How do I set up Multiple Google Places for Clients

April 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Multiple Google Places for Business

Multiple Google Places for Business

There’s no doubt about it; Google has forever changed our lives and our businesses. This is especially true when it comes to Google Places. Google Places is one of the best and cost effective ways to be found online. After all, not only is it free, it also integrates with Google maps, so people can physically find you, and the Google search engine, so people can find you online. Google Places also offers a section for images, videos and customer reviews so future customers can learn more about your business.

Small business owners with only one or two locations find it easy to use. But what about large business owners, the ones with many locations? Can they get as much benefit from Google Places? The answer is yes. Google has recently unveiled their bulk listing manager and uploader, which promises to be a real boon for large businesses.

Not that every business qualifies for a bulk listing or even a Google Places listing at all. The types of businesses that qualify to do bulk listing are the ones with physical locations. Because everything is integrated with Maps, Google Places does not accept virtual businesses or businesses where the provider comes to you without having a storefront.

For example, a REALTOR® who works out of their home without a public office is not eligible for a Google Places listing of any kind. However, a REALTOR® who is affiliated with a company or has a walk-in office is eligible. It’s important to note that the agent’s location has to be the physical office, not the area they service.

Google Places is great for any kind of retail, restaurant or storefront with many locations. Ten locations is what Google considers ‘bulk’. If you have nine or fewer locations, each one has to be handled individually.

The first step for bulk management is getting verified. There is a link for “verify for bulk” in your Google dashboard. Once you are verified, it’s a simple matter of filling out the form and waiting. When filling out this form, give Google the business email of the person who will be managing these listings. Google prefers that there be only one email to manage all of the listings included in a “bulk” package.

Verification can take up to a week. Google checks out your business to ensure its legitimacy, that all the contact information is correct, and you do have the authority to create these listings. While you wait, you can start working on your bulk listing immediately. However, the listing won’t go live until after verification has been completed.

Bulk uploading enables you to upload a spreadsheet with all relevant information on it for each location. Typically, this spreadsheet contains name of business, phone number, hours of operation, websites and more. Google makes this process as easy as possible for you by providing a spreadsheet template for your use. It also has a guiding feature to point out errors and to help you correct them.

Once you’re verified and your listings go live, the person who logs in with the given email address and login makes any changes that need to be made. You can add or close a location at any time. You can even do another bulk upload without going through verification again. In fact, the only time you need to go through verification again is if your places account sits inactive for too long.

Now that all your locations are uploaded and live, it’s time to have some fun with them. Even franchises like McDonalds don’t all look alike or have the same features, though they do all sell the same food. While it’s important that you brand yourself consistently, you also have the ability to customize each listing to bring out its best features.

It all starts with the photo. Each location needs its own photo of the building. This helps differentiate multiple locations. It also helps the customer when they are in your area looking for a special location.

Next, comes the description. Even though your stores will be similar, each one should have its unique description. This gives you the opportunity to optimize for location specific keywords, excite the customers in that area and create the original content that Google loves to show.

Providing different images or videos of each location is another way to differentiate your locations. This helps fill out your places page, encourages interaction, and delights your future customers as they can now see which location is best for them. Sometimes, it’s not always the closest one.

Google Places has a section for promotions, contests and special offers. Google allows you to post special offers that are available at some locations, but not all. This is a great way to drive traffic to an underperforming location or to celebrate a special location’s specific event such as a grand opening or anniversary.

Google Places is one of the easiest, most cost effective ways to be found online. Not only does it benefit “small,” it also gives large businesses a chance to brand themselves as “small.” Even when people know you’re part of a larger company, differentiating each location through Google Places gives each location a more ‘small business’ feel and helps make it an important part of the community.

See our other post for Social Media Managers at:
http://smmcp.wpengine.com/blog/ and learn more about our Social Media Management Certificate Program at: http://smmcp.wpengine.com/

By Martin Brossman and Karen Tiede

Research by Mercedes Tabano II

Filed Under: Education, Resources, Social Media Management Tagged With: , ,

Social Media Job Titles Defined

March 20, 2014 By 1 Comment

Social Media JobsSix Social Media Roles: Is This a Position For You?
The vast world of social media offers several different roles depending on business size. Understanding the business audience is the first step in developing a solid social media plan and then fleshing it out with content. But whose job is it to determine audience type and who develops content? Who manages the business’ social media platforms and ensures a consistent message is bringing a positive return on investment (ROI)? Who reports to business leaders?

