Friday Focus #86

Hey Reader,

Did you know the average local business profile is found 157 times via direct search each month, and 852 times through discovery searches (in Google Business)? That’s 1,009 searches per month.

Today, we’re going to learn one of the key ways to help you beat average.

Let’s build your Google Business posting strategy. 👇

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Best Google Business Post Ideas

If you want the right people to find you on Google Business, then you need to build a doable posting strategy and schedule. A few key post ideas will take you a long way.

Most local businesses treat Google Business updates like their personal Facebook profile. But here’s the thing, your business profile needs to contain hyper-specific content that directly connects with your target audience. Tons of local businesses are wasting time and energy posting content that does absolutely nothing for their business.

Find ways to provide value to your audience—every time.

Google posts are your chance to share your story with your local audience. Show how you are already solving their problems every day, and build trust that turns into a steady stream of incoming clients.

Here are 18 Google post (update) ideas for your service business:

1. Announce a new service offering.
2. Share some educational content, such as tips related to your service.
3. Share a quick story of how your service has transformed a recent client.
4. Introduce a team member, or share a photo and short bio of one person every month.
5. Review a popular product or service, especially if it’s something your target clients are asking questions about.
6. Interact with a popular trend related to your industry, share your unique perspective.
7. Create a top-10 list. Tools, tips, and resources are always a great way to gather interest.
8. Share a relevant blog post. Don’t waste content you’ve already created. Send out a summary as a Google Business post.
9. Share a list of myths or misconceptions and show how well you know your stuff.
10. Share a list of FAQs about your business (or service).
11. Share an interesting (or funny) image. Don’t be afraid to show your personality.
12. Share a quick video of your crew servicing a local client, especially if they’re a well-known business.
13. Share statistics related to your industry. Most people don’t have a clue about the inner-workings of your business.
14. List a few seasonal tips, tricks, or updates related to your service.
15. Share the details of your upcoming event (virtual or in-person).
16. Celebrate a holiday or a business milestone.
17. Share a great review.
18. Show gratitude for your clients or a partner business. Be a team player!

How to Get Your Post Noticed

Your Google Business posts show up in Google search results (mobile and desktop)—and in Google Maps. Did you know 154.4 million people use Google Maps, every month?!

After writing your post, here are five tips (from Google) to get it noticed by the right audience:

1. Add photos or videos. – Everyone loves a nice visual touch and that’s what will grab their attention while scrolling through their Google maps or the SERP (search engine results page) list.
2. Make headlines or post text with need-to-know details. – Use terms such as “Memorial Day service package” or “Winter HVAC tips” to attract attention.
3. Keep it brief. – Include only the necessary details, such as “get $100 off your first order” or “get our signature fall lawncare mixture”.
4. Add a clear call to action. – Choose from their CTA options like “Book Now,” “Reserve Your Spot,” or “Leave a Review” to help clients know what to do next. Make it easy to act—and always point potential clients to your website! Your website is your homebase, where you can fully control how your service (and brand) is presented.
5. Post semi-often to keep your information fresh. – I recommend posting 2-3 times each month. Unless you change your default settings, posts only appear for a week after you first share them.

Don’t freeze up with writer’s block. You don't have to do all 18 ideas, just pick your 3 favorite ones and start there. Consistency will make the difference.

You do a lot with 1,500 characters, a few photos, and a CTA button.

If you focus on adding value and serving people, then ‌phone calls will come. Steady wins the game here!

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5 Links to Keep You Focused 🎯

“Quality content” isn’t a helpful goal if you‌ want to grow your business. Here’s how to get specific about what you want your content to accomplish and work backward from there.

Brightlocal studied 46,000 anonymous businesses (in 36 industries) for this Google Business study—so you can compare how your business profile is doing.

“A mediocre idea can be developed into extraordinary marketing with the right care and attention” (Stefanie Flaxman). Here are 10 steps to take your content from basic to brilliant.

Webpages with many links from other sites are considered more authoritative by Google. This guide teaches beginners how to get quality links to move the needle without risking a Google penalty.​
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​Here’s why you should ditch the clever words and use plain English (and how).

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My Toolkit 🛠

Buzzsprout – Podcast Hosting

Buzzsprout provides easy and powerful tools for podcasters and entrepreneurs. We use their platform to host both of our Snowbird podcasts and I've been extremely happy. They keep things simple and functional, so check it out here if you're planning to launch your own show!

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Stay focused,

John

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