Google My Business is an excellent way for local and global businesses to manage their online reputation and drive traffic to their brand. Although it keeps releasing updates very frequently, some of the latest ones are particularly useful for businesses looking to drive local traffic.
In our analytics and research, we keep noticing that Google My Business or GMB, is highly suited for local business listings. Features like Maps, Google Ads, AdSense, and Google+, maximize your potential reach. Correlating these amenities with the latest updates, we found unique features that will help businesses get the
most out of their online presence.
Let’s Look at These Features & How You Can Use Them
#1 Welcome Offers
Now, once a visitor clicks on the follow button, to subscribe to your business, you can send him or her welcome offers.
The follow button was launched last year in October. However, it did not yield many results for businesses. Thus, welcome offers were launched to amplify the impact of users following businesses.
“Enabling offers provides you with a golden opportunity to target customers who have themselves initiated your sales funnel by following you.”
These offers are automatically saved in a separate folder. It provides a greater incentive to customers for following you online. In turn, you get an interactive database for your posts, emails, and promotions. The element of iscounted
purchase increases your conversions.
You can use these offers, both online and offline. Therefore, a local business like restaurants or designer labels can use them to attract paying local crowds.
However, it would be best if you had additional marketing activities to get people to follow you. Nonetheless, creating custom offers for customers is a great way to develop a loyal following and attract local business.
#2 You Control Your Photos Now
GMB has released three latest features that allow businesses more control over their brand visibility through graphics and images. We must mention that these features will allow users to take control of their media on google listings and project a consistent and constant identity, built for maximum retention.
Earlier, there was no guarantee that Google will use the cover image you upload. Now you can set the image that will appear in your main listing. Therefore, you can develop customized models to go everywhere and create a standard brand identity online as well as offline. Furthermore, updates and changes can be made anytime.
Logos will become a part of your core information. This information will appear on the top-right side of any listing. The importance of a logo is crystal clear to any online marketer. Now you can standardize your presence and drive stronger retention using this feature.
Photo Displays will now show visitors your most recently uploaded images. Google will add a caption feature to this segment soon. Therefore, you can instantly share pictures and updates with your followers, informing them about offers, sales, and events through excellent graphics.
These expanded imaging features enable you to use GMB in creating a powerful brand that is responsive and engages with its customers. Visitors instantly realize what to expect from you and make swifter decisions.
#3 Take Help of Google’s Marketing Kit
Campaign design, graphics, and imagery are essential elements of any marketing campaign. Consequently, they increase overhead costs. For small and local businesses who have limited working capital, it becomes increasingly difficult to spend on such activities. Therefore, many miss out on great opportunities.
Google, realizing this, launched its platform to help new businesses leverage the power of marketing graphics.
Businesses can log on and get customized stickers, social media posts, banners, and even order table tents! That's immense. What’s better is that Google crawlers fetch authentic reviews and information from Google Review Content.
Therefore, content is automatically generated and placed on the design of your choice.
You can create a content matrix and start promoting instantly. It is an excellent step from google to promote local businesses and listings and bridge the cost gap that small enterprises lose in marketing activities.
#4 Short Names for Brand Recognition
You need to claim your short names by logging on to your GMB dashboard. It makes linking reviews and multiple listings or mentions much easier and gives a snappier feel to your entire business listing on google.
As of now, Short Names have been rolled out globally. However, you may sometimes experience non-availability due to server issues. It will become stable in the days to come.
#5 Find more clicks with LOCAL FAVORITES
We think this feature has the highest potential for boosting your SERPs. Using Local Favourites, the top 5% of businesses in every category will get better recognition through digital badges. These badges will also have non-digital counterparts to
establish brand recall.
Multiple studies have clarified that online traffic trusts genuine reviews and ratings. Therefore, they are undoubtedly critical for your SERP. Here, your rating will be verified by Google, projecting an exponential level of reliability and trust!
Businesses featured as local favorites will have more significant influence over their sales funnels and drive higher conversions. How do you become one? Well, only by providing excellent service, generating positive feedback, and creating regular content.
We are expecting to see more updates in this feature. You as a marketer must start carving out plans to leverage the Local Favourites option. Your competitor in the next block may have started already.
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Google My Business is a new product that combines the functionalities of existing applications and current updates to deliver a powerhouse suite for Online Reputation Management.
Therefore, your marketing activities must make room for these dynamic updates and stay in tune with them. Keep testing various iterations and figure out what performs best for your business.
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