Marketing your business is essential if you want to gain new customers. However, it’s a lot of hard work trying to market your brand consistently.
Local Guides by Google is one way you can cut back on your marketing efforts without minimising results. Considered a passive form of marketing, it is used by millions of businesses worldwide.
Here, you’ll discover what Local Guides are, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Local Guides?
Local Guides was launched by Google in 2015. They are a community of people who share photos and answer questions related to their local area. They also update information about the area and local businesses through Google Maps. There are millions of guides worldwide and the platform is continuing to grow.
In exchange for becoming a local guide, you are offered incentives. You earn points when you contribute, moving up through 10 reward levels. Users also unlock additional types of content they can create as they progress. For example, at level four, they can begin to create list-based content.
Businesses themselves are not allowed to operate as guides. The goal here isn’t to become a guide yourself, but to connect with ones in your local area.
So, what benefits can you expect if you join this free program?
What benefits do they deliver?
Connecting your business to a local guide can deliver a lot of great benefits for your business. It can:
- Increase visibility
- Ensure your business profile is correct
- Encourage customers to leave more reviews
Working with a local guide can help you to drastically improve visibility. These days, most consumers turn to search engines to learn more about local businesses. By ensuring your business has
photos and up-to-date information on Google Maps, it’s going to boost visibility in search results.
You’ll also have the opportunity to ensure all of your business data is accurate. This includes your business name, website, contact information, and opening hours. If this information isn’t accurate, you could miss out on potential business.
The fact that users can leave reviews on Local Guides is a huge benefit. You likely already know the importance of reviews for business. Most consumers read reviews before they make a purchase from a company. The more positive reviews you have, the more additional business you are going to attract.
These are just three benefits you can expect from Local Guides. The question is, how can you use them for your business?
How can your business use Local Guides?
If you want to experience the benefits a local guide can have on your business, you’re going to need to attract them.
Getting a local guide to cover your business can be difficult, but there are ways to make it easier. Let’s look at some of the main ways you can partner with a local guide in your area…
Arrange a meetup
As a business, you can partner with a local guide by arranging a meetup. This gives you a great opportunity to build up a relationship and engage with guides in your area. However, before you set a time and place, be wary that there are some guidelines you’ll need to follow.
Google doesn’t allow its local guides to accept sponsorship as an incentive for a positive review. The guide also can’t accept any form of payment for hosting a meetup.
If you follow the guidelines, it ensures your business won’t get penalized.
Make sure your Google pages are optimized
You’ll also want to make sure your Google pages are optimized. This includes your Google My Business, and Google Maps page. Also, make sure your listing is claimed on Google My Business.
Encourage more reviews
The more reviews of your business you can get on your Local Guides, the more customers you are likely to gain. Always encourage reviews where you can but be wary of using questionable tactics. Never pay somebody for a positive review, they have to come naturally if you want them to be effective.
These are just some of the ways Local Guides can help your business. If you haven’t worked with one before, now’s the time to look into and start taking advantage of this passive marketing platform.