Boost your social media strategy with Google My Business (GMB). GMB is a free, easy-to-use advertising tool that, if leveraged properly, can help drive traffic to your store in person and online.
Here, we uncover what Google My Business is, what types of posts work best, and how to implement a rich posting strategy that will grow your digital presence.
First launched in 2016, GMB offers a posting feature that allows you to share valuable information with your potential customers. Its capabilities allow business owners, like you, to promote their business in a creative way. What’s more, you can use Google My Business to manage your reputation and respond to customer reviews.
From discounts, to product promotions, to company news, and everything in between — using Google My Business increases brand awareness and improves the customer experience, driving customers through the sales funnel.
Give your customers the transparency they want by staying active on Google My Business. Through regular posting, you make it easy for customers to find important business updates and interact with your brand — both of which foster a loyal customer base. Posting on GMB allows you to:
The first step in coming up with a comprehensive Google My Business posting strategy is selecting the right post format. This depends on the information you want to present to your audience. GMB offers six different post types to choose from.
Highlight company news and show customers what makes your business unique. Regularly posting company updates is a great way to display company culture and brand personality — helping you gain traction on Google My Business and enticing customers to engage with your business.
These posts expire within seven days. It’s important to consistently post new updates. Include photos or videos to make your post more engaging. Include an action button to redirect viewers to the right place should they want to learn more.
Promote upcoming events that are taking place within your business through your listing in local search and in Google Maps. Event posts are a great way to spark the interest of your customers and keep them updated on what’s happening within your company. Event posts require a specified event timeframe so that people know when it’s taking place — if you don’t select a timeframe, GMB defaults to a 24-hour post expiration.
Highlight limited-time promotions and offers. Upload photos and videos of the product or service you’re promoting to boost engagement. Set up a coupon code within these posts that customers can use in-store and online. Select a timeframe on these posts to let people know when the offer is ending — the post will automatically disappear after the promotion is over.
If you’re looking to broadcast a new product offering, this post is for you. Create a buzz around the product with a compelling, high-quality photo or video. Include a detailed description and price range. Promotion posts will appear in the “Product” tab and expire after seven days on your page.
Post updates and changes to your business policies due to COVID-19. These can include:
Should you update your hours on your Google My Business page, customers who visit your profile will see a message and post that emphasizes this update. This will populate on the “Updates” tab of your profile. After you’ve created the update, you can also edit these posts to provide further details regarding the change.
To help you take full advantage of all that Google My Business Posting has to offer, make sure you are optimizing all of your posts. The more strategic the post, the higher engagement it will receive.
Boost customer engagement with compelling visuals. Including high-quality photos and videos in your GMB posts is a smart way to drive sales — especially since many people use visuals to drive their purchasing habits. Not only will a high-quality graphic capture the attention of the consumer, but it will also help you stand out from your competition.
With any social media platform, posting consistently is the key to gaining traction. Because GMB posts expire in seven days, it’s important to keep a consistent posting schedule. Since people continuously check this platform throughout the day, you want to ensure your information is as updated as possible.
Keep your content timely. If you’re posting about upcoming company events, promotions, or sales, it’s imperative to let your customers know ahead of time so that they have enough notice to take advantage of your offer.
In addition to maintaining these posting habits, check this platform frequently. Always respond to messages and reviews in a timely manner to guarantee great customer service.
Create a strong, clear call to action on your Google My Business post. Keep your call to action relevant to the post, but enticing enough that it will drive customers to click. For example, if you own a furniture store and are offering a storewide discount code on GMB, a call to action such as “Get 25% off now” could be enough to motivate the reader to click through and make a purchase. Include an action button that leads to an optimized, relevant landing page to provide a seamless experience.
At Thumbstopper®, we help retailers, like you, leverage high-quality content for your businesses’ social media page — so you can trade busy work for business value. Convert followers into customers with a comprehensive social media presence that includes Google My Business.
We’re currently working on adding Google My Business posting capabilities to our platform so that you can maximize your social media presence and benefit from greater brand awareness. Contact us today to learn more.