Since Google My Business (GMB) launched in June of 2014, there have been many posts on social media from people talking about their experience with the new system.
While there are diverse opinions on why the platform was created and what it hopes to accomplish, one thing is clear – if you aren’t taking advantage of this free advertising opportunity, you’re missing out!
With that in mind, let’s get into a quick review of GMB optimization and learn how to write the perfect GMB post so that it gets noticed by those who can help you grow your business.
What Is A Google My Business Post?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that you can use to manage your online presence on Google. It allows you to control specific information about your business and enhance Google’s search results with reviews and photos of your business. Using Google My Business for local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a smart idea if you want your customers to find you easily.
However, there are some guidelines you’ll need to follow for Google My Business posts to be accepted. In addition, using an image alt tag will significantly improve how your post appears in Google Search results, increasing views of your location page on Google Maps and driving traffic back to your site.
How To Create The Perfect Post
Step 1: Decide The Type Of Post You Want To Publish
Do you want to launch an offer, make changes to your menu, add a new service to your listings, or share an update? The choices are endless, and they’re all yours. Log in to your GMB profile and visit the “Navigation” tab in your dashboard to view the different options available.
A few post types are only available for a few businesses–for example, menus and others.
Determine the purpose and objective of your post. Also, think about how it fits your digital marketing strategy. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I launching a product with this post?
- Does this post cater to existing customers, or am I targeting potential ones?
- How will my post-capture potential customers’ attention?
- If you’re unsure how to do this, consider partnering up with GMB optimization services to give you a head start.
Step 2: Write An Impactful Post
This sounds easy enough, right? Indeed, writing a social post doesn’t take a lot of effort, but there are ways you can make the process even easier and more fun.
The following tips are specifically helpful for GMB posts and not any other social platform.
Dos
- Keep your post under the 1500-character limit. Customers are looking for quick and easy information, so you should avoid going above this character limit.
- Add visuals to your post. Remember that this is not the platform where you want to post infographics. So it’s best to leave them for your other social accounts. Instead, you can include visuals of your physical store.
- Include a customized CTA button. You need to link your CTA to service pages, product pages, or your website. Usually, your post should say “Learn more,” but you can also include buttons such as “Book,” “Sign Up,” or “Order now.”
Don’ts
- Use hashtags. Using hashtags for GMB posts is pointless because they won’t help you rank higher on Google. So steer clear of them.
- Ignore Google’s content policies. Although it’s always a good idea to talk about social and societal issues on social platforms, Google has strict content policies for GMB profiles and wants to keep them 100% for business purposes.
Step 3: Publish Your Post
After creating the post, all that’s left to do is hit “publish.” Remember that your GMB post will only be visible to your customers for seven days after it’s posted. Afterward, it’ll be automatically removed by Google, and you’ll have to create a new one.
Step 4: Engage With Your Customers
Your GMB post might encourage an old customer to leave a review, or a potential customer to inquire about a product or service. It’s best if you engage with these interactions and respond to them promptly.
This is an essential step for all social media platforms, but it’s specifically helpful for your GMB posts. Your customer reviews will show up front and might even influence the choice of potential customers.
Make a habit to:
- Respond to all customer reviews promptly
- Ensure you answer all the questions
- Reply to all the GMB post comments
- Keep your GMB profile information up-to-date. This includes your contact info, products, services, and business hours.
Crafting the perfect GMB posts is essential if you want to advertise your products on Google. It won’t only help boost your sales, but it’ll also help market your brand or business in your local area. If you find the whole process confusing, you can always hire GMB optimization services to help you through it. They’ll know how to boost your rankings and ensure that you appear on the top.
