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How to Make Google My Business for Local Businesses

In today’s era, it has become very important for local businesses to go online. This is because, whenever someone looks for a service or product, they search it either on google or on Google maps. To be available on both, business needs to be registered on Google my Business. This would help the customers find you, get details about your business and contact you easily. In this blog, we will learn how to make a Google My Business Profile.

 What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is more called “Google Business Profile.” It is a free tool that enables the business person to upload their name, number, timings, photos, reviews, products & ratings on google.

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5 Low-budget Digital Marketing Strategies for small-business owners

How to make Google My Business Profile

To make a profile on Google My Business, one needs to have a google account. You can do this through a website: https://www.google.com/business . This website will ask your email to log in. After logging in you have to add your name, your registered business’s name. If your business isn’t registered then click on “Add your Business to Google”. Choose your business category. Mention if it is a general store, boutique, coaching center, restaurant , mobile repairing shop. Add your address, or choose a home delivery option if preferable.

You will also get redirected to google maps to pin your location on it. You must also put your contact information like mobile numbers, email & website link, so that the customer can contact you. You also have to verify your address. To do this, google will send a post-card with a 6-digit code at your doorstep. This might take 10 to 12 days. You have to then verify that code on google my business. At last complete your  profile by adding pictures of your office as shop, workers, product etc. Mention working hours & also ads product list.

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 Google Benefits of Goose My Business.

  1.   You will have free publicity as people can search you on google and you will also be  suggested if any business is similar to you is reached.
  2.     Google shows reviews & ratings with a valid account, and people believe in them.
  3.     It is easy to find your business offline as it is pinned on google maps.
  4. This is also a free publicity, as you are now easily available to people and suggestions etc. will make your business pop-up on feed.

 Tips:

  • Update your profile from time to time.
  • Put clear and attractive pictures, use brightening filters and high quality cameras.
  • Ask your customers for reviews & ratings so that people can believe in your business & trust you.
  • Customers can ask questions about your business etc., these are called FAQs and answer them promptly.

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Zero Budget Branding of Product by Cross Promotion Technique

 Conclusion

Making a profile on Google My Business is an easy and effective way to make your identity online. Using this, customers can not only view your profile but also connect to you directly, give reviews & understand your product & services in a better way. If you want your business to reach more people & grow, you should make a profile on Google My Business , and too for free.

If you’re also struggling with low sales in your business, this article can be extremely helpful for you. Moreover, if you’re facing any kind of challenge in your business and are looking for expert guidance, click on the link to the Leadership Funnel Program and get in touch with us now.

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business Business Case Studies Business Courses Business motivation Business Startup Ideas Finance Marketing Motivational MSME News Sales share market Small Business Consulting Firms Startup Strategy

Zero Budget Marketing Hacks: Use WhatsApp & SMS to Boost Sales Fast

Starting a business is a task. It takes a lot of effort and investment. Marketing the product & promoting the business is the key to growth. If you’re short on money or don’t want to invest a hefty amount on marketing, you should try Zero Budget Marketing. In this blog, we’ll tell you how you can promote your business using WhatsApp & SMS , and that too with little or no investment.

What is Zero Budget Marketing?

Zero Budget Marketing means promoting your business or product in little or no investment. It emphasizes the fact that you should use your personal network free tools and smart ways to reach as many people as you can. This is favorable for Small business owners, New startups, Entrepreneurs with limited budgets etc.

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Zero Budget Marketing Using WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a personal and direct communication tool. More that 50 crore people use it in India.

  1.     Use WhatsApp Business App –  This is a free way to promote your product and business. It has many features , one of which is Catalog. In the Catalog , you can add photos, prices, names, and details of the product. This gives the customer access to all the information at once. You can use the feature of “auto greetings ” and quick replies. This would send the new customer a welcome text like “Namaste welcome to ABC store ! How can we help you?”
  2.  Use WhatsApp broadcast List – Using broadcast list helps you send 256 people the same message without making a group. This saves time and energy. The only condition here is that everyone in the group must have your number saved in their phones.
  3. Do Branding using WhatsApp Status – WhatsApp status is one of the most prominently used features. People love to see other statuses and update them about their life through theirs. You can daily post pictures & links of your products. Use the status column to upload customer reviews, discount offers etc.

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  1. Make Groups on WhatsApp – You can add people in a large group to make a community and promote your business. Form groups of your loyal customers and update them daily about new products & discounts etc. Let them send messages so that their reviews can directly reach people. Remember to not send a lot of messages, as constant disturbance leads to them leaving the groups.
  2. Start a Referral Campaign – Referral means telling others about something in order to help the business. Start a campaign where your existing customers get rewards or discounts if someone comes to you through their referral. This would encourage them to promote your business.

