Google Business Listing
We have to privilege of working with successful business owners that sometimes have 3, 5 or 10 locations or more on Google Maps.
We cry a little bit inside when we see Google Business Profiles that look like crap.
You could have the best business in the world but but having information on Google Maps that is missing, hard to find or just plain inaccurate is unacceptable. Sometimes a multi-location business looks like different 5 different companies because the listing information is outdated or not in sync.
For existing business owners, you must tie your brand together easily by making sure all your locations have the same brand to convert your visitors into buyers faster and avoid diluting the trust equation.
For new business owners, you want to turn people who find you on Google Search and Maps into new customers with a free Business Profile for your storefront or service area.
If you want to stand out, follow these TEN tips to make sure you don't miss out on updating your Google business profile with photos, offers, posts, and more to capture and convert prospects into customers faster.
Let's start with the basics. You want to make sure your Business Name is the same across all locations. There's no exceptions to this rule. Maybe add a dash to differentiate locations, but that's it, e.g. Your Company Name - Southwest, Your Company Name - Downtown, Your Company Name - Yet Another Branch.
Your logo has to look the same wherever you place your brand. Brand psychology is about consistency. That means using the same exact colors, fonts and layout. Every brand aspect needs to sing and dance like it's part of one family.
You have to keep giving the same impression through your branding. I can't tell you how many times I see problems with this brand inconsistency. There's a small percentage of customers you lose because people have brand confusion sometimes. You have to work hard to keep trust 100%. The brand equation needs to add up all the time.
The background, wallpaper or featured image of your business profile should be clear and easy to understand what you do. Ideally, you want to use the same colors in your branding all the time, the same symbols, etc. Communicating in common brand sense helps people empathize with your brand consistently, the same way over and over again.
It's a no-brainer, but a lot of people forget to make sure their BASIC contact information is included. Your phone number, email address and website needs to be clearly listed. This is the most important thing you can update on your Google business profile.
Ideally you should have the same summary information across all Google locations, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Choose 1-2 sentences that accurately summarize what you do and stick to it. This is important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so people can actually find you. Some business names do not indicate what you do, so a description goes a long way to define your offering.
We can't over-emphasize the importance of consistency. The same message over and over again. This is a wide medium.
This is probably the most important thing to update: the location where you do business. Make sure you include WHERE you want to reach customers across multiple zip codes and country codes. It's critical to get this right so you have the most reach.
If you own real estate, get the locations listed at each address as a separate Google business listing. This is a clear advantage to digitally anchor your business in as many places as possible so you have presence across a wider geographic area. The more locations you have, the more people will find you when they're doing a local search in those areas.
This is the most over-looked aspect of Google business profiles. You should update your Google listing page just like you do the rest of your traditional social media, i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram.
You can update your Business profile automatically with social media posts using social media scheduling software. We know this can get overwhelming. Look into this solution if you want to make sure your updates are pushed to your local page all the time. Again, gamechanger. Not many people are doing this.
You ALWAYS want to be offering discounts and offers for new customers. This is the best place to offer e.g. 10% off for a grand opening special, etc.
Nothing excites people more than saving money. Give your customers good coupon and I promise your phone will be ringing.
Did you know you can schedule appointments with customers right from your Google business profile? Definitely a strong way to generate business directly from your Google Maps profile. As people are thumbing through results, you can beat others to be the preferred option if you do this right. This featured is limited to certain types of business at the time of writing.
This is a war of local domination. The competition is fierce. You want to make sure your most valuable asset - your Google local listing - is not only up-to-date but generating business for you. If you follow these 10 tips, you'll be ahead of 90% of the competition we see around you.
We can't wait to talk to you. Like we're literally on the edge of our seats waiting.
