How to create the best Google My Business posts

If you're a physical business, you're probably already familiar with the ups and downs of turning digital marketing into real foot traffic.

Today, we're looking at one of the easiest and most direct ways to stay in touch with your customers: Google My Business posts.

Google serves an insane number of restaurants every month.

It's one of the first places your customers look when they need to find your hours of operation, location, peak hours and latest news.

And, just as importantly, Google is also where new and potential customers go to get a sense of your atmosphere, customer service and offerings.

Unlike content on other major social platforms, your Google My Business posts are designed for people who are already looking for you.

You're not competing with baby animals or scary headlines.

You don't need to grab attention or break your heart. You just need to state the facts (preferably with excellent visuals and crisp copy.)

But once you've optimized your Google My Business profile with all the final details, what's the next step?

Is it worth including your Google My Business profile in your social media calendar and social media customer service strategy?

The short answer is: probably.

The middle answer is: GMB is pretty much the opposite of, say, starting a YouTube channel.

The rewards are high, but the time, expertise and costs involved are all low.

For the long answer, read on.

In this article, we'll look at best practices for creating the best Google My Business posts to communicate directly with your customers, resulting in an improved experience for them and an improved bottom line for you at the same time.

Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with professional tips on how to grow your social media presence.

How to post on Google My Business

Google My Business posts are short, simple updates to connect with people who are actively searching for information about your business (or businesses like yours).

One of the reasons why GMB posts are It's important that Google prioritizes quality data in its search results.

Therefore, making sure you give your customers what they want can improve your search rankings.

For example, if you operate an ice cream store in Montreal, you're more likely to appear in search results when someone searches for "ice cream shop Montreal."

Let's review the steps for posting to your Google My Business profile.

1. Set up and optimize your GMB profile (if you haven't done so already)

Once your Google My Business profile is up and running, you can create messages by logging into Google My Business, downloading the Google My Business mobile app, or using Hootsuite to integrate your GMB strategy with your other social media marketing channels (we'll have more on this in a moment).

2. Select the best type of publication for your goals

In the menu, click on Publications and select your publication type.

At a minimum, every GMB post has an image, text and a clear call to action. Some also include time constraints. Depending on your goals, is your summer patio open? are you hosting a book signing? -Decide on one of these options:

News: Announcements and general information about your company.
Events: List your live or online events (your message should include a start and end date and time).
Offers: Limited announcement- hourly coupons, discounts, promotions or sales (again, you will need to include a start and end date, and you can also include a coupon code).
Products: These items help you showcase one or more of the products available in your Product tab (which you will need to set up separately.)

3. Write your message

GMB messages don't have to be flashy: chances are, your audience is actively looking for the information you offer.

But some methods are better than others, so here are our top tips to keep in mind.

Text

Although posts have limits of 1500 characters, aim to keep things short and to the point here.

The first 7 or 8 words will appear above the fold, and users need to click for more, so get your message across as quickly as possible.

Try to avoid going over 150-300 characters unless you have a very good reason.

Visuals

The photos and videos you upload for your posts should be professional quality or as close as you can manage.

An attractive image may well be the deciding factor for a new customer trying to choose between you and the place down the street. Showcase your absolute best to turn searchers into customers. (Keep scrolling for Google My Business article image size guidelines).

Call to Action

Google offers a range of CTA buttons. The options are varied and depend on your type of post, but all the standards are represented: learn more, order online, buy now, etc.

You'll definitely want to make sure you link to a (what is, transparent and scannable) landing page. If you don't link to your own page, make sure it's a trusted site, so that it doesn't undermine Google's Content Policy.

Date range

If you're regarding listing an event or offer, you will need to specify the times and dates for which it is valid.

4. Publish

Click Preview to see what your message will look like, be sure to copy-edit and polish it, then continue and press Publish . Your message will appear in three places:

On mobile: the tabs titled Updates o Overview on your company's business profile (both in search and on Maps).

On desktop: in the "By Owner" section of the business profile (both in search and Maps)

Google My Business websites (i.e. those low-effort websites that Google will help you create if you don't have your own)

Test the same posts at different times and review the analytics

With GMB, your evergreen content - for example, mentioning how you have access to that rare brand of imported oat milk - can be republished weekly, as the posts disappear on their own after 7 days.

Determining when to publish means you can experiment, week by week, to see what time works best.

Sign up to Gimby now to connect with your customers through Google My Business. Create, schedule and publish posts on multiple listings.

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