Here’s What To Do Instead
The Small Business Social Media Mistake That’s Costing You Thousands
There’s a big mistake I see local businesses make with their marketing.
I see owners spinning their wheels trying to get traction on social media, but not seeing any results.
If you’re like most local business owners, it’s hard to get away from social media.
After all, there’s…
- Peer pressure
- Social pressure
- And the hope that maybe the next post will be the one that goes viral…
But for most small businesses it’s not working.
With all that time spent posting on social media, local business owners are missing the opportunities that exist on their website and Google listing.
Hands down, if you’re a local business owner, optimizing your Google listing is the #1 best thing you can do to bring in more customers.
Just how powerful can your Google listing be?
A local service business that we worked with on their Google listing saw their business increase by 33% in a 6 month period!
They own a local cleaning business and became so busy they increased their cleaning crews from 2, and then, later, to 3 crews, to keep up with demand.
This was just from focusing on their Google listing instead of social media.
Short Time Investment to get New Customers from your Google Listing
Your Google listing is so powerful because it’s the last stop where customers go when they want to buy.
Yet some business owners avoid using Google listings because it seems complicated.
But it doesn’t have to be.
I’ve seen local businesses start getting results from their Google listing in as little as 15 minutes per week.
(Compared to 3-4 hours per week posting on social media, where they got less results!)
In some cases they closed their social media accounts because they no longer needed them!
By spending 15 minutes per week in your Google listing you will bring more customers into your business if you follow a simple plan with the right steps.
Simple Plan to Get Up and Running With Your Google Listing
In only 4 weeks and with minimal time spent, you could have your Google listing set up and attracting new customers straight to you.
Here’s what you need to do…
Week 1 – You’re going to tune up your listing.
Week 2 – You’ll make small improvements and post “updates” to your listing.
Week 3 – You’re going to add a product to your listing and another post.
Week 4 – You’ll add another product and you’ll add an offer.
By going through these steps in 15 minutes per week you can start to get customers that wouldn’t have come through social media.
Update These 4 Things To Get Your Business Found By Customers
There are 4 main areas that you need to update in your Google listing so your website will rank higher in Google, and get found by new customers.
- Update the Categories Your Business Is In
Find the categories that apply to your business and add 6-10 of them.
For example, if you offer house cleaning services, make sure you’re also listed as a commercial cleaning service if you service commercial buildings.
- Update Your Products — Add at Least 4 to Your Listing
“But Barb I offer a service. I don’t have products.”
That’s okay. You can add products that you’re capable of installing or reselling.
For example, if you’re a plumber and you can replace someone’s water heater, you could add that as a product.
Why do we do this?
Products and services both help your listing rank.
Adding products onto your listing will help customers find you on Google.
- Add An Offer
An offer attracts customers to your product or service.
But, an offer is only visible on a mobile phone.
An example of an offer for a house cleaner could be 10% off your first service.
And for a plumber it can be as simple as a complimentary check on your furnace.
- Post to Your Listing on a Weekly Basis
Adding posts to your listing is very important for new customers to find your business.
Why?
Your listing is keyword sensitive.
This means new customers searching for your product or service will find your business easier.
Updating these 4 areas on your Google listing will help new customers find you faster when they’re looking for a local business.
Attract Your Customers Through Posts
When you create posts on your listing, Google will use keywords to connect customers to your product or service.
Not sure what to post?
Start with anything you’ve already been posting onto your social media, because customers want to know about celebrations you’re having, or about gift certificates for an upcoming holiday.
Anything you’ve posted on social media can get better results on your Google listing to actually help new customers find your local business.
Is it really that easy?
Yes, it is.
One Important Thing To Keep In Mind
When you log into your listing account, you’re going to see about 75 different criteria that Google uses to rank local businesses.
Knowing the correct criteria to choose is very important because it will affect how your website moves up on Google.
The higher your business ranks, the easier customers can find you.
Each business is unique and you need to have a plan that is specific to your business.
I recommend consulting with an expert (like me! 👋) on this to ensure you don’t accidentally configure something the wrong way.
Next Steps To Get Started
To help you get started, you can book a free call with me so that we can check your Google listing together.
We’ll go through which of the 75 criteria are most important to your unique business.
By the end, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to optimize your listing to start getting customers through the door.
And if you want your Google listing optimized hands-free, we can help you with that too. 🙂
Book your free call now at https://abovethefold.live/listing.
