As a digital marketer, part of my work involves recommending all kinds of useful tactics to help my business clients improve local SEO and boost their business profile rankings.
Lately, I’ve been introducing my clients to Google My Business (GMB) and encouraging them to focus a little more on their Google Business Profiles (GBP). Used correctly, GMB is a powerful marketing tool and when it comes to attracting walk-ins, GBP can prove to be a great ally.
Turning Digital Traffic into Foot Traffic
Sometimes we pay so much attention to marketing our businesses digitally that we forget to concentrate on boosting our foot traffic. Luckily, as I tell my clients, a few GBP tweaks can turn things around and increase the number of customers walking into your business.
Here are 5 things you can start implementing:
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Quickly responding to Google Q&A.
Most of my clients actually had several unanswered questions in their Google Q&A sections. These included questions about their services, their hours of work, among others. These are potential customers who are ready to walk-in and make purchases if only their questions are answered. So never leave any questions unanswered in your GBP listing, you might be overlooking leads.
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Turning your GBP into a storefront.
If you have a retail shop, you can make your GBP listing work for you by converting it into a virtual storefront. You can do this by bringing your inventory online to show customers what you have in your store. Tools like Pointy and SWIS make this a snap, allowing you to upload photos and rearrange your listing quickly and easily. This will certainly give you an edge in driving foot traffic to your store.
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Making your business selfie-worthy.
Customers nowadays are looking for more human connectivity and authentic experiences along with their shopping. So why not take advantage of that and give them what they want? You can incorporate art, culture or other aspects of the community into your store to give the selfie crowd something worth posting. This can be something as simple as a mural inside or outside your store. Additionally, you can look into making this your cover photo on your GBP listing so people can easily recognize the store.
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Posting about your proximity to major attractions.
If your business is located close to major attractions like museums, theatre, or the park, make this work for you. Your potential customers are closer than you think and including the attraction in your GBP listing can direct them to your store, drawing in more foot traffic.
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Making time work for you.
Take a look at the hours of work on your GBP – are they suited to your customers’ needs? Most businesses open from 9-5 but if you’re targeting working people, then perhaps you need to rethink those hours. Maybe staying open an extra hour in the evening or even working on Saturdays and closing on your slowest day might be the best thing to do to attract your target customers.
I’d love to help you make your business successful. Reach out for a professional consultation with me and let’s make it happen!