Google My Business is a bit of an underdog when it comes to social media and digital marketing. And by the looks of it, many local businesses are simply ignoring it. They set up their Google Business Profile and forget about it.

But here’s a stat or two that might change your mind about it.

Nearly 90% of customers use Google maps to find a local business. And usually, they’re visiting or contacting that business within 24 hours.

That’s essentially a conversion or sale falling right into your lap.

If you still aren’t convinced, then maybe this article I wrote back in 2019 might help.

So do you want to know how to stand apart from your competition on Google Maps through your Google Business Profile?

Easy. Treat it almost like a social media channel.

A note about Google Business Profile

Wait….wasn’t it called Google My Business before?

Google my business, as we know it, is going away. It does not mean that your listing is disappearing as well.

It's just a different way of accessing it. Head to Google type in your business, or even just search my business. And there's your business profile.

How to create your Google Business Profile

First, let’s start from the beginning as if you’re a brand new business.

Head to business.google.com , then click “manage”.
Create an account or log in
Add business type in your business name, add your category for this exercise.
if you have a physical address that you want people to visit, add it in. If you’re an online or home-based business, add in cities, regions, or even areas that your business serves
Add a contact number and a website

Then it's going to ask you to put in your mailing address. You should do this step so that they can send you a verification code so that your business gets verified with Google.

Once you're done filling out all the information, you can just go to Google and search your business and edit that.

Post on your Google profile consistently to get noticed

A lot of people forget that you can actually post content on your profile. Just like any social media platform, Google my business is going to reward profiles that post consistently.

Here’s everything you can post on your profile -

Photos
Video (more on that below)
Events
Offers
Business information, like closures

Google Business is not just about getting customer reviews. Yes, that is a very important factor, but it’s not the only factor. If the majority of people using Google Maps are to find a business to match their needs, it’s only logical you want them to know as much as possible about your business.

So the more information you have on your GMB listing, the better it is for the customer, and the more trust you're building with them.

So, more consistent you post, the better you look in Google’s eyes (like any social media channel), and the better you look in the customer’s eyes too.

Post video

You might know that you can post 30 second videos as a post on your Google Business Profile, but did you know you can post your longer form videos as well?

You can, at least for now. There’s no word on whether this will change in the near future.

Yes, you can post your longer videos longer than 30 seconds on your Google Business Profile.

How to post longer videos on your Google Business Profile

Head your profile and head to photos.
Hit that plus button drag and drop

If you have a verified business on Google, you can post videos that are even longer than 15 minutes. So make sure you are verified!

Get reviews

Reviews are not only crucial to give your potential customers proof you’re the bee’s knees, but also help your rank better on Google Maps…

Because people can search AND filter businesses based on ratings.

And who is going to search for 2-star businesses?

You guessed it…no one.

So get those reviews! Message people as soon as they’ve completed the sale with you to get the review so that the experience is still fresh in their minds.

It’s a much-forgotten channel, but Google Business Profile is a no-brainer for any bricks-and-mortar or local business.

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How to smash your competition with Google Business Profile