If you have a business, Google Maps is more than a navigation tool for you. It has immense potential to help businesses reach customers. In fact, experts in digital marketing services use Google Maps as part of their marketing strategy. As? We will explore below. Let's dive in.
Useful Google Maps Features for Business
Send messages to customers from Google Maps
Businesses can send messages to their customers directly from the Google Maps app. You can activate messaging from the Google Maps settings panel. Here is a step by step guide:
- Open the Google Maps app from your Android phone or tablet
- Now tap Updates > Messages > Business
- Press Settings. Then activate Messages
Customer messages will be displayed in the business messages section in the updates tab.
It won't be totally irrelevant to mention here that Google also allows businesses to message customers through Google Search. Customers can contact a business from search results while viewing a Google My Business profile.
Send images to Google Maps Street View
Google allows users to contribute images to Street View. Footage recorded and posted with the Street View app is automatically rotated, positioned, and sequenced by Google.
This feature is particularly ideal for businesses in areas that do not have attractive Street View coverage.
Although published Street View photos are available for people in New York, Austin, TX, Toronto, Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Nigeria, Google is looking to add more regions in the coming times.
Building authority as a local guide
Google relies on local guides to write reviews, answer questions, add or edit details, and share photos. While a business cannot become Local Guides, as a business owner, you can join the Local Guides program with your personal Google accounts. As you continue to contribute to Google Maps, your name will appear with a different Local Guide badge.
Over time, you can create a niche audience. And if you keep your main focus on your business, your followers will soon flock to your business.
Post to the Google Maps Community Feed
A community feed is present in the Explore tab in Google Maps. It allows users to find the latest photos, reviews and posts added to Maps by local experts, businesses that serve drinks and food, and people they follow.
Businesses operating in the food and beverage industry can contribute content to the community feed by publishing Google posts or updating their profile with the latest information. Remember, the more frequently you publish a post or add content to your profile, the better your chances of appearing in people's community feed.
Respond to customer queries
You can answer customer queries directly through Google Maps. Simply visit your business profile and respond to the queries listed there.
Google Maps does not display the names of the person asking the question, so you can also complete the quality control section by asking questions that you think potential consumers might find useful. It will seem like an organic question to customers. Simply visit the business listing and tap on the “Ask a Question” button to submit the query. Then follow the step mentioned above to provide an answer to the query.
Show accessible routes
These days, companies are attentive to customers with accessibility needs. And Google Maps is facilitating the same by allowing businesses to present the most accessible routes to visit the business's physical location.
These are the steps to follow:
- Type your business name into the Google Maps search bar
- Tap the address and select the public transportation icon
- Tap modes and select wheelchair accessible.
If you want to take mobility needs into account, you can list accessible routes on your website where you present the map.
Track Google Maps Performance
Google allows businesses to track key marketing metrics within Google My Business performance information.
Here, you can measure the number of customer engagements initiated in Maps and Search and therefore track the performance of your business.
Wondering what information you can get from tracking? Find below:
- The total number of messages you have received from Maps & Search
- The performance graph over a period of time
- How many people come from Maps and how many from Search
- What are the search terms that people used to access your company profile?
