8 Tips to Optimize Your Dealerships Google Business Profile
What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile helps your dealership get found online. According to Google, “with a Business Profile, you can manage how your local business shows up across Google products, like Maps and Search. If you run a business that serves customers at a particular location, or you serve customers within a designated service area, your Business Profile can help people find you. Verified businesses on Google are twice as likely to be considered reputable.”
With Google boasting 92% of the world’s search traffic, it’s easy to see why it is important to optimize your Google Business Profile.
Benefits of Creating & Maintaining Your Google Business Profile
With a Google Business Profile you can maintain accurate information about your business online, interact with your customers, and attract new customers. When your dealership shows up at the top of the search results page; it is much easier to make a positive and professional impression, which will result in a higher CTR, or click-through rate on your website.
An active Google Business account is a powerful tool that can help you improve your website’s ranking in Google search results. Your Google Business Profile is the first thing a lot of internet users see, and sometimes, the only thing they see. It is important to make sure that Google can find you and that it has the right information.
It’s important to remember that potential customers will be comparing you to your competitors. That’s why it’s essential to have a complete and optimized listing. By making a good first impression, you’ll increase your chances of converting those users into customers.
Google Business Profile Optimization
Key Elements to Optimize:
Use your actual business name. Stuffing your listing with too many keywords is not only against Google’s Terms of Service, but it can also result in your listing being penalized.
List a local phone number. If you want to rank high in local search results, it’s important to have a legitimate local phone number. If you’re using a call tracking number, make sure to enter the tracking number in the primary slot. This is the number that will show up to users. Put your actual local number in the secondary slot.
Make sure your hours of operation are correct.
Write a compelling description. Make sure your business description includes information about who you are as a company and what you stand for. You don’t want to stuff this section with random keywords just to try and boost your ranking in searches – that won’t work. The description on your GBP won’t affect your ranking, but it will give potential customers and partners a good idea of what you’re all about.
Upload lots of high-resolution photos. This includes exterior, interior, and product shots. This will help the customer feel more familiar and comfortable should they visit in person.
Upload videos, if you have them. Videos must be 30 seconds or shorter and smaller than 100 MB.
Be Consistent. One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is staying consistent. You must post and update regularly to stay front of mind with your ideal customers and to remain an authority in the Outdoor Power Equipment world.
Get reviews from happy customers. A large ranking factor for Google is customer reviews. Businesses that have more reviews tend to seem more credible and reliable to consumers. Asking for review should be ingrained into your sales process. Why? 71% of consumers will leave a review, if asked. This is why it is important to have a strong brand reputation management strategy in place as part of your overall marketing objectives.
This Seems Like a Lot of Work – Is it Worth it?
A solid marketing strategy includes social media, brand reputation management, business listing management, dealership SEO, plus many Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships also employ paid advertising in the form of Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Display Advertising and many other digital advertising strategies. With so many options, it can be daunting! At Dealers Digital we know what it takes to maximize your online exposure and boost your sales! Our focus is on the Green Industry. We know your market, we know your customers, and we know how to reach them. Whether you are looking for a do-it-yourself platform, (Here’s looking at you DealerAmp), or want someone to handle all of your marketing needs, we have a solution for you! Contact Us to start the conversation about upping your marketing game!
You may have heard it before, but in 2020 this message is more poignant than ever. Simply put, traditional marketing is no longer the end-all, be-all of sending your message into the world.
Customers research and shop across digital channels, and so dealers must go digital to message to them.
Traditional advertising encompasses formats like billboards, sales brochures, and TV and radio ads.
Digital Marketing includes channels such as websites, email, social media, Google search ads, and mobile messaging.
That’s not to say traditional marketing no longer has a place!
In a study done by neuro-marketing firm TrueImpact, direct mail was tested against email and display ads. They used eye-tracking and EEG brain wave measurements to track the ease of understanding, persuasiveness, and attention paid to each of these ad types. According to their study, direct mail required about 21% less cognitive effort to process, suggesting it’s easier to understand and more memorable.
However, the downsides to Traditional Marketing includes the difficulty in tracking conversions, being very costly, and having very little direct interaction between the medium used and the customer. It’s great for creating brand awareness, if you have the budget to spend.If you want more bang for your buck, easier tracking of conversions and engagement, and to slot yourself neatly into the world of research-savvy customers who are further down the sales funnel, then Digital is your way to go.
With Digital Advertising, you can keep your costs lower, target people who are already actively showing interest in or searching for the brands you carry, and you have the opportunity to engage with them directly through instant actions like click-to-call, exploring your website, asking a question, and even saving your location.
With the right targeting and messaging, you know whoever sees your digital ad is already interested in the type of product you sell. Unlike a billboard, where you’re paying for every commuter in the area to see it, even if they’ve never touched a lawn tractor in their life.
Digital advertising also increases the ease of sharing with friends and coworkers. How often do paper fliers get passed around by friends, compared to folks sending links or pictures? Or tagging a friend in a facebook post that seems like it’d appeal to them?
If you consider that the average Facebook user has around 100-200 friends, with an average of 12% who see their posts in day-to-day browsing – if your post is shared even once, that’s likely 15 new prospects who have essentially been recommended by a friend to check out what you have. This Word-of-Mouth opportunity is why making high-quality, interesting content is so important.
So, which kind of marketing is better?
Well, both are good. Clearly we’re passionate about digital marketing, because we know that it works, and it has a ton of benefits. But traditional marketing materials also work well, especially if you’re completely new to an area.
Rather than taking an all or nothing stance, coordinated multi-channel marketing can leverage the unique benefits of paper, with the convenience and accessibility of digital to create a marketing campaign that spans the entire sales funnel.
