Are your local listings being managed? For small to medium-sized businesses doing business locally, managing your listings is a must, as it is a key way that potential customers can find your business. It goes deeper than just visibility. You have the ability to uphold your reputation and most importantly: keep your brand’s message and contact information CONSISTENT across the web.
To make sure you are visible on search engines and directories, such as Google, you’ll need to make sure your local listing management is optimized. Keep reading to learn more about local business listing management and the benefits that come with it.
1. Drive Conversions (e.g. Visits, purchases, phone calls)
Many turn to search engines and directories, such as Yelp and Trip Advisor, to help them make decisions about where they spend their time and money. Managing listings on these sites is key to allowing customers to find you, and can also compel them to make purchases with you.
Maintaining and updating these listings with the most current content possible helps give potential customers the most accurate preview of your company as possible.
A listing should include your company’s name, address, and phone number. You should also add additional content, such as your hours, and photos of your companies exterior or your products. Add content that will compel people to visit your store and/or make a purchase with you.
With tons of shoppers in your area conducting “near me” searches on their mobile device, you want to make sure that you are not only visible but appealing via your local listings.
2. Builds Brand Visibility & Consistency
Managing your local listing is a great way to promote your brand visibility and awareness.
The more sites and directories that you have local listings on, the more likely it is for potential customers to find you, no matter the platform they are searching on. This allows your company more website and/or foot traffic. By optimizing your listing, you can capture sales generated from local searches.
Consistency is key. Incorrect phone numbers or addresses cause your company to miss leads and lose potential (or returning) customers. The most important information to have displayed is your Name, Address and Phone, known in the marketing game as NAP. One of the first things you can easily do to audit your online presence is to make sure your business’s NAP is easy to find and consistent across the web.
3. Better Customer Service
Small businesses see a lot of change; from store hours and location to the products you carry. This is totally understandable, but local listing management is necessary to convey those changes online.
If details are not updated on certain listings, you could be giving potential customers false information. This could lead to disappointed customers, who may visit your store when you’re closed, go to the wrong location, or are coming specifically for a product you no longer carry.
Maintaining accurate and updated information on your listings allows you to give your customers a positive experience. Make information about your company easy for customers to find by staying on top of your local listing services.
Local Listing Management: A Must for Small Businesses
Taking the time to manage your local listings is a must for companies who want to bring in new clients, create brand awareness, and satisfy their customers. Make sure that you have all of the information your customers need to find you by expanding your local listings to as many platforms as possible.
Keep your listings updated to offer amazing customer service before your customers even step foot in your door.
A great way to stay on top of your local listings is to hire a team of digital experts to manage them for you. We can fix incorrect information across dozens of platforms or start from square one and grow your online presence. For professional local listing management and so much more, contact us today.