How to Use Google My Business to Engage your Customers
Keep your customers up-to-date on what’s happening at your shop
As small business owners we know it’s almost impossible to keep up with all of the marketing opportunities available. Constant changes and new ways of using digital marketing channels that have been around for a while is enough to wear anyone out.
We wanted to take an opportunity to highlight an important feature Google has available that does not get enough visibility. The feature is called Google My Business (GMB). Even though it has been around for awhile, its power of is often overlooked.
Google My Business (GMB)
This is one of the Google features that gets very little recognition as a powerful tool to gain visibility for your shop’s “3 Pack” on Google’s search engine results (SERP) page. Think of GMB as the “account” that you can control and through that account you can manage information that will show up in the Google 3 pack.
DO YOU TARGET LOCAL CONSUMERS?
Based on what people are searching today, if your business does business locally, appearing in Google’s 3 pack and keeping your company’s information current is crucial.The 3 pack is a widget on Google’s SERP that highlights businesses that offer products and/or services that match up with the search phrase that someone typed into Google’s search box. It’s called a 3 pack because the widget displays what Google considers to be the top 3 most relevant websites. Users can click a link to show more businesses, but most users won’t click the link to see the rest of the businesses listed.
PAGE 1 ON GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS
The other very big benefit to the 3-Pack is that it is displayed on the first page of the SERP. The first page of the SERP is critical for visibility. Google’s 3-pack is on the first page of Google’s SERP. So by showing up in the 3-pack you are on the first page of Google for the search phrase that the user is using to find what you do or what you sell.
Why Local Search Matters
Google reports that around 46% of all US searches are “local” which means people are using the phrases “near me” or “where to buy.” So, what are the features of GMB in today’s context?
Are you open?
The first feature that you must keep current in your GMB account is your company’s current availability. What days of the week are you open? What time of the day are you open. These are the first things that your customers are checking before they leave the house. With all of the upheaval they want to know if you’re going to be open of if you’ve altered your hours of operation.
Is the information listed current?
Another feature of Google My Business is the ability to post to your account. You may be doing a very good job of keeping your information up-to-date, but your customers doesn’t know if you’ve updated it recently. In fact, because so many businesses don’t keep their listing information current, it would be helpful if you posted to your GMB the last time that you updated your hours of operation. This will build confidence in your customers that the information that they are looking for is current.
Start asking questions
With Google My Business, your customers can ask a question right from your 3-pack listing. How much more simpler can it be! You can setup your GMB to allow for questions and when it’s setup properly you can get an alert on your smartphone as soon as someone submits their question. At that point you can promptly reply with an answer to their question, making you a customer service superstar!
Set up appointments
Many businesses are moving to an appointment system. If an appointment system is right for your business, you can setup your GMB to give your customers the ability to schedule an appointment with your company.
Let them know you are safe
Many people want to know what you are doing at your place of business to keep them safe. Use the posting feature of GMB to keep them up-to-date on your policies and activities that will give them the peace-of-mind to do business with you.
Do you need help with your online marketing campaigns? Sarasota Web Solutions can help! From Google My Business to websites and social media, we're here to make you look you best. Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line here to find out what we can do to take you to the top of local search results!