End-of-Year Tips for Small Businesses
For small businesses, the holiday shopping season can mean big things. Small business owners who hung on through 2020 know how important the end of 2021 is going to be for their businesses. While in-store shopping is expected to rise to a 33% share this year (up from 28% in 2020 and coming closer to the 36% seen in 2019), online sales in the last months of 2021 are anticipated to rise between 11% and 15%. This is excellent news! At this point in the season, you (hopefully) already have your marketing plan in place, so let this act as a helpful reminder when it comes to your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). The following are fairly easy updates you can make to your profile that could help turn potential customers into real customers.
Update Special Hours
This is something you should be thinking about year-round, but with the busy holiday season, it may have slipped your mind. If your business hours have changed at all for the season, remember to update them on your Google Business Profile (GBP). Don’t forget to mark your business as “closed” for any holidays, as well!
Setting More Hours
If your business has separate hours available for a specific demographic (for instance, many grocery stores have set different hours for senior shoppers during the pandemic so they can shop when fewer folks are out and about), you’ll want to set “More Hours.” This is different from “Special Hours.” Hopefully, everyone is safe and healthy, but if you have to temporarily close for any reason, such as an outbreak on your team, remember to set your “Temporary Hours.”
Add Your Products with Google Product Editor
If your products are available for purchase online, remember to add them to GBP using the Google Product Editor. It’s a great tool that small and medium businesses can use to promote their products on another platform. Bonus: it’s another way for you to boost interactions with Google Search.
Optimize Product Descriptions
Once your products are added, you need to optimize them. That means you’ll need to add strategic keywords to your product description. To do this, put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Think about what they want to know, how they might be searching for each specific product, what benefits the product offers, whether the product is in stock, etc.
Reply to Google Reviews
If customers have taken the time to review your business, take the time to respond to those reviews. It shows that you care enough to answer questions and that you’re happy to interact with your customers after the purchase. This is something that can turn a potential customer into a customer. It can also help turn a first-time customer into a repeat customer.
Add a Q&A to Your Profile
A fairly recent addition to Google Business Profiles is the Q&A feature. This allows people to ask questions and have that business answer them. Here’s the thing: you don’t have to wait for someone else to ask the questions. Log into your personal account and select “Ask a Question” on your business profile, post your question, and post it. Next, sign in to your business profile, click “See All Questions,” answer the question(s), then post your response.
Get Your Small Business Ready for 2022
When you’re thinking of 2022, take a look at your website and digital marketing plan. If either could use a refresh or total overhaul, you know where to find us.