Everyone knows Google. In fact, so many people know Google that it processes 3.5 billion searches every single day.1 But more than a search engine, Google offers several other advantageous tools for everyday use, like Gmail, Google Shopping, Google Maps, and, the best one, in our opinion, Google My Business. Google My Business, or “GMB,” if you want to sound in-the-know, helps you drive customer engagement and boost online visibility for people searching in your area. GMB makes online marketing accessible and free to you as a small business. With a small amount of effort on your part, Google will meet you with big reward.
Utilizing GMB to it’s full potential will unlock a new world of marketing and visibility for your business. With the right tools in place, Google will actually highlight your dealership over others in local searches!
Head over to Google and search “Priority One Financial Services.” On the right, you’ll see a full panel of information dedicated to our company, essentially acting like a website before you even get to our website. With one quick glance, you have a full snapshot of who we are at Priority One, including need-to-know information, like our business hours and phone number, but also customer reviews, unique COVID updates, photos of our team, building and more.
Google provides tons of learning resources, but we’re highlighting 4 of the most beneficial tips that you can tackle in 4 minutes or less.
1. Get started with Google My Business.
Visit google.com/business and register your dealership. Google will take you through the steps to claim and verify your business.
2. Update and add business information for a complete, well-rounded profile.
The basics include business hours, mailing address and your website url. Take it a step further and add a description, primary services and photos of your showroom and team. 90% of customers are more likely to visit a business that has added photos to their Google listing.
3. Ask for and reply to customer reviews.
80% of customers look at a Google reviews before making a purchase.3 This is your time to shine - let those happy customers do the work for you! On your GMB homepage, you’ll find a direct link to your reviews; share that link with your customers to request a review. Anytime you receive a review - positive or negative - be sure to reply. People searching for a quality dealership like to see quick responses and positive interactions.
4. Keep it updated!
Especially in the wake of the pandemic, customers expect to find unique hours and social distancing policies readily available. You can add holiday hours or write a COVID-19 “post” to share your dealership’s latest policies. We recommend setting a monthly calendar reminder for regular GMB maintenance, where you can add hot new products, photos of happy customers and other relevant updates. With these four simple steps in place, we’ve seen online traffic nearly triple for local businesses. We hope you see the same success, and we’d love to hear about it if you do.
