There’s a reason for Google’s being synonymous with searching.
Previously, we tackled how social media is a crucial factor in marketing your cafe and spreading your reach to a niche market. Along with networking platforms, search engines have since changed consumer behavior as well as the landscape of businesses. And they will continue to do so in the years to follow long after this pandemic is over. From being a source of information, search engines have become a powerful tool in promoting any brand, may they be product or service-oriented in nature.
Across the globe, 85% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase online. In the Philippines, 70% of consumers rely on what they learn or see online before making offline purchasing decisions. This will affect your cafe in a sense that customers are highly likely to search for nearby or top-rated cafes first before they actually go to one.
This is a clear indication of the significance of utilizing online presence for your cafe along with an effective cafe business strategy.
What Can Google My Business Do For You?
Aside from the simplicity of its user interface, a Google My Business account enables your cafe business to show up in search results when people are looking for you online.
The best part? It’s free. This makes it an affordable marketing tool for both big and small businesses, like you.
4 Reasons for Your Cafe to Utilize Google My Business
1. It allows you to be discoverable
Lowest hanging fruit on the tree: search is digital.
Yes, you will be running a brick and mortar cafe. But your customers, prospects, and target audience are all online. Like mentioned above, the search engine is the first thing they run to for your cafe’s menu, products or services. They’ll google you. This is the hook that draws them in.
You would want to combine the best of both worlds in terms of foot traffic and web traffic.
Fortunately, Google is the ultimate search referrer.
By setting up a Google My Business account for your cafe, you make it a point that when someone looks your cafe up on Google Search and Google Maps, they will find it. Having the correct location on Google Maps enhances your discoverability as it avoids confusion for your consumers.
From that point forward, it’s down the rabbit hole. They will see your cafe listing and show where or how to visit your coffee shop. It will also display key information as to whether or not you have a web or physical address. The next thing you know, they’re flocking to get a first taste on your menu or enjoy your cafe’s vibe.
2. It boosts your SEO
Google My Business adds a dynamic layer to your cafe business. Just as Twitter has a ranking for trends, Google has for its ads and websites. Setting up your account improves your local search engine optimization (SEO).
How does this impact you? When someone keys in your cafe’s name, you actually show up right on the first page - not on the succeeding ones. People barely go to the second page anymore. Either you are found on the higher ranks of the first page or you’re not found at all.
Google will also highlight sections of your profile according to the most-searched term and the type of information that its algorithm finds most relevant to your customers in your niche. While you may already have a web or social media presence, establishing a Google My Business enables you to get top results. This provides you access to analytics so you can monitor your paid and organic advertising strategies.
3. It keeps your customers informed
You don’t want your customers guessing for the basic yet important details of your business. You would want them to find only the reliable information straight from the most legitimate source possible - you.
Your Google My Business listing includes contact information, business hours, and other essential details. You can post updates to share that you’ve expanded services, temporarily closed, or fully reopened (an especially useful feature during emergency situations like COVID-19).
In relation to the point above, since Google My Business accounts have strong local SEO, the information you share will rank above other sites.
Misinformation can always lead to differences in customer expectations, unsatisfactory experiences, and even missed opportunities. You can only begin to imagine how it feels when a coffee lover makes the extra effort to visit your cafe only to be let down as it’s closed so they opted for a nearby competitor.
4. It boosts consumer confidence
What follows after proper information: confidence.
Customers are 70% more likely to visit businesses with a Google My Business listing. By maintaining a Google My Business profile, you are providing utmost credibility to your company. Another study also found that businesses with complete listings on Google are twice as likely to earn trust from customers.
As with anything in life, trust and confidence is a key factor when it comes to making purchase decisions. The same goes for your cafe. The more confident a prospect feels, the more likely they are to go at lengths to visit your cafe in person. Credibility gained from Google is enough to sway people to be 38% more likely to visit your store, and 29% more likely to buy something.
It also helps that Google My Business has reviews to capitalize on the trust-building aspect. 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Given all these reasons above, Google My Business makes the difference in turning a casual scroller into a loyal customer for your cafe brand and your future offerings.
How to set up Google My Business
We’re saving you extra clicks. Let’s get you started. Follow these steps to create your Google My Business profile.
Step 1: Go to www.google.com/business to sign in. You can either sign in with a pre-existing Google account, or create a new one.
Step 2: Enter your business name then select the appropriate category for your business.
Step 3: Do you have a physical location that customers can visit, select Yes. If your business does not have a location customers can visit but offers a service or delivery, you can list your service area.
Step 4: Fill in your contact information and be accurate so customers can easily reach you.
Step 5: Finish and manage your listing. You’ll then be asked to verify your business.
Do you have questions? If all of these seem overwhelming to you, fret not. Talk to us.
References:
10 Reasons Why Local Filipino Companies Should Use the Internet for Business Promotion? (Infographic) | Digital Marketing Philippines. Digitalmarketingphilippines.com. (2021). Retrieved 3 May 2021, from https://digitalmarketingphilippines.com/10-reasons-why-local-filipino-companies-should-use-the-internet-for-business-promotion-infographic/.
McCormick, K. (2020). What Is Google My Business & Why Do I Need It?. Wordstream. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/06/08/what-is-google-my-business.
Sehl, K. (2020). How to Use Google My Business to Get More Customers. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/google-my-business/.
McCormick, K. (2020). What Is Google My Business & Why Do I Need It?. Wordstream. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/06/08/what-is-google-my-business.
Welcome to Google My Business - Google My Business Help. Support.google.com. (2021). Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://support.google.com/business/answer/6300665?hl=en.
Chadwick, J. (2021). Google Maps unveils editing tool that let users draw in roads. MSN. Retrieved 8 June 2021, from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/google-maps-unveils-editing-tool-that-let-users-draw-in-roads/ar-BB1ewDZQ#:~:text=Google%20Maps%20has%20launched%20a%20map%20editing%20tool,roads%20and%20report%20if%20a%20road%20is%20closed.