As Google progresses, it finds more innovative ways to help businesses interact with their customers online. As one of the most prominent search engines and social media sites, Google is doing its best to help connect people, businesses, and products together in a way that works for everyone.
Until recently, Google + and Google Maps have been separate programs. With Google Maps, keywords related to your business pulled up both your website and your map listing so your potential customers could more easily connect with your company directly. Now, however, Google Maps and Google + have merged together to create Google + Local, which is almost an entirely new entity altogether.
What is Google + Local?
Google + Local is a combination of map listings and recommendations that help give users a more detailed look at the companies they are looking for. With Google + Local, your target audience can find pictures, reviews, contact information, and summaries of what your business is and what is specializes in.
These Google + Local listings will also connect your customers to your Google + business profile, which allows them access to even more information about your business in addition to drawing them into your circles.
Recommendations
Because Google + Local is interwoven with Google +, users can see whether the people in their circles have yet recommended the companies that the user is searching. This can greatly influence the likelihood of whether or not the user will choose to go through your company or not.
Since recommendations (and, conversely, bad reviews) from people your customers know are the single most powerful method of marketing, the advent of Google + Local will encourage business owners to vamp up their Google + marketing strategies, and the consequences of not joining in might include getting left in the dust of your competition.
If you are interested in getting your business listed on Google + Local or implementing a better Google + marketing strategy, talk to the internet marketing experts at Performance Driven Marketing by calling (801)-326-0582 today!