 Zero Budget Marketing Using SMS.

SMS is the most effective way of marketing as everybody uses cell phones, if not smartphones, people tend to check SMS more often & this has 90% more chances of being read and not neglected.

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  1.     Frame An Appropriate Message – Keep the SMS Short, and action – oriented. Send clear and powerful messages. Do not send long paragraphs, as people don’t read them.
  2.     Put CTA in the message – Always give “Call-To-Action” in the message. This means adding phrases like -“call now”, “message on 911” etc. This would tell the customer what to do next.
  3.     Set Timings – Always remember to send messages from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, as those are the timings people would look at your messages. Also keep in mind to send important texts at the right time, like sending messages of weekend sales just before the weekend, or the vacation offers just 2 to 3 days before vacation starts.
  4.     Add links in your manager – If you have your business website, add it in the SMS. Add the URL of your google form, if any. Use tools like bitly.com to make your links short and trackable.

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How to Increase Business Reach & Sales Using Facebook Page

 Tips

  1.     Add people you know just first. Try to send messages to your family, friends and acquaintances at first.
  2.     Remember to post status daily. Post your product, review, updates on upcoming product, its videos or offer pamphlets etc.
  3.     Try to start a referral campaign every month.
  4.     Analyze your messages about business growth. Study what kind of messages work best and send the next texts accordingly.
  5.     Don’t spam people with many texts at a time, they will block you.

 Conclusion

More than money, zero budget marketing needs time, intelligence and a good message. You can promote your business efficiently if you work the right way using WhatsApp & SMS.

If you’re also struggling with low sales in your business, this article can be extremely helpful for you. Moreover, if you’re facing any kind of challenge in your business and are looking for expert guidance, click on the link to the Leadership Funnel Program and get in touch with us now.

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Marketing

Effective Budget-Friendly Marketing Ideas

Cost effective marketing that can make you viral!

Small businesses usually work on a small budget and apart from budget, there are other concerns of resources and time. Hence, SMEs need cost-effective marketing ideas
that can help get the word out to their customers in the best possible budget. Depending on your target audience, digital media is a saviour when it comes to low-cost effective marketing ideas
. Here are 5 such strategies that can help small businesses build their brand

1. Use Social Media Extensively

  • Use Facebook and Instagram effectively, they are free of cost and organic marketing can help create awareness about your brand. You can also explore paid marketing with them to boost your reach to the target group. Nurture your consumers through Facebook groups and Instagram Stories
  • Create great content that can help build communities around your brand. Be creative, use innovative ways to connect and build a loyal customer base For e.g. From 1990-2009, Harley Davidson purely built their community by producing great content around the brand which made the bike an aspirational product and changed the fortunes for the company
  • Use more of videos, infographics & pictures to hook the customer when talking about your brand or any offer
  • Carry online contests- Spend some money on a good price because the number of participants and the potential leads you get is worth every penny spent

2. Turn your customers into your Brand Ambassadors

  • Make the customer feel special so that he becomes the ambassador of your brand and this can be done by providing certain memories to them that they would like to hold on to and carry with them
  • Give them T-shirts, laptop stickers, notebooks, basically things they use in daily life
  • Use can use social media to take an opinion poll on new deigns they would like to see and perhaps reward the winning design. This will help them engage with you as an effective marketing idea 

3. Focus on SEO Strategies

  • Investment into SEO is not much but is a cost-effective marketing idea to get target customers
  • In search engine optimization, you need to choose the targeted words that can increase your search possibilities and divert traffic to your website
  • For example, if you have a business named Gagan Dry Cleaners in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, you will develop content across your platforms that focus on the keyword Lajpat Nagar + dry cleaners. It will help draw potential customers looking for dry cleaners in that area.

4. Build an easy to navigate Website

  • Another cost-effective marketing idea is to build a website. Having a website with an easy to navigate approach is a must for a small business as part of its marketing mix
  • Your website should contain all the important information about your products & services, how to reach you, contact details and a tracker of your location
  • Use your website smartly to put amazing content that makes it a must-visit for the customer

5. Sponsor Local Events

  • There are many events that happen locally and sponsoring such events is an effective marketing idea to get your business in front of local patrons
  • Sponsoring an event opens doors for networking with other businesses, which can lead to fruitful partnerships going ahead
  • Since local events are always looking for sponsors, it would be easy to negotiate on the pricing.

Always keep an eye out for cost-effective marketing ideas, because the only way to make an impact today is to think differently. Spend time, not money to devise a strategy that works best for your company.