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It goes without saying, that if you don’t have a website in 2019, your chances of business success are drastically minimized. Before making a purchase, today’s buyer first goes to Google to find potential solutions to their needs, collects a small list of potential companies to do business with, and finally checks consumer reviews. So, you should ask yourself; “Is my business appearing in these areas?”
If you are not, here’s where we suggest you get started:
Google My Business is a free business listing service where you can include information about your company, including:
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If you haven’t registered your company with Google My Business yet, here’s a link. It only takes a few minutes and gives buyers more opportunities to come across your name.
When you fill out your business description and select tags that identify what kind of services/products you offer, be sure to check what keywords your competitors are using. This is a quick and easy way to ensure you show up on the same lists they do.
It is almost guaranteed that you have some sort of local business listing opportunities for your area. Here in Utah, we have Utah Business Hub, local news provider KSL, and several others. It is much more likely that you will have to pay for these listings, but when you work B2C, these types of listings could provide a generous lead resource for your business. You can also check out our article on how to manage your local listings, which provides great insight on keeping your online business updated and accurate.
In addition to generating direct leads, you are also generating better exposure for your company’s name. And, if you deliver great customer experiences to the leads you get, your highest-return lead source will become word of mouth.
Once you have created a business listing on Google My Business, you MUST ask customers to provide reviews. Customer reviews are the lifeblood of your business’s success, and the more you have, the more likely it is that buyers will trust you.
You do NOT want your customer review section to look like this.
When you only achieve three stars across 380 reviews, that means your problem is systemic, and not just a batch of grumpy customers.
As mentioned above, customer reviews are an essential part of the buyer’s decision-making journey. You first want to make sure your business’s name appears in the search results, and when it does appear, you need to make sure you have something to offer visitors when they arrive. You should encourage your customers to leave reviews, especially when you feel like you delivered a great customer experience.
A local Ogden, Utah restaurant knows how to deliver great customer experiences, and has earned a hefty review base with very positive feedback. This is your goal.
If you have a hard time getting people to review their experience, there is no shame in incentivizing them by offering discounts or rebates.
If your budget is low, you could simply enter participants into a drawing and give only one prize. Just be sure to publicize who you give the prize to so that your participants know you didn’t just fool them into participating.
When you list your business, be sure you are using the right keywords. To get started, you can read our Keyword Research eguide to learn the basics. It will help you understand the importance of keyword usage when it comes to appearing in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Learn More About The Importance of Keywords In Google Search
But, if you want a quick solution, take a look at your competitors’ search results and use the keywords they list themselves with.
For example, if you professionally wrap cars in vinyl, there will not be a direct keyword in the Google My Business listings page. So, in this situation, you should look at what comparable businesses in the area are using.
Using the same example, you would quickly find that local Ogden businesses offering vinyl wrapping services are using the keyword “graphic designer” in Google My Business.
You only have so many options to choose from, so you have to get creative sometimes.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of things you should do to drive new leads to your business. You should continually put yourself in a consumer’s shoes and consider how you can insert yourself into their journey.
This does not mean that you should spam and sell them from stage one. People in different stages of the purchasing process have different needs, and will require different types of information. Some will be more informational and others will be more salesy.
We suggest you go here to learn more about the buyer’s journey:
