As the leaves fall and the temperatures drop, we move into the holiday season. For many businesses this part of the year is crucial to their bottom line. Changing operating hours can be confusing for the public. Under normal circumstances, using your Google Business Profile to keep your customers informed is smart. If your hours are changing or extending, it’s even more important to use it in your holiday season marketing.
Posting on Your Google Business Profile
In previous blogs we’ve talked about Google Business and why using it should be a part of your marketing. It’s a game changer for local search. Optimizing and updating your listing will make your company far more competitive within your local market and improve your local SEO. Google makes it simple to market events, offers, and products. When you update your profile with posts, those posts are visible on the profile Google shows to anyone who searches for information about your business. It’s simple to incorporate this into your other social media marketing.
Beginning in November with Black Friday and other pre-sales, businesses push to showcase their products and services with their holiday season marketing. Take advantage of the free advertising opportunity Google gives businesses by highlighting your offerings regularly on your Google business profile. This will help your profile get more visibility, and you can attract more users to your website. The effect of posting is cumulative too, so if you get in the habit of updating your profile, you will see the SEO value in traffic and conversions over time.
During the time when people do the most shopping, it’s even more important to keep the public updated about your current hours are. Here are some examples Google gives of updates you may wish to make on your Google profile:
- Your adjusted hours of operation, for instance if you close late.
- Add “More hours” that describe other business operations such as delivery, takeout, and drive-through.
- Select an attribute to show you offer online services such as classes, appointments, or estimates.
- Delays on specific business services.
- Extra services you are providing for the community.
It’s frustrating for customers who seek you out to arrive and discover your business isn’t open. You need to do everything you can to get information out, so they don’t blame their frustrations on you.
Making your Google Business Profile a part of your holiday season marketing is the smart choice. We all need to do whatever it takes to remain competitive. If you have questions about marketing or using your Google Business Profile, we can help! Call Tom today at 616-426-9303 for a free consultation.
