Google Suggestions and Resources to Optimize Business Marketing
Many fascinating technological developments have started in residential garages, like Apple, Facebook and Google.
For Google, what began as a simple search engine innovation by two Stanford PhD students in 1997, evolved to become the most visited website on the internet; the world’s most popular search engine; a verb in vocabulary resources, like Merriam Webster and Oxford dictionaries; and a crucial resource for business branding and marketing.
However, not even a powerhouse like Google was immune to the impact of the coronavirus. The powers that be took measures in March to, effectively, “quarantine” aspects of its Google My Business, Google Reviews and Q&A platforms*, to stay laser-focused on providing the most accurate, sought-after information, until more of their staff were available to lend support; more of the economy reopened; and businesses began returning to their “new normals.”
In the spirit of “new normals”, Google compiled a list of suggestions and resources to address best practices in digital branding and small business marketing in the wake of COVID-19.
*Google posted the following statement regarding GMB: “Our current focus is on the quality and reliability of the information on Google Search and Maps. We want to ensure users and business owners have access to essential features like whether the business is open or has special hours. Learn about best practices for affected businesses, and what you can do to keep your customers informed.”
Communicate with Your Customers
In late April, Google reopened Reviews, so business owners could respond directly to customer comments, because communicating with consumers is vital to good business practices.
That said, updating any new business information on your website, social media platforms and especially, Google My Business [GMB], is essential to keep customers up-to-date. Google suggests you update your hours or status, if you are temporarily closed, for example; verify the phone number; add or edit criteria, like curbside service or delivery options; and report any COVID-19 updates from your business.
Make Marketing Adjustments
In as much as we’re all growing weary of this coronavirus pandemic, the reality remains that this nasty bug will continue for the foreseeable future, and businesses, large and small will be required to adopt new branding and marketing concepts as customers behaviors have changed. Online ads carry more visibility these days, and more potential customers will likely see them since so many people are telecommuting in front of phones, tablets, and computer screens more than ever before. “Google Ads has built-in automated solutions that will help optimize your ad campaigns to show the right message to the right user, at the right time,” according to Google support.
Adapt to Changing Consumer Behaviors
“Customer behavior is changing with new regulations, so you may be wondering what your specific customers need from a business like yours right now. Consider asking them directly via your social media channels, or using tools like Google Trends and Google Alerts for insight into your local market or industry,” Google suggests.
If you have a retail store, you could expand your online presence by adding e-commerce to your website to sell your products online.
Restaurants should be offering online ordering for pickup and delivery through their websites and mobile apps, if they are not already doing so.
Personal trainers train their clients virtually, and teachers, artists and musicians host instructional classes via online meeting rooms, like Google Meet, Zoom and Facebook’s new Meeting Rooms.
Moreover, a website is one of the most important resources a business can have. A professional website development company, like KallistoArt, can build a clean, functional website that includes the pertinent information your customers and potential customers need to connect with you, your business, products and services.
Create a YouTube Channel
Think about adding a free YouTube channel for your business, too. Simple and creative videos are a fantastic way to effectively introduce you and your business to customers and potential customers.
Forbes concurs, “YouTube is second to only Facebook with its number of monthly active users, meaning opportunities to engage consumers through captivating video content have never been this accessible.”
Videos keep people visually engaged and they can be easily embedded into your website and shared across multiple social media platforms, but that’s not all! Forbes explains how videos can vault your business’ visibility to new heights:
- Tracking Results. Videos make it easy for marketers to track the number of video viewers, whether they watched the entire video or not, at what point viewers stopped watching the video, and how much business the video brought through the door.
- Innovation in Technology Demands Video. It’s as if mobile devices were created and optimized for mobile devices to satisfy consumers who are always on the go or are staying healthy at home. “Consumer journey tracking software like Google Analytics… allows users to track how efficiently their content is performing on their website,” Forbes said.
- Effortless Engagement. “Consumers can engage, embed, share and comment on video content” quickly and easily, regardless of the video’s device. It is the perfect way to eliminate the need to read and easily engage audiences. An essential element of a video is a call to action, so viewers know what you want them to do with the information you’ve shared.
- Vault Business Visibility with Videos. Forbes claims, “Video content is not only the perfect tool for standing out on a cluttered timeline but can also easily be shared by consumers. Hubspot found that 54% of consumers prefer to see videos over other marketing tactics, from the brands they support.”
Run Business Remotely
If your business is such that you and your team are working remotely, or a plan is being implemented to work remotely, there are many tools and resources available through Google and other platforms to help teams easily communicate virtually and remain productive, even while staying healthy at home.
Video Conferencing has become a popular daily or weekly mandate for many businesses over the last few months, and Google is keeping up with the trend with Google Meet. It can be found in the menu of your Gmail inbox or directly through Google apps.
Google Drive is a platform the KallistoArt team routinely uses for our clients to share documents and images we can use for developing their websites. It’s free and easy to use from your computer or mobile device.
Google states, “If you’re using Chromebooks, ensure your devices have the right policies to access company resources from home and keep devices and data secure.”
The KallistoArt team actively uses many of Google’s resources to help our clients improve their branding and marketing efforts to improve their bottom line. It is important business owners recognize and utilize the many resources available to continue driving business, even during the most challenging times.
KallistoArt is your online marketing company providing expert website and e-commerce development, SEO, and Google My Business services to help small businesses during this most challenging time. We want small businesses to survive and succeed post-pandemic, and our team is prepared to do everything we can to assist!
Contact KallistoArt today to maximize your small business’ exposure in search engines, traffic to your website on desktop and mobile devices, and engagement with customers and potential customers now and in the future. 813.563.5321
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