Making an Online Footprint: How Small Businesses Can Advertise on Google
Developing an advertising campaign may seem daunting for small business owners, but by taking advantage of existing programs from Google, small businesses can get practice and exposure for their advertising campaigns. Google offers a service called Google My Business which allows businesses to create a free account in order to connect with customers through Google Search and Google Maps.
Create a Free Google My Business Account
Free and customizable are ideal words to hear when small businesses are searching for advertising resources. Dealing with limited resources and paywalls on many sites makes some opportunities for creating marketing resources unattractive. Creating a My Business account not only better informs customers about your business’s hours, location, website, services, and more, but it also provides better insights into how and why customers are connecting. Account owners can track their account’s data to see how many clicks their profile is getting through Google as well as monitor if users are accessing directions, phone numbers, or other information. This allows business owners to recognize what their customers are looking for online and use that information for future advertisements. With a My Business account set up, customers can now find your business with a simple Google search instead of scouring the internet to find your address, contact information, or business hours.
Promote for Free
In addition to the benefits of creating a My Business account, Google is also temporarily offering free ad space to small businesses looking to advertise on Google Maps. The entire service that promotes businesses on Google Maps is called Google Smart Campaigns, and it allows businesses to be promoted to customers that search on Google Maps. Due to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses, Google is offering this advertising service for free in a short time deal to help aid in recovery. Until the end of September 2020, promoted pins, calls, or clicks are available to small businesses for free. Promoted pins highlight paying businesses depending on a customer’s search (promotes businesses offering specific services or products). Additionally, businesses will not have to give up portions of any sales resulting from the ads in this period. With over 1 billion searches a month for businesses and services on Google Maps, having your information readily available or even promoted can help more customers walk through your door or visit your website.
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