The Pluses of Google+

While Google+ has struggled to establish its foothold among the social media pantheon of Instagram, Twitter & Facebook, the social media platform offers very real benefits for local businesses, such as auto recyclers. Google Plus Local, more specifically, is a powerful social tool that can help:

• Increase clicks to your website
• Earn customer reviews and
• Even increase the likelihood you will end up on the 1st page of a Google Search results

What’s in it for Auto Recyclers?

The need for digital advertising has finally caught up to the world of auto recycling. More and more potential customers are going online to find services. Whether a person’s car has broken down or they are in need of a new part for their car, 64% of people say that the web is the first stop for service discovery. Not only that, but 68% individuals are more likely to select a recycler if it has online reviews.  Over 50% of auto recyclers and collision shops do not have a web presence. Google Plus is the easiest, and most intuitive place to start, and we are here to show you how.

How Does it Work?

A few years ago, Google bought popular rating service, Zagat. With their acquisition, Google adopted Zagat’s portfolio of local business reviews and their business rating system. Google is now able to harness the power of Zagat’s customer reviews and provide recommendations, all based on customer-provided experiences. As long as retailers create business pages, Google now has the ability to incorporate those pages and subsequent reviews into their search results.

This Feels A Lot Like Yelp….

Except for one crucial fact: Recyclers (and other small businesses) can merge their Google Plus Local with their Google Plus profile. That means that your business can gather reviews on Google Plus Local, with all the perks that come with a Google Plus profile. Google Plus may not be as widespread as Facebook, but for niche industries Google Plus is a fantastic way to increase brand exposure, speak directly to customers, and allows businesses to have a web presence, even if it doesn’t have a website. Bottom line: participating in Google Local and Google Plus can greatly increase brand exposure, local awareness and search rank. 

Get Started

Start with building your page (select “Storefront”). Make sure to include a great picture, a description, and your contact info. Next, start encouraging new customers to review you on Google Local. Although the “if you build it they will come” mantra works in the movies, in the real world, it’s important to let customers know where to find your shop. Let them know through word of mouth, email, or even cards at your register that you are on Google Plus, and you would love to receive a review.

Questions?

Send your questions and comments to gen@socialinkmedia.com and if we can’t fit that question into future blog posts, we will make sure to answer you personally!