Last 2020 was a tremendous year for digital marketing. The pandemic brought a seismic shift to how people do their holiday shopping. More people are turning to Google to find what they need nearby. With Thanksgiving coming near, it’s the best time to double your marketing efforts to target your local customers.
Here are tips from marketing experts at Think with Google on how to get more local sales for your business this coming Thanksgiving.
Tips to Get More Local Sales this Thanksgiving
- Create and maintain Google Business Profile.
- Add products in Google Business Profile using Pointy.
- Showcase your local inventory ads.
- Work on your omnichannel sales.
- Grow your in-store sales via local campaigns.
- Promote your local product inventory.
1 – Create and maintain Google Business Profile.
Did you know that back in 2020, every month, Google helped drive over 2 billion customer connections for U.S. businesses? This includes phone calls, messages, bookings, requests for directions, and reviews.
One of the ways to reach your local customers is through Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business. Google Business Profile lets business owners manage their local business and appears on Google Search and Google Maps. You can also put vital information about your business, including store hours, address, and website URL. You can add images/videos and also respond to customer reviews.
Here are the three things you can do with your Google Business Profile:
- Accept online schedules – Let customers book or schedule appointments online. If you own a restaurant, take orders for pickup and delivery. Google Business Profile will also allow your customers to make reservations. You can also add your menu, so people can check your food before going to your place.
- Add products – Show the list of products you have in your store. This is so people who find your businesses in Google know what products they can buy from your store.
- Offer services – Use Google Business Profile to show your credentials and service area. Enable online bookings, and communicate directly with your customers to build trust.
2 – Add products in Google Business Profile using Pointy.
Use Pointy from Google to easily add your in-store inventory to your Google Business Profile. Using Pointy is free of charge, and all you have to do is connect it with your point of sale system. It scans your products and makes them appear on Google Business Profile for local shoppers to find.
All products uploaded on Google Business Profile will appear in non-ad free results across Google’s channels, including Search, Images, Shopping, Maps, and Lens. This means that when a shopper searches on Google for a product you have in stock, your store can show in the search results. From there, the shopper can get directions going to your store. They can also call you to reserve an item.
3 – Showcase your local inventory ads.
Business retailers can showcase the products that are available in their stores by using local inventory ads. Not only that, but local inventory ads also have a feature called local promotions. This will allow you to show store-specific offers and discounts in your ads.
You can also use local inventory to highlight options like in-store pickup or curbside pickup. This is very important to help shoppers avoid any shipping delays.
- Pick up today & curbside – This highlights products that customers can pick up in-store or deliver on the same day.
- Pick up later – This highlights products that can be shipped to your store in a few days.
4 – Work on your omnichannel sales.
Despite the digital shopping boom in 2020, Google confirmed that 83% of holiday sales last year came from brick-and-mortar shopping. As a top digital marketing agency in Pasadena, we recommend our clients grow their omnichannel sales. Start by adding data like your store visits and sales measurements to your Smart Bidding ads to boost its conversion.
Smart Bidding with store visits or store sales values will automatically adapt to any changes in your online stores. It also updates in-store conversions to help you meet your business goals.
Here are three other tips for growing your omnichannel sales:
- Make sure to adapt to fluctuations in online and offline consumer demand. Go where your customers feel comfortable shopping.
- Use digital marketing to help offline channels. Make sure to maximize the total sales and profitability instead of using online-only.
- Invest your time in strategies that work. Increase your optimization efficiencies. Also, make sure to focus on finding meaningful ways to reach and interact with customers.
5 – Grow your in-store sales via local campaigns.
Use local campaigns to grow your in-store sales as it can reach customers across Google. It can highlight any of your nearby stores, show your in-store product inventory, and feature your special promotions. Google local campaigns make it easy to promote your stores across Google. This includes channels such as Google Search, Maps, Display Network, and YouTube.
To optimize your local campaign ads, make sure to add a few lines of text. Set a budget, and include some assets to grow your store visits. For retailers, you can use local campaign ads to increase foot traffic during the holiday season. Promote all the products available in your store. Highlight any seasonal sales, as well as services like a curbside pickup.
6 – Promote your local product inventory.
Promote your local product inventory by using local campaigns. Remember to only promote in-stock products available at your physical stores. You can do this by using a local product feed.
To start promoting your products through local campaigns, you will need to upload a local product feed. This feed should include your store inventory, product descriptions, images, and prices. Upon uploading your feed, Google will automatically create ads showcasing the products across relevant locations in all of its channels.
Once all is set up, your local campaign will enable you to showcase any specific products on sale. This gives an extra push to online search users who are looking for products to buy online.
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Are you in need of help in promoting your business locally? Cybertegic is one of the best digital marketing companies in Pasadena. Cybertegic’s digital marketing services are designed to help grow your business’s online presence by developing an effective strategy that works for your industry and budget. Schedule a free consultation with us by clicking this link.