One simple and free marketing method that every small business owner should make the most of is Google My Business (now known as Google Maps).
It’s super simple to set up a profile for your business but more than that, it’s something that can help you win more business. It makes perfect sense that if you want to generate new enquiries through people finding you on Google you need to utilise the tools that they give you.
If you don’t have a profile then here is a simple article on how to get started.
Once you have got your profile in place then it’s time to maximise it and here are the next 3 things you need to get done.
1. Ensure your profile is fully complete
Once you have a profile in place you need to ensure it's fully complete. Go to your Google profile and ensure you have completed every aspect of it. Details such as:
Don’t cut any corners and ensure you have completed all aspects as this is what Google are looking for. In particular, make sure that your business categories are correct as this is essential in you generating the right type of leads for your business.
2. Collect reviews
A really great feature of your Google profile is the ability to collect reviews from your happy customers. If a potential customer is looking for a service that you offer, and they see that you have lots of happy customer reviews and your competitors have a few average reviews who do you think they will choose? I am guessing you. For example, in our local area if you search for ‘website designer’ you will see we have 81 reviews whilst the highest any of our competitors have is 25. Would you agree that this puts us in pole position?
We would encourage any business to make it good practice that after completing business with a client be proactive in asking them for a review. Not everyone will do it, but some will, and it helps your business. The other great thing about Google reviews is you that can send a direct link to your customers making it quick and easy for them to leave you a review. The customer does not have to waste their time trying to find your profile, they simply click on the link you provide them with and away they go. If you are not sure how to do this here are some simple instructions for you.
3. Create regular updates
Something else that will help you get found and get more traction through your Google profile is by posting updates on your profile. This is similar to what you would do on social media. Just as you would post your latest news on the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn, the same principle applies to your Google profile.
Simply make it a weekly task to add an update to your Google profile. To do this go to your Goole profile menu and click on ‘Add update’ and you will then be presented with 3 options:
Simply select the most relevant category and create your update. One tip is to try and use as many of the keywords you want to be found for as possible in your update. Again, this will help you attract the right traffic to your profile. Then, add an image to compliment the update and you are done.
If you spend time on your business Google profile and do this consistently it will help drive more traffic to your business and to your website. It’s super easy to do and if you make the commitment, you will see the worth for your business.
Choose Purple are a marketing agency located near Sheffield. We work with clients across the UK on website design, marketing, graphic design and social media. If you would like to discuss your marketing, then get in touch with our team.
