As part of our Marketing in May webinar series, the Marketing department here at CompanyCam is contributing some fresh material to help guide you in your marketing efforts!
I can’t stress enough how vital Google My Business is to your company’s growth. If you’re on a desktop computer go ahead and open a new tab for Google search — no, seriously, I’ll wait — you’re going to Google your own business. What do you see? Does it look something like the image below? If not, we have some work to do. My goal here is to get into the specifics on why a Google Business profile will bring more traction to your site, more reviews on the services you offer, and more phone calls inquiring about your business — all with little work and no upkeep whatsoever (as long as you do it right the first time).
What you’re going to need is your website, a business description, and some high-quality photos showing the services you offer. You’ll also need your business address if you work based out of an office and your operating hours. Google Business is easy to set up, simple to maintain, and hands-free to broadcast. Google will do all the work for you.
This is all a part of a play your company can make called Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and I’m sure you’ve heard this term before. The simple hack to mastering SEO as a business owner, someone who doesn’t really have the time to keep updating your site or site listings, is to make an effort in the initial setup. This way, you will have a viable listing that is equal to a stream of leads. Each listing you have on the web will bring in its own leads.
Engage with Potential Customers on Google for Free
The Google Business profile will allow your company to easily connect with customers across Google’s search engine and Google Maps. This means that when someone types in the search bar, “roofing near me,” and they’re in the vicinity — your business will pop up for them in the search results. When someone searches for your company name, they will see a “card” in the right-hand column.
Think of this as a digital business card of sorts. It’s everything someone might need to know about you, and more importantly, it’s exactly the information you want to pass off to your prospective customer. Some details include the name of your company, your phone number, your website, and your operating hours — you get the idea.
Google My Business is free and essential, as your competitors will surely take advantage of this offer. Ultimately, as I’m sure you can already tell within the industry, having the most up-to-date information available on the web will be the difference-maker for earning business.
Gather Leads with a Great Business Profile
You can post photos and offers to your profile to show what makes your business unique, and give customers reasons to choose you every time. You can include a biography that reflects the value of your company to the buyer, customer reviews will ensure referral traffic keeps coming in and, in a way, provide quality assurance of the service you provide.
What is a Business Profile?
According to Google, “Your free Business Profile on Google helps your business show up when it matters most: the moment customers are searching for your business or products or services like yours on Google Search and Maps.”
You will want to log into your Google My Business account to update your address, phone number, website, open hours, and more to help customers find and connect with your business. Keep your profile updated with fresh photos, special offers, and promotions to make it easy for customers to choose you. If you don’t have the time or don’t feel tech-savvy enough to be running paid digital ads on Google or Facebook, then this is a simple way for you to push into SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
Give Your Customers More Ways to Reach You
Your customers are ready to connect – by calling, messaging, or leaving reviews. You might be asking, “How can Google My Business help me reach more customers?” Your Business Profile gives you a presence on Google Search and Maps, allowing you to respond to reviews, post photos of products or special offers, and add or edit your business details. Your profile lets you present your business professionally online, showcasing your photos and business details in a beautiful way. Insights shows you how you can optimize your customer engagement for better results, and you can encourage more engagement by interacting with your customers from the Customers tab.
At CompanyCam, we recommend using some of your before and after photos in your Google Business profile — whatever photos you have that show off your service, your vehicles, or even simply a logo. You should post whatever it is that you think a potential customer needs to see in order to reach out to you
Contact Info Checklist
Your GMB profile should include the following:
- Business description written in 750 characters or less with keywords and content differentiating you from your competitors.
- High-quality photos to attract users to visit your site.
- Concise address(es) consistent with those on your website.
- Accurate phone number(s).
- Operating hours and non-working days.
- Primary and secondary categories matching your business’s goals, so your listing comes up on searched terms.
- Quality reviews from customers.
