Google My Business: Learn how to get more customers

Do you already know the Google My Business tool? It is one of the most powerful free tools today, because it belongs to Google, the largest search engine in the world.

Through Google My Business it is possible for companies, agencies, organizations or even marketing professionals to manage their brand online and their online presence is available mainly in Google searches, Maps and advertisements. Thus, through the commercial information you provide, customers are able to find your business more simply and easily.

With this tool, it is possible to benefit in several ways, and thus to leverage the presence of your brand online in a simple and effective way. See the main benefits:

Information managementWhen a Google user does some research related to your business, it is possible to check what information, products, doubts and services are being shown in the results, and this tool is very useful to check if the information presented respond to the main customer searches.

It is proven that companies, brands and businesses that confirm all the information that is requested by Google My Business are twice as likely to be seen as a trusted brand by all consumers.

In this sense, it is very important to ensure that when potential customers of your brand or company do a search, they will be able to find in Google's results information such as opening hours, what forms of service, whether physical address or official website, and others important information that does not raise doubts among customers about trust in the brand.

Interaction with customersIt is not enough, however, for the client to be able to find all the pertinent information about his business, even though this is one of the most important steps.

There is yet another point that many companies already established in a physical location forget to make, and that would be the interaction with customers.

For the beginner or the professional, this is a valuable tip: interaction with customers. This interaction can come in several forms, such as: reading and responding to all comments that customers or potential customers post, including photos that show what products and services are available, and if your company is a physical location it is very important that you have at least a profile photo.

Recent surveys have shown that companies and brands that include photos are able to receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps than others that do not have any photos, and these also receive about 35% clicks to access the website or social network of those that don't include.

Understand and expand your online presenceWhen using Google My Business it is possible to understand various information about your customers, which without this tool would be much more difficult and laborious.

For example, through the tool it is possible to check the gender, location, age among others of the people who researched your brand.

With this information, it becomes much easier to understand who your customers are and then target your brand campaign according to the information collected, thus increasing your online presence.

Did you like this tool and would like to start using it right now to get more customers? Here are the first steps.

First stepsCome on, if you’ve made it this far, it means that Google My Business caught your eye a lot, right? Check out how to get started and start using this tool now.

First, with a Google account, all you have to do is access the Google My Business website through your computer and then click on the "Start now" link.

After registering or logging in to your account, just click on the bottom right corner of your screen and start searching for your company name.

This search will bring results from the Google system and you can check if there is already a page with that name for it on Google Maps.

If the company is already on the list, there is no problem, you can click to continue. If there is no result, you can start adding the information that is requested and then Google itself will create a main listing.

Important: it may be that your company already has a page created for it, and a message stating that someone has already verified the company may be displayed. If the company is yours, you can claim and claim ownership. Google will explain and guide you through this process.

After this initial registration, it will be possible to check the information that was registered, being all right, you can already confirm the veracity of your page through some methods, such as email, phone number, video verification, among others.

When you start using Google My Business, some can and will emerge, and this is completely normal and comprehensive.

But do not worry! Google My Business has a very large and extensive community that will always be available to answer your questions or assist in your brand’s campaign.

In this community, you can interact with other users who have been using Google My Business for a long time. But it is important to always conduct a survey with any questions you have, as in most cases it has already been answered by someone else.

Now, if your question is very specific, it is important that when creating a question, some topics are followed, such as:

• Create questions related only to the Google My Business platform· When choosing the category, always choose the most suitable· Personal information, e-mail address, among others, can be avoided· Do not include spam or content.

Get more customersSo, now, you've managed to create your listing on Google My Business, it has been verified, and you want to start to understand better how each tool works, right?

However, it is not enough to just create the page, an ad, and wait for miracles to happen. It is necessary to keep track, edit and improve these two items.

A brand that always gets more and more customers usually has ads and pages complete and updated.

Let's say you created your page on Google Maps, but your business has changed addresses. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you forgot to update your physical address and thousands of customers found another store or brand on site? So, when we think that way, it is clear the need to always update your company's data.

In order for your page or ad to be always complete and updated, remember to always add new information, such as new products or services, as well as new photos and images.

Customers prefer to know how their business and brand are doing now, rather than how they were two years ago. Photos are very powerful tools that clearly and objectively indicate to the customer how your brand is at the moment, and believe me, an old photo is easily perceived by your customer.

In addition to photos that clearly show your products, services or the company's location, it is important that customers are also able to easily find your logo. A reduced image, easy to identify and present in your ad or brand page is very important for customers to be able to quickly memorize and remember your company.

One of the tools that most help to highlight your company in Google search is to add a virtual tour. Imagine that a customer likes the photos that were included very much, but that he is still not completely convinced that he will like the place, and then he verifies that it is possible to take a tour. Very cool, right?

With this tool, customers are able to "walk" through your business, and check what's inside, how the decor is, and make them more comfortable to get to know the place in person.

Another very important factor when using the Google My Business tool is the comments section. The more comments you receive and respond to, the better for your brand, always keep that in mind.

A company or brand that has a lot of comments demonstrates to potential new customers that the company is very engaged online, has a strong customer base and that it cares about its image.

Research shows that 88% of customers care both about online comments and the personal recommendations they receive.

And don't worry about receiving criticisms or complaints, in fact, they are a great insight for you to understand what needs to change and improve in your brand or company.

However, always be aware of these types of comments and always respond to them in a way that shows other customers that your company is concerned and is trying to improve.

So, remember: negative comments are bad, but not responding to them is even worse, as it can give the impression to other customers that your company or brand is not concerned with improving, whether the service, product or service offered.

Last but not least, never forget to inform and always update what times your business or brand provides service or is open.

Remember the example shown above about the location changing address and this information not being updated? The same situation applies to opening hours.

It can be a great frustration for your customer to arrive at your store and company and find it closed, for any reason. Therefore, it is very important that the hours of operation and attendance are always updated and edited, this includes: holidays, special days, which is closed or not answered, among others.

Depending on the type of your business, company or brand, Google My Business may provide other fields for you to fill out.

It is important to check if there are more options available for you to add, and if not, always check that all the requested information has been filled in successfully.

Insight analysisIn addition to the tools that have been presented so far, Google My Business also offers a complete analysis that are called insights.

Through it, you can check how many people found your company or brand information or do a search on Google Maps and Google Search, how many people clicked on your ad, how many people visited the official website of the brand or some social network, among others.

In addition, it is also possible to understand how many people who have requested to verify the location of your company on Google Maps and, in this way, can also provide you with valuable information: where people are coming from to your company or business.

With Google My Business it is also possible to connect directly with the Google ADS panel, so that organizing your online advertising is much simpler and easier.

Insights is a great tool that indicates whether you are creating campaigns or presenting your business in a manner consistent with your target audience.

Is your target audience really searching and looking for the services you are offering? If not, if the target audience that is being reached is another, is it the case to change the shape of your campaigns and online directions?

These and other questions can be answered both by Google My Business and also by insights. So, remember, it is very important that your page, ad or website is always being checked, updated, and that comments are always answered.

With these tips, you will surely be able to attract more customers for your business or brand, or if you already have a good base, it is possible to better understand your business if your intention is to expand or better its presence in a digital way.

So, you already use or already knew the Google My Business tool? Tell us what you think about it in the comments, and if you already use it, leave your tip!

Post by: GR3 WE - Criação de sites

GR3 Web - Website creation and marketing agency. Brazilian company, composed of professionals in the areas of information systems, journalism, digital marketing