Using Google Maps Can Drive Local Businesses to Your Door

Having a business is tough, but not having new customers is even tougher. That’s where a solid local marketing strategy comes in. These day’s people are using the internet to find the products or services they need.The days of picking up the yellow pages to search for a product or service is rapidly dying. Now with just a few clicks of a mouse you can find just about anything online. It’s quick easy and can even be done from a cell phone.This is why it’s so important for you as a small business owner to have a presence online. But more importantly you should be targeting local consumers in your area. The internet makes that possible and with Google Maps it’s never been easier to get new customers for your business.No business can survive without a steady flow of new customers; Google Maps is just one way to achieve this. It’s been reported 80% of people use online search engines to find local information and out of those searchers more than 60% turn into buyers, if you want to succeed you must position your business right in front of them.This means companies no longer need to focus on searching for new and innovative ways to reach their targeted market; they can simply create a customized business profile, optimize it, and just wait for customers to search for them online.To start getting yourself in front of those customers follow these simple steps:
Go to Google Local Business Center – you can find this by doing a search in Google or by just clicking on the link.
Sign in to Google (or Create a Google Account if you don’t have one).
Click “Add New Business.”
Now enter your business information including your name, address, website URL, company description, and the categories that best describe your business.
Then Click “Next.”
If for some reason it shows that your business is already there, click on the “claim listing” link. If it’s not listed then just click on the “add listing” link.
Now you can enter any additional details such as your hours or operation, photos, payment options, and videos if you have them.
Now click on the “Submit” button.
Once you get to this point, you will need to verify your business. The best way is to do it by phone (don’t use the postcard option it takes weeks to receive it!). Make sure the phone number that you use can be answered right away because as soon as you click “Finish,” Google will call you with a PIN number.
When you get the call enter the PIN number in your account and verify your listing.
As soon as you have verified your information your listing will appear on Google Maps. Now you can go back to Local Business Center and edit your information. You can also see how many new potential customers have visited your listing. Google offers great tracking stats with graphs.If you want to go even further you can have your customers visit your Local listing and leave a review of your company for other searchers to see. This is a powerful method to gain authority in your market and to show other potential customers just how much your current customers like your products or services.So, what are you waiting for? Head over to Google Local Business Center and get your site listed. It’s really not much work and the exposure for your local business is tremendous.