Online Community Manager:
The primary voice of the company to the outside world is the online community manager. Outreach may include press releases, blogs, website content, social media content, review sites, and forums. By awareness of a company’s online reputation, you will address complaints professionally and timely, and voice appreciation of positive remarks. You will either define the voice of the company or take a predefined voice and ensure consistency and professionalism. Part of your job is to shape the interaction of people within a community, such as matching a support person with a consumer who needs help.

To be successful you will work closely with the company marketing director to align online goals with overall business goals. You will generate relevant reports to deliver to business leaders to show ROI. Relevant reports will change based on the business. A company heavily invested in customer support will need to see customer satisfaction, number of complaints received and resolved, and ideas for future innovation. However a company more invested in sales will see reports based on lead generation, website visits, and interaction with potential consumers.

Social Media Marketing Manager:
Are you very familiar with the most popular social media platforms and able to easily navigate their never-ending changes? Do you collect social media key performance indicators and analyze that data to measure results? Are you able to responsibly delegate tasks and oversee execution of those tasks in a professional manner? You may fit best in the role of social media marketing manager. You may work closely with a marketing strategist or social media strategist to design a plan based on an event or timeline. You will be in charge of providing content to reach event goals and also evaluating data to monitor results. Understanding your business audience is a must, including the specific social media platforms that they use.

You need to be a creative person, proficient in developing content as well as researching and repurposing relevant content, and excel in engaging consumers online. You will follow the style guidelines of the business to provide consistent voice, style, and “feel” to the created content. You should be comfortable working with a variety of individuals inside of the business including IT (for help with computer needs and potentially website needs), business leaders (to ensure business goals are recognized and met and that the appropriate voice is being used) and employees (for content creation and ideas).

Social Media Strategist:
A social media strategist develops a strategy for compelling content for online audiences, including content on social media, blogs, websites, and press releases. Simply posting cute kitten photos will not convert viewers to buyers on your social media; the content needs to direct people to your website or store front and encourage them to make purchases. You will design a plan based around business goals. As the brand ambassador, you present the company’s brand on social media platforms to engage and generate leads.

What makes a good social media strategist? They are usually goal-oriented people who understand social media audiences and their behavior, and are able to communicate clearly and succinctly with those audiences. You also communicate to business leaders ROI for social media plans, and have a deep understanding of social media data, with a way to track results inside the business.

Social Media Marketing Coordinator:
A social media marketing coordinator could be a combination of a social media strategist and social media manager. You must be adept in designing social media campaigns and developing content for those campaigns which elevates the business brand. Having an intimate knowledge of the social media landscape and an ability to learn new social media platforms as needed is required. You need to thrive in fast paced environments, learn quickly, be self-motivated to learn new things, and be team-oriented. You will work closely with many members of the business to garner ideas for content and you will need to have an excellent ability to listen to consumers and deliver to their needs and desires. You may also be providing photos and videos for your social media accounts.

 Social Media Marketing Consultant:
Are you more interested in working for yourself and consulting other businesses on social media? Do you love the challenge of designing new plans based on each company’s needs and goals, and enjoy working with a wide range of professions? Do you have a excellent understanding of the various social media platforms to develop a solid plan for any type of business? Then social media marketing consultant may be the profession for you!

A consultant is able to step into any company, from arboretum to zoo, bank to hair dresser, and develop a social media plan to help them grow. You need to be a good listener and observer, able to navigate intricacies of each individual business to find things that make it stand out in its area. Working closely with the business manager, owner, or marketing specialist, you provide training on social media platforms from the bottom-up, sometimes creating the business pages for the company and educate on content creation and planning. A consultant’s gig may last for just a few hours, providing a company with ideas and solutions, or it may last a few weeks while the consultant transforms the company’s social media presence. A consultant may also present social media to a group of individuals, such as classes Martin Brossman and Karen Tiede offer.

