If you want to be found by customers and new users, you have to take care of your online storefront the same way you do your physical stores, consistently and consistently.
You have so many online storefronts today, think of the eCommerce, but also all the social profiles, such as the Google My Business activity board that appears when a user searches for information on Google.
It is this last tool that we want to tell you about in detail because it is free and already at your disposal. Undervalued by many and little known by others who do not use it to properly enhance their business.
Even so, Google My Business allows you to manage all of your information, publish news and offers, photos, manage reviews, improve Google search visibility, geolocation on Google Map and your brand awareness.
Google my business what is it?
Let's start by saying that Google My Business is a tool useful to businesses in any industry that sell goods or services, but it isjust as valuable to users searching for information on the Web.
Guiding users to your business is really simple, you can do it in just a few steps! Google My Business doesn't involve any expense other than the time you'll have to spend keeping everything up to date and running. This activity can be simpler if you only have one store/office, more complex to organize if there are several hundred.
When you don't create or take care of all the details of your Google My Business tabs, it's the users who do it for you, this often results in duplicate or worse erroneous information, think about opening hours that change during seasonality or contact references.
If you are a business owner you can claim the Google My Business card created or managed by other users and update it at any time. Verification of the business is done by postcard or by a phone call to the location or store you indicate.
Businesses do not always have internal resources to reorganize their Google presence. That's why power2Cloud continues to support companies that have 10 or several hundred outlets, not only in Italy, in this activity.
We planned all the work to claim Google My Business cards, standardize contact information, and support companies in managing analytical data, useful in understanding what content is most interesting and how information is being used online.
This has helped create a corporate standard and divide operational tasks: a store manager, for example, now knows best practices for responding to a negative review while respecting the tone of voice.
Automatizes tasks to optimize time and resources, knows that photos are needed periodically, and that it is important to share current promotions just as it does in the physical store to make the customer experience and sales opportunities meaningful.
Google my Business how does it work?
Google My Business we use it daily as users, but we often forget about it when we are on the other side as business owners.
When we look for a phone number or business location we entrust Google with our wants, problems and needs. We start typing something and auto-completion comes to our rescue suggesting some of the most searched keywords:
Whether it's an electrician less than half a mile from where we are located, or a hair salon with organic products that is still open at 8:00 p.m., Google search returns results with business cards that have timely information, accompanied by detailed reviews and photos, but this is not always the case.
We happened to be looking for a bar at a specific address without it being shown on Google Maps.
You don't know how many times we have gotten nervous about finding businesses closed at times when they were reported as open. Not to mention that it is often difficult to imagine the services and products offered by businesses we are approaching for the first time, because they are not described and valued.
Today it is no longer an alibi to say " I have my loyal clientele," "they know where I am," or "there is the website with all the information," because you are giving an advantage to the competition that is taking care of it, just because you are not manning the field.
Here's the information you can manage from your Google My Business tab
Let's get to the practical aspects. Here are the headings you can curate on Google My Business for your business, which are also very useful for users:
- Information. Enter a brief description of your business, the address of the location or store (it will also be displayed on Google Maps so it will be helpful in reaching you), opening hours (also specifying any lunch break closures for example during the day), phone number and social networks.
- Reviews.This session is very interesting because you can read user reviews and know if your products and/or services have limitations that you can fix in a short time. Of course, we recommend that you respond to all reviews, especially the negative ones. People will appreciate it and feel the attention you invest in these interactions as well.
- Post. Use this showcase to share information, news, and updates. Posts are important because they will appear prominently in your business' tab in Google search, allowing you to build trust, increase sales or interest in your business.
- Update COVID-19: inform users about health measures you have taken to make your spaces safer, such as requiring staff to measure temperatures, wear masks, or book appointments online.
- Offer. Generate more traffic to your location, store and/or eCommerce. Create an offer specifying the conditions and all details, including the validity period.
- News.Accompany your news with an image, a brief description and a call-to-action (insert the link you want your users to see).
- Event whether it's a grand opening, a workshop, the unveiling of new products, this is a good way to start promoting it
- Product: add an image, title, description, price, and call-to-action (insert link to the product you are talking about to enable a direct sale).
- Statistics: consult the performance data on your Google My Business tab. For example, to understand from which cities your users connect, with which keywords they search for you, how many times in a month and so on. But that's not all, in just a few clicks you'll be able to know how many times they've contacted you by phone and how many have requested directions to your business.
What is Google my business App?
Naturally your work might keep you away from your desk or your store because you're on the road, that's where the Google my Business App comes in, which gives you the opportunity to keep track of all the items we've mentioned in real time.
The advantage is that you have in your pocket, so always at hand, the right tool to control and manage your Google My Business profile every day, we refer to messages, information, schedules and reviews in real time.
Google research has shown that businesses that respond to reviews are perceived as 1.7 times more trustworthy than those that do not.
Having a tool that allows you to do this in real time certainly facilitates this task, because you can work from any device with agility.
Always knowing what is going on, even when you are not with your colleagues or have to coordinate tasks is especially useful.
Google my Business management what does it involve?
All businesses should spend time on the Google My Business tab and care for it as they care for their storefronts.
Our advice is to check your location or storefronts right away to see if there are duplicates, if the information is unclear, and if you can optimize it in any way.
If you don't have a Google My Business profile yet, it's time to get started now.
Taking care of your business's tab on Google is important if you have a mini market or a chain of supermarkets around italy.
The information you enter will appear on search engines and allow you to take on the competition with a leg up.
Reply to reviews, give correct opening hours, phone number, add your website, and check that the pointer is listed correctly on Google Maps.
These are vital details for a user trying to get in touch with you, especially if you want to improve his or her experience with your company, even if it's just a matter of calling you to ask for information.
Edit the profile as often as the information changes or if you find that the bio does not represent your products and/or services.
If you have any questions or want to ask for more information, you can write to us at ciao@power2Cloud.com