sizes, after-shower oils, and bath soaks. Come get a whiff of the fresh herbal goodness, then scan the QR code on the shelf to check out through her website. It's self-serve, just like the other shops housed inside Alchemy, so you can browse at your own pace.
Also three classes at Alchemy worth putting on your radar this week:
Vinyasa Vibes with Anna Cenova, CYT on Tuesday, October 6th at 7:00 AM ($20, 1 hour). This one's extra special: it's Anna's debut class at Alchemy, and she'll be hosting various yoga sessions all throughout October. An energizing, strength-building yoga flow: move to a good playlist, connect with your breath, and enjoy some movement on your mat.
Acupressure for Immune Support: Colds & Flu on Wednesday, October 7th at 4:00 PM ($20, 1 hour). Head into cold and flu season with something in your back pocket. Learn acupressure points traditionally used to support the body through congestion, sore throats, and run-down days, plus a few for everyday resilience.
Mindful Journaling: Meditation + Creative Writing with Stacey Stoltz on Saturday, October 10th at 10:00 AM ($10, 1 hour). Move a little, settle into stillness, meditate on a few prompts, then see what finds its way onto the page. No writing or meditation experience needed.
🤠 Wrangling in the Wild
Paul, owner of Alchemy, sent out a "thank you for 6 months in business" email this week that went specifically to anyone who booked a workshop or class within Alchemy's first six months, with a discount code for their next booking. I helped pull it together on the backend, but credit where it's due. ;)
Also did a quick refresh of Alchemy's online shop this week. I removed a few slow movers to clear some shelf space, digitally speaking, for new shiny things on the way. Keep an eye out for more cute palm stones landing soon.
It's a small job, but a store that's always open should always look current, so it's the kind of upkeep that pays off while you're asleep.
📝 The Un-Sexy Stuff That Actually Works
The thread running through this week is communication, and the most dependable tools are the ones you own.
A discount code isn't a marketing afterthought. The one Paul sent told his earliest customers "we see you," and it shows whether that message landed. The retail shifts are the other half: standing behind a counter is where you watch for what people reach for, see what they skip, and hear what they ask about three times before buying.
A website is an always-on notice board, open at 2am and on holidays, with no staffing required. Even the new shelf at Alchemy works this way: a QR code turns a self-serve display into a checkout that runs itself and sends customers to a site the seller owns. A newsletter is the next layer, showing up in someone's inbox instead of waiting to be found.
Social media can't promise either one. Algorithms change, and plenty of people (me included) aren't on it at all.
Don't rent your audience when you can own the relationship.
🐴 Ride With Us
Here's a question for you this week: if social media disappeared tomorrow, how would your customers find you? Is there a website that tells them who you are and what's happening, or a newsletter that lands in their inbox without an algorithm deciding who sees it? Send me a note at Carrington@thewileyhaase.com with what you've got (or what's missing), and I'll tell you where I'd start.
👋 Until Next Sunday
That's Edition 09 in the books, and this one was all about communication: the tools you own, and the people you actually reach with them. Website, newsletter, a well-timed coupon code, even a QR code on a self-serve shelf. Different tools, same job.
Around town, the tree leaves are subtly starting to change, and hockey season is officially underway, so it's definitely feeling like fall. The Chicago Cubs let their wild card spot slip away to San Diego (rough), but at least the White Sox are still in the playoffs. Take the wins where you can get them. And congrats to Notre Dame football on the win over North Carolina yesterday. Keep fighting, Irish.
Stay cozy, and I'll see you next Sunday.
