Depending on your business size, industry, and other unique factors, there are many marketing strategies to consider. From such practices as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, there are many areas to focus one’s efforts. Nonetheless, all of these practices share a common final goal; to attract customers, secure conversions, and increase sales. One such asset that many businesses still overlook, despite its potential to attract customers, is Google My Business (GMB). This invaluable asset can both have standalone benefits and enhance other strategies, like refining local SEO. Thus, we’ll devote this article to exploring 5 ways to use Google My Business to get more customers.

What is Google My Business?

First and foremost, let us briefly define what GMB is.

GMB is a free business listing that Google offers. Like other such listings, it allows businesses, from single-location to multi-location businesses and franchises, to share crucial information like:

• NAP; Name, Address, and Phone number
• Opening and closing hours
• Exact map location

Furthermore, as it also functions as a content platform, it allows businesses to engage with customers in many ways, like:

• Time-sensitive posts and promotions
• Visual content, such as images and videos
• FAQs and customer reviews

Finally, GMB’s listings offer the distinct advantage of being accessible in Google’s app ecosystem, including:

• Google Search knowledge panels
• Google Maps
• Local finder

Thus, GMB offers the traditional benefits of business listings, as well as distinct benefits. 

Why is Google My Business so useful?

Now, the benefits of GMB should be reasonably straightforward. However, let us briefly touch on its usefulness.

In essence, GMB provides a sizeable digital presence for any business, and it practically provides an additional funnel entry point. Furthermore, the engagement it incites, between reviews and 2-way communication, sends search engines optimal social signals that enhance SEO. Finally, perhaps most significantly, it informs Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) rankings for local searches, as it affects local SEO. In the age of smart devices, consider the significance of the latter alone in light of the findings SearchEngineJournal reports:

• 50 percent of people who did a local search on their phone went to a physical store within one day
• 50 percent of searchers on their mobile phones who conduct local searches are looking for things like a local business address
• 78 percent of local-based searches on a mobile device end in purchases being made offline

These, and others, should make it abundantly clear; GMB can promote growth by leaps and bounds. What’s more, digitally-minded businesses can speed up the development by using CRM and other business software for maximum benefits. 

Ways to use Google My Business to get more customers

With the above context in mind, let us now explore the 5 most prominent ways to use Google My Business to get more customers. 

#1 Provide consistent NAP information and get on the map

First and foremost, GMB serves as an ideal place for customers to discover your business. The research cited above notes; “50 percent of […] local searches are looking for things like a local business address”. Thus, to get more customers, you’ll want to provide your NAP information for each individual location.

As you do, you should consider some key factors:

1. Remain consistent. Your NAP information should be identical across listings, websites, and other sources. Inconsistencies can confuse and dismay customers.
2. Update information. Information naturally changes all the time, due to rebranding, relocations, and other factors. Outdated information can also cost you.
3. Provide your NAP in HTML text form. Search engines can’t crawl logos and images, but they can crawl HTML text.

#2 Solidify your online presence

Next, you should use GMB to solidify your online presence as you would with any social media marketing campaign. While the two are not identical, they overlap in significant ways.

Here, consider how GMB can expand your digital reach:

• Increase local visibility through Google Maps and locally valuable content
• Incite engagement through responses to comments, questions, and reviews
• Add a link to your website so that your GMB listing serves as a landing page

These practices arguably require their own entries, but the core principle is the same. Consider how GMB can expand your digital presence, from using valuable keywords to boosting your SERPs rankings.

#3 Solicit customer reviews

The practice of soliciting customer reviews specifically deserves your attention. SEO benefits aside, this simply boils down to how people make purchasing decisions.

For many, customer reviews offer a sincere view of another customer’s experience with a business or product. They provide social credit that no marketing jargon or self-promotion can match. Thus, reviews inform customer decisions. For impulsive purchases, they offer immediate visual reassurance. For expensive products and services, they offer valuable insights. Therefore, to get more customers, you should solicit customer reviews as often as possible.

#4 Enhance your local SEO

Similarly, GMB offers to enhance your local SEO. With the prevalence of local searches, this is one of the best ways to use Google My Business to get more customers.

Local SEO primarily concerns two types of searches:

1. “Near me”; searches for specific businesses that explicitly ask for proximity
2. Generic location keywords; keywords that specifically include your location

Thus, you can use your keyword research to determine valuable local keywords and build content around them. In doing so, you’ll enhance your local SEO and thus expand your outreach.

#5 Post engaging content on GMB and cross-post

Finally, as outlined above, GMB offers the option of sharing time-sensitive content. As with all content marketing strategies, engagement should be a primary concern here.

Thus, as you craft your GMB content, you’ll need to adhere to basic SEO principles like:

• Mobile-friendliness
• Visual content
• Compelling copy

Next, you’ll need to focus on local and general value factors, like:

• Local relevance
• Informational, insightful content
• Clear, visible Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Finally, your engaging content doesn’t need to be confined to GMB alone. If your content offers value elsewhere, too, cross-post it to maximize engagement potential.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many ways GMB can help businesses expand their outreach, get more customers, and thrive. We hope these ways to use it effectively help you do the same.

Photo used

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/online-store-online-shop-store-1674907/