If you’re a local business, you most likely have a Google My Business listing.
(if not, STOP and read this first)
Google My Business Posts are a feature within Google My Business that allows business owners to share content, events, sales, or other promotions right within their knowledge panel on the search results page.
Need help managing your Google My Business listing? Learn more about our Marketing Packages for Small Businesses.
We’ve been experimenting and testing Google My Business Posts since they were released. And honestly, we’ve seen less than stellar results as far as interactions within the post and clicks back to websites, however, I’m still going to make a case as to why your business should be using them.
Let’s break down all the different types of posts there are and some examples of how you can use them for your business. Remember to always follow Google’s guideline’s anytime you are representing your business. For a refresher, you can view their guidelines here.
What’s New
The very first tab that Google will default to will be the “What’s New” tab.
This is great for short updates about your business or links to recent blog posts. These posts will only be live for 7 days from when you publish them, so they’re great for short updates or linking to new content on your website.
What’s New Posts allow you to add a title and over 1,000 characters. If you are sharing a blog post, I would recommend only adding the first paragraph or a teaser about the content you are linking to. Then be sure to add the “Learn More” so you can add a link back to your post. (more on buttons below)
Events
Events can be anything from a sale to an open house to a party! Anything with a specific start and end date are perfect for Event Posts.
What’s great about Event Posts is that unlike the What’s New tab, they won’t expire in 7 days. Events will be live until the event day and time has lapsed. If you have a monthly calendar of events or know what your upcoming quarter of sales looks like, you can add them all now and they’ll stay active until the event has ended.
Offers
The Offers option is just as it sounds, a place to post about an offer your business has. Like Event Posts, you can add a start and end date and the Post won’t expire until that day has passed.
Unlike the Events Post type, Offers allows you to add a coupon code, link to redeem offer, and terms and conditions if you have any.
Products
If you sell physical products, the Products Post type is a great one to use to highlight any item you want to get more attention to or promote. Product Posts allow you to add a price (or even a range if there are several price options for a product) and product description.
Calls to Action
On all Post types, you can select a call to action or button.
At the time of this post, those options are:
• Book
• Order Online
• Buy
• Learn More
• Sign Up
• Call Now
Depending on which you choose, you will then be able to add a link to a blog post, sign up page, or designated phone number.
When creating your GMB Posts, a good question to answer is, What do you want someone to do when they find your post? Click a link? Pick up the phone? Make a purchase?
Choosing an image
You only have a limited amount of space and time to grab someone’s attention. Make sure your post stands out and is descriptive enough for a searcher to stop and interact with your Post.
Image or Video (yes, Video!) sizes for Google My Business Posts:
All uploaded media must meet the following size requirements:
Some suggestions to get some attention:
• Use video
Even if it’s shot and edited on your phone, very few businesses are taking advantage of the video option, so yours would be sure to stand out!
• Test adding text or a button
Using a free program like Canva, you can easily add a text overlay or even a call to action button on your image of choice. Try a post with it and the next week without it. See if it encouraged more engagement or clicks.
• Go bold
Add bright contrasting colors. There isn’t much color on the desktop search results page, so play with some bold colors.
When you’ve uploaded your image, make sure to preview your post before you publish it. You can crop it if needed so it doesn’t get cut off and it appears how you’d like.
More questions? Drop us a line and one of our amazing Digital Marketing Consultants will be happy to chat and see how we can help boost your business! Every business is different, you may need SEO Services, Social Media Management for Small Business, or even a Website Designer. Let us know! We’d love to work with you.
Have you used Google My Business Posts before? Tell us about your experience and results below!
Questions? Give us a shout!