Don’t waste $$ on traditional SEO. 84% of your potential customers are finding your competition on Google Maps via your profile, not your website. Turn active searchers on Google Search or Maps into new customers for your business instantly.
What if I told you already possessed God’s gift to local business marketing? Would you believe me?
Well, if you’re eager to understand how you can exponentially grow your business with a tool you already have in your arsenal, then this will be the most important guide you read all day.
The gift I’m referring to? Your Google Business Profile.
You know, that free business listing that Google gives you whether you want one or not, totally free? Yeah, that one.
This free listing is the single most powerful lead/customer-generator of active shoppers in your category.
A Google research study has shown that 60% of local searchers have made a call to a local business directly from a profile listing. Simultaneously, searches containing the phrase “near me” or “close by” have increased by 900% in the last two years!
Yet, so many small service and hospitality sector businesses struggle to maintain their listing.
Commonly, updating your profile with images, posts, 5-star reviews, review replies, and making sure your posts and descriptions focus on key terms is a chore that is dreaded, back burnered, done inconsistently, without purpose, or not at all.
Simply put, most business owners don’t have the time, desire, or knowledge to make this marketing channel one of the easiest and most effective in their toolboxes.
In this FREE Definitive Guide to Google Business Profile Marketing, you’ll learn exactly what makes your profile so valuable and the steps to follow to get yours started (or resurrected).
What is the Google Business Profile?
Let’s keep it simple to start by defining exactly what we’re talking about. An effective GBP for a business in the service space (think home service companies, gyms, etc.) or hospitality sector (think bars, breweries, restaurants) consists of all the pertinent information someone actively searching for your business would need to know to decide to visit, call, or buy from you.
Company name, contact info, address, service area, menus, product offerings, reviews, images, posts, connected profiles, Q&A’s, buttons to order, book, call, visit website, and more.
It’s like an old Yellow Pages listing, but on steroids.
But isn’t it just a listing online? A simple formality? Why should it be managed or why should I care?… you may ask.
It boils down to the psychology of Google…
In our current culture, Google has transformed from a noun into a verb.
Think about it. We don’t say “search for it” — instead, we say “google it.”
This is a direct result of people finding incredibly useful information by using Google’s search engine. If you think this is an accident or coincidence, then think again. You see, Google has developed a mutually beneficial system between their company and other businesses in the world.
Here’s why: if Google understands your business, then they can provide accurate information to their users about your business. If Google can provide accurate information to its users, then users will continue to rely on Google. If a lot of people continue using Google, then Google can make money from ads and paid services. It all comes down to creating a great experience for Google users.
What are the benefits of a fully managed GBP?
In case you’re wondering….and I know you are…
Cost Effective
Let’s get this one out of the way first since I know you’re always thinking about numbers as a business owner… Your GBP listing is completely FREE. Even if you don’t create your own, eventually Google will create one for you and hope you claim ownership.
Full management of your profile is something you can pay for (and that we offer of course) that doesn’t break the bank. And there aren’t additional costs outside of the management of your profile like there would be if you were paying for Google ads.
Own the Map Pack…and your market
The “Map Pack” is the grouping of the top 3 search results that appear on Google Maps or in Google Search when someone is searching for a local business.
Showing in the top 3 places for your top keywords is vital to growing your business. The map pack is prominently featured above the fold on a desktop search, above organic website results!
Complete and accurate profiles will get 7x more clicks than those that aren’t. Not maintaining your profile has a cost…money you won’t make!
Your customers are searching for what you do online
Duh. But these days, 97% of people are learning about local businesses from the Google Search Engine. 82% have said they’ve discovered a new business in their area from a Google Maps Search.
Build KLT (Know, Like, Trust) instantly
Google surveys have shown that 84% of people trust reviews on a profile just as much as a friendly referral.
If you have hundreds of 5-star reviews, all those people can’t be wrong, right?!
Searchers act on your profile
88% of searchers recently surveyed by Moz stated they made a purchase or location visit within 24 hours of searching a business via profiles.
Positive first impression
Your business profile is your business’s first impression for 93% of local searchers. Think of it like your front lawn. You wouldn’t want it to appear overgrown, dead or dormant, full of weeds and screaming “I don’t care about my business why should I care about you?!” now do you?
That’s what an unmanaged profile SCREAMS about your business. Searchers, if they even get served your profile (lower probability because Google wants searchers to have a good experience), they will certainly find it off-putting and deem you untrustworthy.
Being in the top 3 works!
Businesses that rank in the top 3 of the local map pack see a 700% boost in clicks over businesses that don’t. The importance of this can’t be understated!
The 5 Things You Need To Do To Get The Most From Your GBP
- Get 5-star reviews. Getting at least one, 5-star review each week builds your credibility, signals to Google that you’re liked and trusted, and shows searchers they can rely on you, much like your past customers have indicated.
TIP: Use any means necessary to get as many 5 star reviews as you can. Manually ask customers for a positive review, put out QR codes in your location, send SMS or emails asking for reviews, what ever you can do to get them needs to become a habit. If customers include photos with their reviews, that’s a big bonus!
- Reply to your reviews, and do it quickly. Once those reviews start rolling in they must be replied to on the double. Google will take note that A) you’re getting great reviews and B) you care enough to reply and reply quickly, which is a signal of great customer service.
TIP: Be sure to reply professionally to bad reviews too. 45% of people are more likely to trust a business that does!
- Add Photos. Every few weeks add 5-7 new photos to your profile. They can be of anything that is relevant in your business. Finished projects, new food offerings, happy smiling teammates/employees, photos of the interior/exterior of your location, shots of people enjoying your establishment, etc.
TIP: Add alt tags to your photos so Google crawlers can read what the image consists of.
- Add all your products or services. List these out in the proper section and provide keyword-rich descriptions.
- Create and update Q & A section. Has no one asked any questions? Go in and create your own and answer them. Use the 3 most commonly asked questions to start with then add a new one every month.
- Post in the posting section. At least every 5 days, write one post that utilizes common search terms for your business. This signals to Google that you’re alive and well.
- Be consistent. Like every other part of a business’s marketing, it’s incredibly easy to let it fall by the wayside. You’re busy, your people are busy. Such is business life. But if this profile is left to languish and goes untouched for months at a time, it’s not going to serve you in any meaningful way.
If it’s so easy, why doesn’t everybody do it?
Ah the age-old question. Well, I have an age-old answer…you guessed it…it ain’t that easy!
Here’s the thing, the actual process of doing everything I listed above ISN’T hard at all. It’s something you can learn in one sitting and sharpen as you continually manage it.
What’s hard is actually doing it!
I get it, I’m a business owner too. There are things in my business that get neglected to my detriment. And I’m getting good at adding systems and people to help me keep those in check. But it can be challenging.
As a business owner, you’re busy with your day-to-day operations. You have plenty of situations and people that need your attention. One of them is the consistent management of your GBP.
But there are always bigger fish to fry, or if you’re a master delegator, you have vacations you need to be on while your team runs the front and back of the house!
That’s where we come in. We take this often overlooked but necessary feature of your marketing and keep it where it needs to be–on the front burner, but not in your way.
We’ll use our knowledge of the industry and your search market plus our proprietary systems to boost your profit by 200% or more of what we charge, guaranteed.
It’s a plug-and-play system ready to deploy in your business.
No more feeling guilty that you haven’t touched your profile in 3 months. Rest easy knowing it’s taken care of and done right.
We specialize in Google Business Profile Marketing and Optimization for small businesses. It’s our jam.
Would you like a free audit of your profile? Call or contact us today to get yours, completely free!