How to Expand Your Digital Footprint with Google My Business

If you’re serious about making the most of your marketing budget, creating a Google My Business listing is one of the best tools you can use. All too often, we’ll encounter life science brands who don’t have a Google My Business listing yet because they don’t understand the value it provides.

In this short guide, we’ll give you an overview of Google My Business and how it can be leveraged to increase traffic to your site and engagement with your life science brand.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business (abbreviated as GMB) is a platform that allows you to manage and monitor how your business appears on Google Search and Maps. That includes adding your business name, location, and operating  hours, pictures, videos, and social posts. You can also manage your customer reviews here and engage with users directly.

GMB is an essential element for your digital marketing efforts. Not only is it a convenient hub of tools and features for promoting your brand, but it also sends positive trust signals to people who are searching for you.

Simply put, a brand with a GMB listing is perceived as more trustworthy than a brand without a GMB listing.

How do I create a GMB listing?

Like most Google products, creating and verifying your Google My Business listing is a very user-friendly process. Start by visiting the GMB homepage. From there, you’ll be able to complete the required fields and upload pictures of your office.

After you complete all the required forms, you have to verify your listing. This can be done with a phonecall, or with a physical postcard that Google will mail to your business address. The whole process only takes a few minutes to complete!

Is Google My Business free?

Yep! It won’t cost you a cent to create and verify your GMB listing. This makes it one of the highest-ROI marketing initiatives your business can invest in.

Due to the low cost of entry and how easy it is to configure, a Google My Business listing is a natural choice for digital marketers looking to boost visibility and expand their web presence, all while sending positive trust signals to users and Google’s robots.

Leveraging the power of Google My Business

There are a multitude of ways to optimize your GMB listing so that it performs better. One of the most significant ways to drive engagement with users is to add high quality pictures.

Google reports that businesses with photos see 35% more clicks to their website and 42% higher requests for driving directions in Google Maps. This includes cover photos, profile photos, and photos of the interior and exterior of your office building. By providing these photos, you’re cementing your trustworthiness and authority with users, leading to increased traffic and engagement.

Another way to leverage the power of Google My Business is to make consistent updates through posts. At the time of writing, the world is currently in the throes of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. As a result, many brands have taken to GMB to post updates regarding the pandemic. These typically include announcements about remote work, changes to business hours, and resources for potential clients looking for answers about how to navigate this difficult time.

What are you waiting for?

Creating a Google My Business listing is free, easy, and is proven to show strong results for brands across all industries. And yet, we still see so many businesses who don’t have one yet.

There’s nothing preventing you from creating one today and expanding your digital footprint to reach new audiences. If you’re curious about what else you can do to bolster your online reputation and drive engagement, please reach out to the life science marketing experts at Forma and start a conversation today.