I love when I find local businesses that are doing things they need to be online. It’s even better when I find businesses I use taking advantage of local marketing services that search engines offer that can save me money (and drive business to them)! I just want to spotlight a company I feel is doing something right, and if you learn something from it – that’s even better!
If you own an offline business in any local market then there is no reason to not be using a Google Maps listing. I wanted to share an example of an offline business doing some local marketing right, especially when it comes to Google. The local businesses I feel could really take advantage, and learn from this post are the ones offering food and things that are not easy (or available) to “purchase” online.
I am a big fan of China City Super Buffet, a huge Chinese food buffet we have close to where I live. I know that many businesses that list with Google Maps also offer printable coupons with their listings (besides online coupon codes), so I wanted to see if China City was offering any. In the process of all this I wanted to take some screen shots and show you how effective it is and all you can do through a Google Maps listing.
Just a reminder when you first go to Google Maps, you will see where there is an option to “put your business on Google Maps” This is where it all starts.
Once you get your business listed, and just in case its been a while since you checked out your Google Maps listing, you need to be aware of all the new features they now offer businesses. You can upload photos, videos and so much more. If you already have a listing and want to see these features, just log into your Google account and go to the Google Maps and find your listings and edit them. You will then see all the new options you have.
So here’s what I feel China City did right – If you are listed with Google Maps (the first thing to do right) then when people search for your business on Google, they will get a result that looks like this:
When you click on the Map, you will be taken to a page that looks like this: This leads me to what I feel is the most important thing offline businesses need to be taking advantage of – COUPONS!
Google Maps lets you have the ability to offer printable coupons that your customers can print off and bring right into the store and save money. In this case, China City Super Buffet offer you 15% off your entire bill. That’s a pretty decent savings IMO. Check out how easy they make it on you:
This is a very simple local marketing tip using Google Maps but most local business are not taking advantage! Hopefully, if you own an offline (local business) this gives you some ideas and what you can do to drive more traffic and take advantage of the people looking for you online.
