We all know what Google is and what it does.
Google’s name is a powerhouse that became a verb, if you want to know something, you ‘just Google it’.
For that reason, to be on Google is a synonym of ‘being found’!
Amongst all the tools you can use from the Google Suite, Google My Business is a good one for you to begin with.
If your business has been around for a while, chances are that you may already have a GMB - Google My Business - account created by Google itself and just waiting for you to take ownership of it. However, if your business is brand new online, you will want to start by creating your GMB account.
To find out where to go to create your account is super simple. Just Google it! Or click this link here.
The main purpose of creating your GMB account is to start creating an online presence for your business and make you discoverable for your customers out there. Different from a brick-and-mortar store, you do not have the luxury of people driving past your store to see it. The internet is a very busy place and it's easy to get lost. For people to visit your website, they will have to find you first, and for that to happen you have to be present in their search engine.
For that reason, think of GMB as yellow pages on steroids. You will have a listing on the most powerful search engine known to humanity nowadays.
GMB is an incredible tool to increase your sales and create brand awareness within your local city/area as it works on using specific geographic regions.
If we could summarise it in a few words it would be that it makes you easily discoverable at the time when people are looking for you, for your service and your products.
As the vast majority of the Google products, GMB is free for you to create your account and have your profile discoverable to prospect customers. You can manage your business listing and the information it shows for both Google Search and Google Maps so that potential customers can find you easier.
One of the great things about GMB is that it not only will help people to find your online business but will also help you increase your brick-and-mortar foot traffic. It’s a double win.
GMB is also fantastic for managing customer feedback and a tool to help improve your customer service
As we all know, people nowadays love to express themselves and their opinions. For a business, it may sound daunting to have people talking about your business out there. What if they say something bad about your brand? Feedback good or bad is a great opportunity to use as a conversation starter with your customer base. Over time you will be able to learn how your customers see your business for good and bad and find ways to thank them for their review as well as take on board the feedback for improvement.