 Blogger/ Social Media Copywriter:
This position may be included in one of the above or may be a stand-alone, depending on the business size and needs. A social media copywriter writes, reviews, and edits materials such as social media posts, blog posts, website content, press releases, and more. You will work closely with team members across a business to understand goals and the target audience. Superb written and verbal communication skills are required as well as project management and organizational skills. A blogger has to work well under pressure to meet deadlines and adapt quickly and efficiently to the business needs.

As the blogger/copywriter you will likely be providing photography or graphs for your content. Start compiling your stock photography now and treat every day like a photo shoot. Label and organize your photo files so that you can easily recall a photo for content. A basic understanding of a photo editing software is helpful and understanding of a graph developing software, such as Microsoft Excel, is important.

A blogger creates content that engages and attracts readers, often redirecting them to the business website in order to generate leads.

 It is apparent that there are many different types of social media jobs. Depending on the size of the company all or just one may be needed to successfully manage the company’s online presence. If you are knowledgeable in social media and you’re interested in taking your career to the next level, start researching companies who are hiring for these positions to see if it’s a good fit for you. You may also benefit from many classes taught by Martin Brossman and Associates.

by Heather Cutchin Evans – learn more about Heather at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/heathercevans

Learn more about the Social Media Management Training at http://smmcp.wpengine.com 

Filed Under: Jobs & Income, Social Media Management Tagged With: , , , ,

Bilingual Social Media Online Marketing Manager

March 12, 2014 By 1 Comment
Spanish Speakers in North America

Spanish Speakers in North America

The last US census conducted revealed an astonishing large number of Spanish speakers living within the United States: 53 million. With this number quickly growing by an average 2.2% per year, speaking Spanish has moved from an interesting trait to a mandatory skill. As the Hispanic population in the United States grows, the international love affair with social media simultaneously expands. While the growth of the two is independent of one another, there’s no doubt that there’s a large interaction between the online community and the Spanish-speaking one. As such, the services I can offer you as a bilingual social media manager are invaluable.

Cultural Acknowledgement

As a bilingual social media manager, I bring more than just language skills to the table. Rather, my translations extend beyond simple vocabulary to understanding cultural appropriateness, norms, and expectations. While anyone can look up words in an online translator or dictionary, I can provide your business or organization with the skills necessary to promote a positive relationship with clients and customers. This relationship, that recognizes and incorporates cultural diversity, is essential in creating and maintaining a connection between a business and its consumers.

Essential Skills

In addition to providing culturally relevant information to consumers, I possess the essential skills to getting the job done right. By having fluency in both English and Spanish, I am able to focus on:

  • Creating enticing and shareable content for various social platforms;

  • Integrating social, community-based media business strategies;

  • Creating, monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on social media trends within the Hispanic community; and

  • Acting as a liaison between communication teams, online influencers, and Spanish-speaking communities.

In addition to these cultural and lingual-specific skills, I also have all the know-how of an experienced social media manager. I fully recognize the benefits of guiding and executing strategic social media initiatives, developing and managing viral campaigns, creating and maintaining high-profile channel accounts, understanding how to grow a brand’s social presence through paid and organic means, and maintaining an influencer-level profile across key social media platforms.

Conflict Resolution and Improved Communication

A bilingual social media manager is beneficial within the workplace–not only can I help you to create a business culture that recognizes and appreciates diversity, but I’m also an effective tool in conflict resolution and communication improvement.  With a bilingual social media manager, miscommunication and misunderstandings are no longer a cause for concern. When there is a problem in the workplace, the problem can be exacerbated by a language barrier. I can help to coach clients and employees through conflict resolution, as well help promote direct communication.

Translating between English and Spanish

Translating between English and Spanish

 

Additional Benefits

A bilingual social media manger acts as the social media voice for the organization or business, and cultivates new communities and manages branded online communities. By running reports and translating metrics and data into useable information, I’ll help to guide the overall communication strategy of the brand. Additionally, I promise to engage in and lead a community of social media followers across all platforms. In conclusion, a monolingual social media manager can no longer be considered the most effective means of creating and maintain meaningful social media; rather, a bilingual social media manager provides the cultural expertise and language know-how to accomplish the task at hand; I will provide your organization with both.

by Olga Santo Tomás Monroe   919-604-0104   olgamaria3@aol.com

Filed Under: Education, Social Media Management
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