Recently we’ve talked about list of directories that you should look into if you want to improve you online presence and brand awareness. Just this month, Google announced another great solution that will help you get your business out there. In just a matter of minutes you can reach your new and existing clients right where they are. Let’s check out Google My Business, the new one-stop-shop for getting found online.
Google My Business
Google My Business brings together all the different tools offered by Google (such as Google Maps, Google+, etc. ) under one roof to help your business shine online. The idea behind the concept is to improve the ways brands manage their public image in order to make it easier for their clients to find exactly the information they’re looking after.
It’s designed mainly for small offline business that often find it difficult to get in touch with their existing and potential clients. Even if you don’t actually sell online, your clients may be doing their research prior to wanting to pop in to your store and picking up the product. They will most likely want to find out where you’re located, what others think about your business and see what you have to offer.
If you want to reach your customers the right way and be visible in the places they tend to search through, you should definitely make use of all the methods available on the market. The more information you provide regarding your business, the more likely it will be that someone interested in your offer comes across your name. Thus, check out the previously listed directories and social media channels we have talked about as they can be a serious game changer for your business, even if you don’t actually sell online.
What to expect
With the newly introduced suite of tools you’ll be able to manage your social and online presence (amongst Google’s products) in one place. As Google team puts it, the updated solution will enable you to do the following things in just a matter of minutes:
- Update your business info on Search, Maps, and Google+ from one place
- Add beautiful photos of your business and a virtual tour or your business interior
- Connect directly with fans and customers by sharing news, events, and other important updates from a Google+ page
- Stay on top of reviews from across the web, and respond to Google reviews
- Understand how people find and interact with your business using custom insights and integration with AdWords Express
It is important to note that all existing clients using Google’s other solutions i.e. Google Places for Business and Google+ will be upgraded to the new Dashboard to secure the same level of experience. On top of that, along with the new look Android and iOS Apps are also released so that the business can manage their presence while on the go.
How to set it up
To set up the Google My Business account just follow this link and Get on Google.
If you already have an account with them simply log in to your own profile or create a completely new one by following the add account link.
Once you’ve logged into the account, you’ll be presented with a map where you can find your existing page, find a business Google already knows about and claim the management of its page or create one if you haven’t done so before.
If it’s the first you’ll be creating a page for your business, you’ll get the chance to choose the type of business you’re operating in. You can choose from:
- Storefront – Restaurant, retail store, hotel, etc.
- Service Area – Plumber, pizza delivery, taxi service, lawyer, etc.
- Brand – Product, sports team, music band, cause, etc.
Having chosen either Storefront or a Service Area you’ll be directed to the map page where you can find your existing business. If you’ve found it you can claim the management of the page or add your business to the map if the search results weren’t satisfying.
If you chose Brand instead you’ll be directed to a form where you can create a new page for your own company providing details such as the name or URL address of your website.
Once that is done, you’ve successfully create a page for your business which you can now customize. Simply follow the tour provided by Google and complete the profile until the status bar reaches 100%.
Having completed all these steps will definitely help you reach out to new audiences even more effectively than before. Interact with them, see what they think and improve your business so that it can reach the new levels of greatness in no time.