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How Google Business Profile Helps you Own the Digital Shelf

The digital shelf is the online version of shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. Just as customers browse store aisles to learn about and compare products, the digital shelf replicates the shopping experience in a digital space. A lot goes into getting products to physical storefronts, and managing its digital counterpart is equally challenging and essential. 

Online shopping usually starts with a search engine. Google is the most popular. Whether or not users know exactly what they’re looking for, Google shows results for related or similar products. Customers generally look for different information than they might have access to while shopping in person. Since they can’t see the product in person, they look to reviews, ratings, and product specs to address their questions. 

Search engine algorithms assist in this process, suggesting search terms and prompting related topics until users find what they’re looking for. Of course, none of this information just appears on Google. Brands and e-commerce stores don’t just have to keep their product information and inventory updated but also organize their websites in a way that Google can read. Understanding how to comply with Google’s policies is crucial for success.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making a website better for search engines. An optimized website has a site structure that search engines can easily crawl and index, allowing them to determine which search terms correlate to the website’s content. There are many additional factors that contribute to SEO, such as improving individual page content or addressing international users. Best practices vary by industry and the website’s purpose; an e-commerce website and a medical practice wouldn’t measure their site’s success by the same metrics. Google’s SEO starter guide is a great resource to keep you up to date on how to remain compliant with Google. 

SEO is a major component of owning the digital shelf. Users should be able to easily find and purchase your brand’s products online. When they hit roadblocks – such as inconsistent product info or a malfunctioning website – potential customers don’t spend time figuring out how to complete the purchase. They simply turn to other brands’ products. Making sure your website is optimized for search engines means guaranteeing your customers can find your products. 

How Google Business Profile Helps you Own the Digital Shelf

In addition to maintaining a well-functioning website, your brand can improve SEO through off-site efforts such as posting quality social content and assisting your distributors. Google indexes links on Facebook and a strong social presence can help you garner more impressions. And opting to use a where-to-buy plugin that directs customers to local retailers helps keep customers focused on your brand. Potential customers likely already have preferred local retailers, so showing them where they could pick up the product near them removes another barrier to purchase. 

If your retailers also support online purchasing through their website then your brand gets the benefit of appearing on an additional digital shelf. If they don’t – or you simply want to increase your online presence in this area – Google offers other solutions to get more eyes on your products. 

Google Pointy & Business Profile

Pointy is the bridge between in-store inventory and e-commerce. It primarily functions as a way for small retailers to get their products online without the expense of hiring a web developer. Pointy adds product information to Google and serves them as Google Shopping search results, making it easy for retailers to create paid advertisements from these product listings.

How Google Business Profile Helps you Own the Digital Shelf

It ties in nicely with Google Business Profile (GBP). While GBP has some industry-specific options to showcase inventory, like menus for restaurants, it doesn’t support larger-scale inventory or shopping ads. GBP’s focus is on helping businesses give potential customers all the information they need to make informed decisions. Not only does it make a huge impact at the local level but GBP and a correlating Google Pointy account also create an additional digital shelf to showcase your products.

GBP also bolsters your SEO efforts. It’s the best way to tap into local search and reach a wider audience. Altogether, Google’s collection of free tools gives businesses the opportunity to own the digital shelf.

Own the Digital Shelf

How Google Business Profile Helps you Own the Digital Shelf

Controlling the digital shelf all starts with a complete GBP and focused SEO efforts. Because GBP is optimized for local users, it’s most beneficial for retailers. Brands have a lot to gain from GBP too. Sending your social content to your retailer’s profiles is an ideal way to get more eyes on your products: the post/update section of a GBP is a key source of information for potential customers. But distributing content is a time-consuming task with a high failure rate. Even if they are responsive to your brand’s co-op marketing efforts, it’s unlikely to be the retailer’s top priority. After all, they have a business to run and their own marketing objectives to pursue. 

ThumbStopper syndicates content to your retailer’s GBPs so that you don’t have to. It’s easy for you and easy for your retailers. 

Find out how ThumbStopper can help your brand by booking a demo. 

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      Key Points:

       

      • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
      • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
      • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

       

       

      Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

       

      The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

      Social Media for All

      The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

      Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

      Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

       

      Making Content Accessible

      Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

      For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It's one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

      None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

      Text

      • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
      • Avoid text in all caps
      • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

      Videos

      • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
      • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
      • Use captioning for live videos when possible

      Graphics

      Distribute Accessible Content

      Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

      That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience - with your accessible, branded content - in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

      Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

       

       

      accessibility
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      Key Points:

       

      • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
      • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
      • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

       

       

      Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

       

      The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

      Social Media for All

      The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

      Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

      Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

       

      Making Content Accessible

      Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

      For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It’s one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

      None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

      Text

      • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
      • Avoid text in all caps
      • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

      Videos

      • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
      • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
      • Use captioning for live videos when possible

      Graphics

      Distribute Accessible Content

      Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

      That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience – with your accessible, branded content – in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

      Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

       

       

      accessibility
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      [/et_pb_column]
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