Often confused with traditional marketing materials, the concept of branding can appear to be a grey area that businesses might not be sure of how to navigate. Rest assured, you’re likely already branding your company in ways you didn’t realize. This article will discuss how to brand your Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business.
Navigate this article
- Let’s Brainstorm
- Your product or logo is not your brand alone
- How to brand your Google Business Profile
- Bottom line
Let’s Brainstorm
When you want people to think of your business, what do you want them to think of? What do you want them to say about you to their family and friends? Take a minute and brainstorm or write down a list of things, adjectives, phrases, or feelings that come to mind. What do you promise to your customers? What type of experience do you want them to have?
Your product or logo is not your brand alone
Many people blur the lines between what branding actually means and stands for. Branding is not a physical object- it’s a concept. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors and makes your business stand out.
Your logo may represent your branding but is still not your brand. However, how you use the logo, your slogan, product, business name, service, etc., should all communicate one central goal: your brand.
Every aspect of your business should be cohesive, tying into one another to create your overarching company identity. This brand identity is what draws interest and prospective clients or customers.
Examples:
The most typical examples of branding are oftentimes using large corporations such as Nike (swoosh, “just do it”), Apple (logo, products, “i” prefix), and Coca-Cola (a company synonymous with the drink). But when it comes to small and local businesses, branding isn’t always a nationally recognized slogan or logo.
Now think about a local business that you believe has a strong brand identity. Give them a quick search on Google, and review aspects of their online presence that add to their brand. While your business might be completely different, it’s a good way of understanding what to aim for.
How to brand your Google Business Profile
Cover photo
Your cover photo or the photo that shows in the top left corner of your GBP above your company name should be the photo that best represents your business and brand.
Examples:
For a coffee shop, this might be an internal photo of what the business looks like- the ambiance and feeling that makes people want to stop in and catch up with an old friend or get some work done.
For a marketing company, this might be the inside of the office with the logo displayed clearly in the background, representing the real people that do the work and the company for which they all work and share the same goal.
For a local gym, this might be the inside of the gym, showing people working out. Prospective gym-goers will get an idea of what the environment is like, how people operate within, and what equipment they can use.
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While these are all just examples and are different for each business and what their goals are, a cover photo should be able to evoke a feeling within someone viewing your business profile. In return, it will hopefully lead to them visiting and becoming a customer.
Free marketing kit
Google offers business owners a free marketing toolkit they can use to help bring brand awareness to their GBP. Make posters, social media posts, share insights and create promotions. Google even offers a free video to businesses that can be used on their GMB & social media.
Other websites like Canva also offer free branding and marketing tools that are customizable. Create posters, presentations, logos, posts, flyers, Instagram stories, and more.
Add photos
As touched on in the last two sections, photos are one of the most important aspects of branding your GBP. Customers can understand, visualize, and gather information about your company based on what photos you post. In fact, customers are more likely to request directions from your GMB profile if you have photos.
Think back to the exercise you brainstormed at the beginning of this article. What do you want people to remember from your company? How do you want to be portrayed? Having answers to these questions will help you determine what photos will be beneficial to post.
Description
Part of branding is making sure you are getting your designated voice and tone out into the world. How do you want to sound? What is your mission? Use your Business Profile description as a way to include your mission statement or elevator pitch. Make it unique to your company.
Make yourself known
One of the most important aspects of branding is awareness. Making people aware of your business allows you to get a good idea of how well you’re portraying your brand based on feedback and engagement.
Share your Google Business Profile on social media, and encourage friends, family, followers, and other local businesses to share it as well!
Request reviews
One great way for receiving free brand awareness is by requesting reviews from customers. Google Business Profile insights offer a section for “What your business is known for.” This section gathers brand information from reviews and compiles a list of keywords that show how your business is represented. The examples Google gives are “cozy,” “romantic,” & “notable cocktails.”
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Bottom line
How you portray your business online will directly affect how your customers view you and how likely they are to use or purchase your product or service. Therefore, focus on your brand identity and spread awareness when you’re revamping your Google Business Profile- you should be proud of it!
RiZen Metrics is a full-service digital marketing agency that has a team of skilled professionals who can help you with Google Business Profile management. We can optimize, manage, and maintain your profile to ensure that you’re ranking on the local search results pack for your business’s area. Contact us today and let’s talk strategy.
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