Google Business (GB) – a social media tool often overlooked or neglected!
Nina Young FCA
Surveyors UK, Because Surveying Matters. Connecting surveying industry through unbiased collaboration & partnerships. Great British Entrepreneur Awards Finalist | Student Surveyor Group Founder | Entrepreneur | 💜 AI
First and foremost a big thank you 🙏 to the over 250 people who have completed my social media survey so far, it is much appreciated!
The results are very interesting and informative. I’m still receiving responses per day so I will keep collecting until I reach 300 plus. I will share the findings with you in the next few weeks. If you haven’t completed the survey, then follow this link. It takes less than 3 minutes ⏰.
Google Business (GB) – a social media tool often overlooked or neglected!🤷🏻♀️ I’m still astounded as to how many surveying (and non-surveying) businesses do not have a GB profile! It's an absolute necessity and I hope this article goes some way to explain why.
I’m guessing many of you wouldn’t think of GB as social media.
However, GB is often categorised alongside social media tools due to its interactive features that facilitate direct engagement between businesses and customers, much like traditional social media platforms. While GB is not purely a social media platform in the way that Facebook or Instagram is, there are several reasons it is classified as a social media tool. Some of these reasons are due to the following features.
Interactive Posts: Businesses can create posts on their GB profile, such as updates, promotions, events, and news. These posts appear in the business's listing and can provide timely information, similar to social media updates.
Customer Reviews and Engagement: GB allows customers to leave reviews, to which businesses can directly respond. This two-way interaction is a hallmark of social media platforms.
Q&A Feature: Potential customers can ask questions about the business, products, or services directly on GB. Businesses or other community members can answer these queries, creating a dialogue like comment threads on social media posts.
Direct Messaging: GB has a feature that allows customers to message businesses directly, fostering real-time communication, much like the direct messaging features of social platforms.
So, what is GB?
GB formerly known as Google My Business, is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses such as your firm or employer to manage their online presence on various Google platforms, including Google Search and Google Maps. It enables businesses to create and update their business information, such as addresses, phone numbers, websites, working hours, and customer reviews.
GB is an essential tool for improving the ranking and visibility of your business on Google search results. The only requirement is time. To fully benefit from the tool, you will need to invest time in optimising your profile and encouraging all-important customer reviews. Or you can get a marketing agency to do this for you.
GB is important for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) because it helps businesses improve their online visibility and search engine rankings 🔝 Here are a few reasons why:
Below is an example of a GB Profile. Tip: You can also include links to your social media profiles on your GB profile (this company has not added this feature). I have noticed businesses rarely use Q&A section, but this is a missed opportunity as it is an ideal place to answer the typical questions home buyers ask e.g. "Isn't a valuation a survey?" etc.
Appointment links
Appointment links are a feature on GB that allows customers to book appointments through Google. This is achieved by adding a link to an appointment page or CRM. When you add appointment links to your GB profile, your customers can easily book a free consultation or quote.
Services
This section is important for surveying businesses. GB has a dropdown list of services to choose from but there’s a ‘custom services’ option that allows you to create your own based on what services you provide. This section is very good for SEO, so use it well. Break down your services such as HomeBuyer Reports, Building Surveys, Property Valuations, Damp Surveys, Defect Surveys, Party Wall Surveys, Snagging Surveys etc.
Business description
Business descriptions should flow naturally and be engaging. It will represent your business, and so your tone of voice should reflect the personality of your brand. Whether fun, friendly, professional or formal, the words you use will give potential customers an idea of whether your business is right for them. Make sure your description is consistent with your website and other social media platforms.
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Types of images to add for optimising your profile
The images GB supports on business include:
All images should be high quality. The cover image you choose should accurately represent your business and have a uniqueness that will appeal to your ideal audience. The subjects of the images you choose for your profile are up to you, and what you feel will be a good representation of your business. Highlighting specific services will give potential customers an indication of whether these are what they’re interested in. Sharing images of the business in terms of your employees should also be considered. This allows viewers of your profile to get an idea of the company culture, which can play a huge part in encouraging them to use your services.
Tip! Image naming conventions
Before uploading images, make sure you name them appropriately for SEO purposes. The most accurate description of the image and using keywords that relate the image to your business will help optimise the so that they rank in image searches of your business. As an example, rather than having an image file named ‘IMG2023-12-10’, it would be better for SEO purposes to name it including the business name, subject of the image, and the year (e.g. TDKSurveys_asbestos_survey_2023).
Videos 🎥
Videos are increasingly important for generating engagement and attracting new customers. GB supports the use of videos, which makes it important to ensure all videos featured on your GB listing are of high quality and represent your business accurately.
The importance of GB reviews
Your GB profile's reviews can have a huge impact on potential customers' decisions and are an integral part of how you rank online. The more reviews you have, the better (if the majority are positive!). To generate greater awareness and trust for your business, encourage customers to provide feedback about your business on other platforms as well as Google. Google reviews are also excellent content to showcase on your website and of course social media! This is a practice I see frequently on LinkedIn, which is OK but if you want to target new customers such as home buyers then other platforms such as Facebook are better for lead generation. LinkedIn tends to be demonstrating your reputation with peers and colleagues rather than generating new customers (but can help with referrals and B2B leads). Below image shows how reviews drives rankings. Also notice that the latest customer review is shown.
Replying to reviews 👍
GB listings should never be left dormant, so respond to reviews to show Google your business is active. Whether you are replying to positive or negative reviews, it's important to respond.
In terms of replying to good reviews, a simple ‘thanks!’ should suffice if you’re struggling for time. Otherwise, feel free to emphasise how much their feedback means to your business, and how glad you are that they enjoyed your services. Avoid using generic words or phrases every time, as they may come across as false and uncaring. Each response should be tailored to the customer.
Replying to negative reviews can go a long way towards making amends or repairing relationships with customers. Secondly, polite replies to negative reviews may influence potential customers to become customers. Politeness goes a long way in replies. If the customer that has left the negative isn’t happy with your response and shows this by replying, it may be best practice to leave it be.
How to encourage reviews
When customers have either a positive or bad experience with a business, they can naturally leave a review. For most though, customers need to be persuaded or reminded to give feedback. Therefore, once a survey report has been discussed and you receive verbal positive feedback, immediately ask the customer to provide a Google review. Send them a link to make it easy. If your communication is via email, follow up after the report asking for a review with a link. Your impression of the client will give you a good idea of when and if to ask. Also, remember to display Google reviews on your website.
In today's digital-first world, leveraging tools like GB is not just an option, but a necessity.
As we've explored, GB offers a multitude of features that facilitate direct engagement, bolster online visibility, and enhance local search rankings. From interactive posts to invaluable customer reviews, GB acts as a bridge between businesses and their audience.
Whether you're a surveying firm or any other local business, optimising your GB profile can be a game-changer. Remember, it's not just about being online; it's about being found and creating meaningful connections. Embrace Google Business and let your business story resonate with your audience.
So, if you don’t have a Google Business profile, start one today! See Google's guide here
As always, I hope you found this helpful and hopefully, you learnt one new social media tip today 😃. Get in touch to discuss how I can help you with all things social media and digital marketing for your business! nina@watershippropertysurveys.com or call me on 07810 293038.
P.S. If there are any subjects you would like to learn about please drop me a line or comment below 👇
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