Being a small business owner is awesome.
And busy, crazy and so so time-consuming.
You know your small local business needs some kind of online marketing strategy to help find more customers but there's so much info out there.
It's overwhelming and figuring it out sucks up so much time.
Plus you would rather be doing the fun parts of running a business.
So what should a small local business do? Which online marketing strategy makes sense for you?
Well, this blog post is for you! You are going to learn about how to set up a Google My Business for your business.
Google My Business: the best online marketing strategy for a small local business
If you can only do one online marketing thing it should be having a complete and active Google My Business profile. We are not saying that you shouldn't be using other online marketing strategies as well. This is a strategy for those that can't be thinking about figuring out other things out or spending money and are only going to do one thing anyways. An optimized Google My Business profile in combination with other cool online marketing tactics (like web design, search engine optimization and content marketing) is really kick butt.
So what is a Google My Business Profile and how do you set it up? Keep reading for step by step instructions. It's super easy to do and free!
What is a Google My Business Profile?
Hop on over to Google and search for your small local business. Does a panel on the right side of the Google search results with information about your business show up (see screenshot above)? This is a Google My Business profile and this is basically free advertising on Google. If your business has Google My Business profile but you didn't know about it, you will need to claim it. Directions on how to do this here.
You might be thinking, ok so what's the big deal, why do I want that? This is free advertising when people that are ready to buy something are searching on Google! Free. Advertising. To. People. That. Are. Ready. To. Buy. Here's an example of what this means:
Let's say you own a phone repair shop in Fort Worth, TX. Someone in Fort Worth breaks their phone and needs to get it fixed ASAP. They jump on to Google and search 'phone repair fort worth.' This is what they might see:
Mr. Broken Phone will think, 'oh perfect, I can go right over to the first search result, get my phone fixed now, and they will do a good job (because they have 4.9 stars and 65 reviews).' The business that Mr. Broken Phone visits is thinking, 'Cha-ching, thank you for your business.'
Here are some more reasons why you should have your Google My Business Profile in tip top shape from Forbes.
A complete and active Google My Business profile = more customers finding your business = more money
Let's get started. Here are step by step instructions on how to set up your Google My Business profile:
Step by Step Instructions to Set Up Your Google My Business Profile:
Now it's your turn! Jump on over to www.google.com/business and set up your Google My Business Profile.
Looking for More Information on Google My Business?
Here are some nice resources with more details about setting up a Google My Business Profile from:
Is there another Google My Business resource that you found useful? Please share in the comments.
Need some assistance with your Google My Business Profile?
Locallect is here to help! Get in touch with any questions or for a free consultation.