The most underused marketing tool in Google

A couple of weeks ago, we got to speak on the phone to a Google employee.

This was a rare opportunity. How often do you get to pick the brain of a Google employee?

One of the questions we asked him was, “what is the most important thing for businesses to be doing on Google My Business right now?”

Without hesitation, he said “posts.”

Many savvy business owners will keep their hours and basic information and photos up to date. It is less common for businesses to use Google My Business posts.

What are Google My Business posts?

First, we should explain what GMB posts are. They are not the same thing as social media posts. Instead, think of them as a free advertisement for your business that is visible for one week.

There are a variety of posts you can make to promote your business:

• What’s new

• Event

• Offer

• Product

You can add a photo and up to 1,500 characters in a post. However, keep in mind that only the first 100 (ish) characters of the post show up on the screen (a client has to click to see the rest), so make sure you put the most important words at the start.

At the bottom of the post you can choose one of the following Call To Action (CTA) buttons:

• Book

• Order Online

• Buy

• Learn More

• Sign up

• Get Offer

• Call Now

These CTAs allow you to suggest the action you would like your customer to take next and leads them to the next step in your sales funnel.

Why are these so important right now?

In times like these, when the government restrictions are constantly in flux, posts are a great way to communicate your latest offerings and service updates with people searching Google.

It is another communication tool to make sure your potential customers are well informed and to ensure accessing your services is as easy as possible.