Google+ local is replacing Google Places! For now it is quite similar to the older version.
“Nearby Offers” are Great Advertising for Small Business in Denver
Advertising your small business in Denver has a new tool. You can now create special “nearby offers” on your Google+ local page that show to customers on Google Maps for Android, Google Offers, and Google Wallet apps. You can track, pause or remove your offers at any time. These offers are free of charge (for now), so I recommend every business create at least one.
Your offer can include your business name, an offer headline, such “Buy one get one free”, and a photo from Google’s stock photo collection. You decide how many people can take advantage of the offer, how long it is available, and any terms and conditions. Large businesses will find the “valid at these locations” helpful.
One of the most prominent new features is the review system. This is used when a user reviews your business. Google has employed the “Zagat” scoring scale, which is based on a 30-point scale for different aspects of your business.
For example on a restaurant the scores speak to “food”, “decor”, “service” and “cost”.
Google combines this with a written review from Zagat and a user rating from 0 (poor) to 3 (excellent), and shows it on the top of each review. The interesting thing is that Zagat editors oversee the reviews and write their own wrap-up using the most relevant user reviews, in quotes, and combine it with their take – even though they may never have had any contact with your services!
So the user can click a button on the Google+ Local page and write a review, and give a 0-3 score and write their comment if they are a Google+ user/member. If you are not, you either need to create a Google+ account, or you don’t get to write a review.
They can also join Google+ to follow your business, and get updates when you post changes.
Google+ Updates for Internet Marketing
Google+ Local is trying out a more social-media-like approach to internet marketing with their “updates”. A business owner can type up to 150 characters into their page update, which is shown to the public for 30 days, then goes away.
If you are familiar with Twitter marketing, then this will remind you a lot of a mini version of Twitter. Google keeps it more relevant to current events by making your update expire in 30 days. That extra 10 characters over the 140 that Twitter allows is also very helpful.
Denver Internet Marketing Recommendation
I recommend that you create a list of up to 30 things you want to let the public know about your business. Things like specials, frequently asked questions, little known facts, great testimonials, etc., are good content to include.
Using that list, login however often you like and copy and paste off of your list in a regular fashion. For instance, if you don’t want to spend much time, post on the 1st and 15th of each month. A more intermediate approach would be for you to post 3 times, on the 1st, the 10th, and the 20th of the month. I intend to post every 5 days to start.
This service will be included in my internet marketing monthly packages moving forward. Give me a call at 303-750-6114 if you would like to know how I can help you be found online.
