Download Using Google to Drive Offline Sales

Using Google
to Drive Offline Sales
Google My Business Puts Local Stores in the
Spotlight from Discovery to Purchase
CON TE NTS
02 / Introduction
04 / Google’s Path To Purchase
05 / Step 1: Awareness
06 / Step 2: Consideration
07 / Step 3: Conversion
08 / Step 4: Advocacy
09 / Be There at Every Step
09 / About MomentFeed
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
I N TR O DUCTION
60%
OF ALL
U.S. WEB
SEARCHES
ORIGINATE
FROM
GOOGLE
WAIT, WHAT IS “LOCAL SEARCH?”
Google shows special results for an openended search for goods or services when
it knows your location. Or when you add a
phrase like “near me” or “Tribeca.”
coffee Tribeca|
Does all this mobile, location-centric search
translate into real-world business outcomes?
GOOGLE: THE STOREFRONT
FOR EVERY BUSINESS
There can be no doubt, Google is big. It has
grown bigger than desktop computers, bigger
than any one device or operating system.
Google now stretches far beyond search,
beyond ads, beyond e-commerce, and it just
keeps getting bigger.
At it’s 2016 Performance Summit, Google
recently shared several statistics to show
just how big an influence it has, even over
businesses that operate entirely in the real
world.
There are now 3.5 billion total searches every
day, and half of these are on mobile devices.
Even more interesting for physical businesses:
30% of all these mobile searches are also
“local searches.”
28%
OF NEARBY
SEARCHES
LEAD TO
IN-STORE
PURCHASE
80%
OF LOCAL
SEARCHES ON
MOBILE LEAD
TO SOME
KIND OF
CONVERSION
57%
GREATER
CHANCE
OF VISIT
IF FOUND
VIA MOBILE
SEARCH
INTRODUCTION / 2
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
L O C AT I O N , L O C AT I O N , L O C AT I O N
Same as it does in the real-world, physical location now makes a huge difference on Google. Because
people have their phone in-hand at all times, they expect Google to serve them information based on where
they are or where they’re headed. This means Google’s influence is not just broad, it is also deep. Google’s
many services support every step a consumer takes, from online discovery to an offline sale.
Real-world businesses must be proactive about their local presence on Google, because consumers are
accustomed to using rich, accurate, local details on Google to help them decide where to go.
T U R N I N G LO C A L L I ST I N G S I N TO R E V E N U E
To help restaurants, retailers, banks, insurance providers, grocery chains, and local services keep all their
customer-facing information accurate and up-to-date, Google created Google My Business (GMB). This
tool helps you manage the details people see in Search and Maps at the moment they’re making a buying
decision. But because Google My Business is designed primarily for single stores, most larger brands with
many locations to manage have struggled to take full advantage of the tool.
For brands ready to claim the online marketing potential of their locations, Google My Business offers a
huge opportunity to reach consumers at every step on their path toward purchase.
Key Questions
Are your local listings claimed and maintained?
Are your local listings optimized for local search?
Do you publish local content, and manage local reviews?
INTRODUCTION / 3
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
G OO GLE’S PATH TO PU R C H AS E
L O C AT I O N G U I D E S T H E WAY F R O M D I S C O V E R Y T O S A L E
30%
S T E P 1 : AWA R E N E S S
OF 1.75B
DAILY
MOBILE
SEARCHES
ARE “LOCAL”
If you sell goods and services at a real-world location, the new
truth is that your Google presence reaches more people than your
website. It’s now normal for brands to see 10x as much traffic on their
Google listings as on their own website, because mobile consumers
overwhelmingly look to Google and “nearby” searches for information.
82%
S T E P 2 : C O N S I D E R AT I O N
Google My Business listings go beyond name, address, and phone
number. The deeper details help you match with discerning
customers who are weighing different options. If you’ve invested in
unique or popular amenities at your locations, from patios to WiFi,
it’s important to promote those features on Google.
OF MOBILE
USERS TURN
TO SEARCH
TO FIND
A LOCAL
BUSINESS
76%
STEP 3: CONVERSION
OF NEARBY
SEARCHES
LEAD TO
A VISIT
WITHIN A
DAY
After you succeed with Step 1 and Step 2, you’ve got to be sure
people can find their way to your front door in order to finally
become a customer. Google offers best-in-class navigation
support. Better still, Google Analytics helps you track conversions
to continuously learn about your customers, react to trends in the
market, and improve the efficiency of your ad spend.
ST E P 4 : A DVO C AC Y
90%
Reviews are a huge opportunity to validate your business.
Google gives reviews approximately 10% weight toward local search
rank, which can easily make the difference between a top result
and page 2. Likewise, 90% of consumers say they base their buying
decisions on online reviews. Your best reviews come from the
customers who just used Google to find you - it’s a virtuous circle.
OF
CONSUMERS
USE ONLINE
REVIEWS
TO DECIDE
WHAT TO
BUY
G O O G L E ’ S PAT H T O P U R C H A S E / 4
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
ST EP 1 : AWARENE SS
H O W C A N YO U B O O S T YO U R L O C A L S I G N A L O N G O O G L E ?
While Google does not disclose exactly how it determines search rank, there are three core principles for
local search optimization that reliably strengthen rankings:
ACC U R AC Y
Your name. Your address. Your phone
numbers. Your attirbutes. It’s essential
to keep your basic info up to date, from
your hours of operation, to your website,
your latitude and longitude, and business
categories.
THE LOCAL “THREE-PACK”
Your goal: maximize how often you appear in
Google’s cluster of top-3 results. Why? 72% of
the time, people choose from the three-pack.
