Do you find yourself looking for more effective ways to be found online?
Are current or potential customers able to easily find your business or offerings?
Are you looking for ways to improve your SEO (search engine optimization)?
Good news! We are here to help! In this fast-paced digital age, there are many powerful, easy-to-use, and FREE digital marketing tools to help increase your visibility and grow your business. Some of those tools include Google Business Profile, Yelp & Facebook Pages, just to name a few! Let’s take a quick look at these simple, effective digital tools and the value they bring to the table as part of your overall marketing strategy.
Google Business Profile
Formerly known as “Google My Business”, you can think of your Google Business Profile as your business listing as an old-school telephone book. Setting up your Google Business Profile improves your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It helps people find your business when searching for your product or service within their geographical area and provides instant information, such as your location, contact information, and business hours. Your Google Business Profile can also include customer reviews, links to your website, maps of your location(s), social channels and helpful questions and answers.
Google Business Profiles allow you to:
1. Interact With Customers
2. Generate Traffic to your Website or Social Channels
3. Create Online Ad Campaigns
4. Publish posts for updates, offers, or events
5. Track Analytics
Google Business Profile is a must for any business! It puts you in control of communicating the important details of your business to customers the first time they find you. From there you can interact and learn from your customers by replying to their reviews, answering their questions, and giving them more information that they are seeking. Plus, Google loves its own products, so building your business profile is a plus for SEO!
Google Business Profile also offers a FREE business site that duplicates your information onto an additional page sponsored by Google. See ours here. This site includes your company name, a headline, open times, a banner image, posts, and reviews/testimonials. There are also spots for About us, Image gallery, map, and contact information. This secondary free website is a great place to include your business’ core information to serve as an additional source to be found online!
Yelp
Did you know that Yelp is one of the most trusted review sites in the United States? Yelp is a consumer-driven online review site with millions of listings in which consumers can provide reviews and feedback based on a business’s performance. And it’s not just for restaurants! Small businesses of all kinds can be found on Yelp. Service industries, retail, event attractions, and more can be located on Yelp.
You can create a profile for your business on Yelp, or consumers can add your business to the site. If consumers beat you to the punch, you can always request access as the business owner to build out and control your profile.
Here are a few ways you can use Yelp for your business:
1. Create or claim your page if it has already been added – be sure to add your location, contact information, and business hours.
2. Add photos to showcase your product or service – remember a picture is worth a thousand words and people are searching for images.
3. Add an enticing business description - include your top products, biggest selling points, etc.
4. Offer incentives or special offers for reviews.
Yelp is a very powerful tool for swaying consumer opinions. In fact, a recent study showed nearly 45% of consumers turned to Yelp to read reviews before making an online purchase. Remember, not all customers will be happy 100% of the time and negative reviews do happen.
If you should receive a negative review, here are some helpful points to handle feedback:
1. Politely respond to the review as soon as possible.
2. Offer consolation or ask to reconcile the situation as much as possible.
3. Learn from the critique and consider how your company could alleviate the issue in the future.
4. Ask to connect personally to the reviewer in order to resolve the issue.
5. Remember to never take it personally, remain professional, and understand that some reviewers are just having a bad day.
Facebook Pages
When it comes to social media, Facebook is still the leader as the most used platform. Having a Facebook Business page is a way to reach your audience for free and serve as an additional business listing, but you need to make sure you are utilizing the platform effectively to reap all the benefits.
Below are some tips when using Facebook for business:
1. Be sure you have created a business page (not a personal page).
2. Make sure your profile picture is recognizable and fits well into the circle space.
3. Add a beautiful cover photo to showcase your brand or products or team.
4. Ensure your About description is clear and easy to understand.
5. Be consistent and present with your posting. Define the rhythm that you intend to post (2,3,4,5 times per week) and stick with it.
6. Stay engaged: respond to consumer questions, reviews, and messages in a timely manner.
7. Use the analytics: track when followers mention your business (and thank them)!
8. Create a buzz: promotions can include asking followers to like, share, and comment for a chance to win a gift or discount.
9. Promote your business’s specialties, team, offerings, and community involvement.
10. Add a call-to-action button to define what you want your viewers to do next.
11. Schedule your posts at the prime time for your audience.
Bonus tip: LinkedIn Business Pages are very similar and can be helpful in the same ways as the Facebook Page describes above.
There are many free online resources to market your business effectively and add another layer of SEO to your digital strategy. Many of these tools are like mini websites for your brand. The 30|90 Marketing team can help you build out and utilize all of these platforms. Reach out to 30|90 Marketing today to learn more!
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