INTRODUCTORY
It
may surprise some, but many small businesses new to inbound marketing are
unaware that you can get some free advertising on Google through Google Places.
And because Google is always looking to increase the value of its local search results -- as well as
its Google Maps application -- the search engine giant has a simple way for you
to provide them with that valuable information about your business, which it
infuses it into its search engine results.
The
benefit? Basically, a way to advertise your business on Google for free.
And honestly, who doesn't love some free advertising? This not only helps your
business get found through searches; it can also help you get more traffic, leads, and
customers.
Consider
this example: When you search for "hotels, Boston," the Boston Harbor
Hotel ranks #1 in the Google Places search results. And to the right of the
result, you can see all the information that the Boston Harbor Hotel has placed
in its Google Places listing. They've included reviews, hotel information, and
pictures of the hotel and its surrounding area. Not too shabby a setup, is it?
Are
you ready to get some free advertising on Google? Let's get started.
What You Need to Get Your Free Google
Places Advertisement
In
order to set up your Google Places listing, you'll need the following
information at hand:
- A description of your business
- Your phone number, address, and
any other contact info you want to advertise
- A logo or image that represents
your business (for example, some people use a picture of their office, store,
or restaurant)
- A coupon or special offer you
want to advertise (Google also lets you add a coupon for FREE if you
want)
In
your listing, you can include any information you think is relevant to your
business and will attract people to your company. To set up a Google Place
listing, follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Set Up Your Account
Visit http://www.google.com/places/. To set up your business
on Google Places, click the 'Get Started Now' button below the text, “Get your
business found on Google.”
Your
Google Places account will be connected to your Google account. Here, you can
enter the country and phone number. Keep in mind that you will need to connect
this to a valid phone number, as it's important to have your business’ number
in your Google Places listing. When people search for you, you'll want them to
easily be able to call you, especially on mobile devices.
Once
you input your phone number and country, Google will search to see if your
listing already exists. Keep in mind that you can edit a current listing at any
time to display new information about your business. If you don't yet have a
listing, you can also create one from scratch.
Step 2: Fill in Your Information
If
Google Places doesn’t identify any business information online for you, you can
manually add it. After filling out your phone number, Google will prompt you to
input more information. As you complete your information, Google will automatically
generate what the Places advertisement will look like on the right, including
the map image. Make sure you're satisfied with the appearance of your listing.
Keep the description short and to the point, capturing the main concept of your
business and product or service. You can add anything you want, including a
coupon link for your business to attract more customers to your website.
Making
sure you include a phone number and email address enables people who are
interested in learning more about you to contact. The volume of people who will
see this listing can be large, so make sure your contact information is both up
to date and checked regularly for people inquiring about your business.
Step 3: Specify Where Your Services Are
Provided
You
can also set up whether or not your business provides services in a certain
area or areas. This will allow your business to appear on map listings. When
people search for a business similar to your listing, your business will appear
on a map within a specified range.
You
can then select which location(s) your services cover(s). The map will show you
what
area will be covered by choosing this option:
If
you prefer to serve only certain cities or areas within a city, you can choose
the second option and pick the areas you serve. This option can be helpful for
companies that are only able to serve a certain area, such as a pizza delivery
company, or in a very niche market, like a jet ski company on a beach.
Step 4: Indicate Your Hours of Operation
Another
aspect of an effective Google Places advertisement is the hours your business
operates. Often, when people are searching for your business, they're looking
to see when you're open, and Google allows you to include this directly in your
listing.
Step 5: Specify Payment Options
If
you sell products or services directly to your customers, either online or
in-store, you have the option to let customers know ahead of time what forms of
payment you accept. Specify which payment options apply in this step.
Step 6: Include Engaging Visual Content
Do
you have a video explaining what your business is all about? Maybe something
people often associate with your brand name? Add it to your Google Place
listing to make your offer even more eye-catching. People are much quicker to
respond to visual content than text. In fact, according to 3M Corporation and
Zabisco, 90% of information transmitted to
the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than
text.
With this in mind, marketers can benefit from visuals to attract more eyes to
their listing and, thus, more traffic to their website.
Step 7: Input Additional Information
You
can include other information that may be vitally important to potential
customers at your place of business or at your online retail site at the end of
the listing set-up process. This information can range from details about the
location if it's difficult to find, to information about the products and
services your business provides. Use this as an opportunity to tell potential
customers why your business is worth a second look. For example, if you're a
cell phone vendor, and you have a surplus of the latest version of the iPhone
when all other local businesses are sold out, let people know! You might just
get more business than you think.
Step 8: Validate Your Location
Finally,
the first time you create a Google Places listing, you will need to validate
your location. This helps Google avoid fake listings and advertisements. Google
will send you a postcard with verification information and next steps on it.
Although it may seem like a pain to wait 2-3 weeks before your listing can get
verified and become live, it saves us all in the long run from a plethora of
spam listings when we use Google Search to find places in the future.