CONSISTENCY
Google checks many sources to verify
your location details, including your
website, local pages on Facebook,
Foursquare, Yelp, and data aggregators
like Factual and InfoGroup. Consistent
information brings higher rankings.
RECENCY
Google also rewards recently
published content and recent signs
of engagement — likes, shares, and
comments from your fans. Keep in mind
that customer reviews are also a big
factor that can put you ahead or behind.
BIG PICTURE, LOCAL SCALE
Multi-location brands face a special challenge for local SEO. Google
prefers thorough info from each location, updated on Facebook, Yelp,
etc, Google also checks for recent local content and reviews.
AWA R E N E S S / 5
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
ST EP 2: CONSIDERAT I ON
H O W C A N YO U B E AT N E A R B Y C O M P E T I T O R S O N G O O G L E ?
D U R I N G C O M PA R I S O N
Consumers with specific needs can easily refine their search to filter the
options further: only a 1-mile radius, price constraints, hours, has-delivery,
etc. From there, they browse through suggested results in a listings
summary Google fills with key details.
4.5
CALL
10 min
DIRECTIONS
WEBSITE
Consumers use narrow search and listing summaries in their comparison
process to hone in on a best-fit for their specific needs. Keeping your
details accurate and complete helps you match with as many wellqualified customers as possible.
O N C LO S E R I N S P E C T I O N
By claiming your listing, you can use Google My Business to manage
the details people see on your expanded listing within Maps or in the
Knowledge Graph beside results in Search. Edit your hours, category,
attributes, and the photos in the top carousel. If you don’t claim your
listing, Google relies on user data to fill in these details for you.
Because Google gives users so much control over content, this isn’t a
one-time activity. Not only do you need to maintain current information
for holiday hours, changes to your offering, store closings, openings, etc.
You’ll also need to regularly patrol for duplicate listings created by local
managers, or changes suggested by customers which can be off-brand
or inaccurate.
NEW IN GOOGLE MY BUSINESS 3.0: ATTRIBUTES
People now refine searches for more detail. Have a drive-thru? How
about WiFi? Do you serve alcohol? On a patio? The more Attributes
you provide, the more Google promotes you to discerning customers
deeper into consideration. This is a big deal for voice-assisted search.
C O N S I D E R AT I O N / 6
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
ST EP 3: CONVERSI ON
H O W C A N YO U S H O W R E A L - W O R L D R E S U LT S O N G O O G L E ?
CONVERSION
You won’t convert customers that cannot
find your front door. It’s important to
maintain accurate latitude/longitude
coordinates for GPS navigation, especially
for complicated addresses inside malls or
partner stores. If customers get lost or end
up at the loading dock, they will make their
way to your competitor instead. Make sure
they find your front door when they use
Google Maps to get directions.
AT T R I B U T I O N
Remember Google’s overall impact? 75% of
“nearby” searches lead to a visit, and 28%
lead to a purchase. If you’re wondering how
your own metrics might compare against
these benchmarks, Google Analytics can
show you. They can also show you when
paid ads convert to in-person visits. Or when
organic impressions convert to phone calls
or clicks for map directions, great stats to
help you better understand your customers
and your marketing performance.
CONVE RSION / 7
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
ST EP 4 : ADVOCACY
H O W C A N YO U T U R N C U S T O M E R S I N T O FA N S O N G O O G L E ?
Reviews affect search rankings on Google, and they influence consumers who are deciding whether to head
your way or go with a competitor. Maintaining strong reviews supports many steps on the path to purchase,
which is why you should engage with your reviews. Address concerns, provide positive reinforcement for
great reviewers, etc.
By replying to reviews, you can encourage more positive ratings and even recover some negative ones
simply by creating a healthy dialogue. Do this right, and your improved ratings will further validate your
business to Google and to potential customers.
NEW IN GOOGLE MY BUSINESS 3.0: ALL YOUR REVIEWS
Google no longer requires you to go to each location’s Google My Business portal separately to manage
reviews. Brands with many locations can benefit from tools like MomentFeed to aggregate reviews, and
even use dynamic fields like <<Neighborhood>> or <<Manager Name>> to tailor replies by location. This
can help you share the task of monitoring reviews between different teams, at the national and local level.
A DVO C AC Y / 8
USING GOOGLE TO DRIVE OFFLINE SALES
BE THERE AT EVERY STEP
Consumers start forming their opinion about your business on
Google. They experience your brand during a “local search”,
and again when they skim a location’s Google business listing
while weighing their options. Finally, they use Google Maps to
navigate to the front door.
YOUR PARTNER ON THE PATH
MomentFeed has worked closely with
Google as a trusted partner since the
Each step a customer takes on their path to a purchase sets
their expectations for your brand before they walk on-site. And
each of these steps now relies on listing info from Google My
Business. It is more important than ever to take control of your
local presence on Google.
beginning of Google My Business.
The MomentFeed platform helps
large businesses take a local
approach to marketing at scale,
to reach consumers across the
By taking a local approach, brands can use Google to raise
digital networks that influence their
awareness, beat competitors, drive foot traffic, and turn
customers into fans. Big brands face the toughest challenge
adapting to this new world of local-level engagement. But they
also have the most to gain by capitalizing on this opportunity
across their many locations.
decisions in the real world.
B E T H E R E AT E V E R Y S T E P / 9
M O M E N T F E E D helps brands like Starbucks, Cricket, and
Avis turn their many locations into a marketing advantage.
Contact us today to learn about how location-based
marketing can drive foot traffic to your business.
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