Supercharging Your Local Marketing with Google My Business
Supercharging Your Local Marketing with Google My Business is essential 101 first thing you must do and do well is read this article can stay on top of the one thing that can drive endless traffic to your service or product.
Customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and they can make or break your business. Google is the most popular search engine, so it’s no surprise that Google reviews are also one of the most critical factors in small business success.
Here’s how to get more Google reviews and use them to your advantage.
I recently went on a 2-week interstate vacation to a capital city I hadn’t visited since 1998 (32 years ago!).
As a keen foodie and aware of not wanting to waste time spent drifting from street to street trying to find the perfect meal, I, like many millions of people every day, headed straight onto Google Maps to find somewhere to eat that was high quality, well regarded and delicious.
Google Maps - Reviews
Once in Google Maps on my phone, I quickly sourced 5-star dining experiences, some off the beaten track, ideally where “locals” go to eat (which in my mind are the best sorts of places to get a meal); I found somewhere absolutely incredible – not only was all the food Instagram-worthy, the service was excellent, and the food tasted beautiful.
Another Google Review Small Business Success.
But the real kicker was how this venue seamlessly integrated digital Google business reviews with a positive customer experience.
For example, I was offered 5% off my bill for a Google review (which I happily left), delivered via a simple QR code that came with my coffee. This generated reviews on autopilot, pushing their business up the local foody rankings and creating immense brand visibility.
Success Creates Opportunity
This cafe we had breakfast at four days in a row had takeaway lines down the street, almost every table was booked and was buzzing, and the restaurant directly across the road was empty every day for those four days open, with three staff doing nothing.
There is a captive audience directly across the road waiting for takeaway coffee and meals; the delivery window was complete with services on a constant cycle taking food for home deliveries, and the indoor and outdoor tables were packed to capacity. They are doing nothing across the road all four days, nothing.
Can you see an opportunity here, or would you wait until you went broke before making a move?
You have a captive audience directly across the road waiting for their orders, and getting some of that business in your shop should be easy, and you, too, could start your own Google reviews.
Consumers Have Voice
The power of negative Google Business reviews, but be careful.
I recently found and loved a product whilst on vacation, and being only a digital store, we decided to order two of these products online to be delivered to a local post office when we got home.
Once home, however, the product ordered and delivered didn’t match up. Did we make a mistake, or had the supplier make one? I double-checked the order, and I did get the measurements wrong; I was at fault.
Did I think I’ll ask to send them back and pay double for the right products?
I sent an email to the supplier explaining this error of mine and said we had only opened one of the two packages, and it could easily be put back into the box as nothing was ripped or broken, and I want to pay double and get the right products.
The response was that once opened, they were not returnable; these arnt personal products or anything like that, so this was the first red flag.
I agreed, reluctantly, with technically paying double the price for the correct size unit, returning one product, and keeping the other opened product.
I was then informed that handling costs for returning the one unopened product far exceeded the price of the product ($99), plus they no longer wanted the unopened product back either as it was technically a “sale” item (despite me not knowing this), I was told I would get a discount code for my $400 purchase via email within the hour.
I said okay and hoped for the best, now keeping the original products at $198 and purchasing two new developments in the right size for $398.00.
No emails came, nothing, and as crazy as this sounds, I still wanted to buy the original products for $398.00, but after getting shafted with no discount code, I pulled the pin.
I stewed for a couple of days and thought, why not leave a Google review about how disappointing this experience had been? Nothing over the top or vindictive, just some basic facts about the customer service provided to me.
So, I left a professional and honest review about their service. The outcome was rapid.
I left my review at 3 pm, and by 4 pm, I had been contacted on the phone by the company owner, who had made it apparent the service I had received was far below their expectations; they insisted on taking back the original products; shipped the new items; and offered a sincere and open apology.
Wow!
I also agreed to take down the review, as the service had been rectified well beyond my expectations.
As a consumer, I had a voice. I was heard, my issues were met, and the entire process of doing so was only made possible via Google My Business reviews.
I’ve been in small business for 35 years and have worked with companies ranging from startups to multinational corporations. I know the impact of Google My Business (GMB) on small companies and small business customers, both as a company owner and customer.
As the above proves, digital communication is vital to ensure every customer is treated with respect, clarity and good service.
Google My Business profile pages and the customer review system can be the only marketing tool a small business needs, as it’s more powerful than word of mouth for anyone with a mobile phone, and hard-coded into the platform is the change to operate with agility, respond to negative feedback fast, see opportunities, make changes and embrace the uplift of becoming a destination for products or services and, finally, dominate your marketplace one sale at a time.
The future of your small business, online.
If you want to take your business to the next level, contact me and subscribe to our soft skills online training courses today.
My Small Business Coach
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Jase Simpson
www.mysmallbusinesscoach.com.au
