If you run a local business, you are probably familiar with Google My Business. However, any business should register with Google My Business as at the very least it will help your business to be found – but it is actually so much more.
Since the demise of Google+ in 2019, Google My Business has taken on a degree of functionality which was formally part of Google’s short-lived social media platform. In particular, you can create a post containing updates, offers, products or events.
Let’s be honest, Google will be one of the first places your customers turn to if they want to know your opening hours, your location or go to your website. If you type ‘Concise Training’ into Google search not only will you see the results from your search, but you will see our Google My Business listing on the right.
Desktop search results for Concise Training.
As you scroll down any posts we have created will appear in a separate section. The example below shows a post we have created to promote our upcoming intake for our Diploma in Digital Marketing.
Posts on Google My Business are short and simple updates where you can showcase details about your business. One benefit of posting on Google My Business is they are designed for people who are already looking for you, you’re not competing with other posts like on other social media channels.
How to post on Google My Business
- Login to your Google My Business account. If you don’t have one you can create one here.
- From your Google My Business dashboard select Posts from the left-hand menu.
- On this screen, you can start to create your post. You have a number of options to choose depending on what you want your post to be about.
COVID-19 update – I am writing this post in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic so these updates are current and relevant. A COVID-19 update allows you to update your customers on any changes to your business during this period. You could update your services (i.e. collection only, free delivery, limited number in store) or other relevant social distancing information.
Add Offer – You may have an offer or promotion you would like to showcase. You can add an image or video, offer title, a start and end date for your offer, a coupon/voucher code and a link to redeem the offer. You can even include your Terms and Conditions.
Add Update (What’s New) – With this type of post, you can shout about ‘What’s New’ in your business. Perhaps you are offering a new service or want to introduce a new member of your team. You can add text, an image or video and a call to action button.
Add Event – With an Event post, you can promote your online or live events. You can add an image, event title, start and end date, details about your event and a call to action button.
Add Product – With a Product post, you can showcase your products by adding an image, your product name, price, a description of your product and a call to action button. You can read about adding products to Google My Business here.
Images
With all post options (apart from COVID-19 Update) you can add an image. The recommended image size is 1200 x 900 pixels in 4:3 ratio. Below is an example of an ‘Add Update’ post, promoting a recent blog post. We have used an image with a size of 1200 x 900 pixels.
As well as the image, this post includes the text I have added and the ‘Learn more’ button links to the blog post on our website.
Call to actions
Book – URL link to a page on your website or to a booking site such as Eventbrite
Order online – a link to your product or service on your website where they can purchase the product
Buy – a link to your product or service on your website where they can purchase the product
Learn more – URL link to a page on your website
Sign up – Link to a sign-up form so people can register for a webinar, newsletter etc
Call now – Link your business phone number to your post
Need to schedule your posts?
Do you know that you can schedule Events and What’s New posts via ContentCal’s custom and premium plans? If you are not familiar with ContentCal then take a look at our blog posts here.
Once you have linked your Google My Business account to your calendar you can add text, images and a call to action button so you schedule your posts in advanced.
Creating a Google My Business Post on ContentCal
Best Practice
- Ensure your images or videos are of a high quality and represent your business as they would on any social media channel.
- Ensure you look at the preview of your post before you publish to ensure your image and any text looks right.
- Only the first 100 characters of any text you add will be shown on your Google listing. Ensure that you get the important parts of your message across in the first 100 characters or at least provide a reason for someone to click your call to action.
- Posts only last 7 days (unless it’s an offer post or an event post where you have specified an end date). Try and post at least once a week. You can have up to 10 posts at once, but only the 2 most recent will appear on your Google My Business listing.
Do let us know how you get on with your Google My Business posts in the comments below.