Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Making First Impressions

You’ve heard the saying a thousand times: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The advice is self-evident and sounds easy enough to follow until you realize that your business most often makes its first impressions when you’re nowhere to be found. In your stead is your website, your Facebook page, your voice-mail message, your ad or direct mailing, your business sign, your employees, some customer’s review or rating, or maybe your logo on the back of a Little League player’s uniform.

Google+ Local: Your key to being found through Google

If you serve a local market, your customers are searching for you online. Improve your position in their search results by establishing a free Google Places listing that will appear to consumers as a Google+ Local page. Google+ Local pages integrate business-provided information with information from other Google properties such as Search, Maps, Zagat ratings, and reviews and recommendations from friends, family, and colleagues. What’s more, Local pages are indexed by Google to appear in search results, and customers can reach them through the Local tab on their Google+ pages.

Start by going to www.google.com/places to claim and create your free listing, following these tips:

Be sure your listing is complete, with your business name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number, e-mail address, ...