Like all marketers, we want to get the maximum exposure for our clients' brand presence and do it in such a cost-effective way that the returns are phenomenal.
This is where Google Posts, part of the Google Business listings, comes in!
At the moment, it is a completely FREE service to allow clients to get maximum brand exposure of the offers they are running.
Simply search the client brand name and Voila! - free advertising that takes up almost the top quarter of the page:
And here it is in action for another IRP client:
So, how do they do it?
It's simple for all clients to do this themselves on a regular basis and when they wish to promote upcoming in-store or on-site offers to potential customers.
And to aid in this endeavour, I've written the following brief step-by-step guide on how to get it up and running.
Step 1
Log in to Google via the business listings page https://www.google.com/business/:
Step 2
In the left menu, look for the Posts section (which may be highlighted by a blue 'NEW' icon):
Step 3
On the right side, click 'Write your post':
You will then be presented with options to create a new post, add images and make the post an event (a sale or product launch, etc.):
You can also add a button such as 'Shop now' or 'Explore'.
In making the post an event, you'll also be able to schedule start dates and times and end dates and times.
Now, I would recommend that you post only one event at a time as it will add a Call To Action and increased sense of urgency to potentially push forward sales.
It is possible to schedule others but users can get a preview of them if you do that and could wait for the event they want.
Step 4
The finished article should look like the following; if not make any necessary amendments and then repost.
Step 5
Posts for first-time users can take a few hours to appear as they will be manually checked by Google to ensure that they meet quality standards and do not violate any policies. But as you become a regular poster, your posts will typically show within 10 minutes of publication.
The screen capture below shows the finished article live for an IRP client:
Final thoughts
This service has been around for some time now and at present is totally free! I would highly recommend that all ecommerce managers and digital marketing managers build these posts into their calendar of activities as another standard 'tick box', 'this-MUST-be-done' exercise.
There's no downside to it and it gives the brand great free exposure whilst promoting your latest and greatest to potential buyers and hopefully boosting revenues in the process!
