When Google introduced Business Profile (GBP) posts, it probably didn’t intend for people to use them as a social media feature.
But guess what? Everyone’s doing it anyway.
However, as Darren Shaw points out in his post, your audience on Google is already in a “transactional state of mind.” They want to buy. You should sell.
So instead of trying to educate, entertain, or blog on your Google profile, you should be actively talking about services and offers.
Let’s contrast the “social media style” with the “sale” style…
What you should never post on Google:
- How-to posts. Do you want to teach your customers a service that you intend on selling them?
- Infographics. Nobody can read that on your Google post, trust us.
- Tips. Could be a great blog post or a video, but not a Google post.
- News. Nobody cares about the latest news when they’re looking to buy.
- Keyword stuffing. Posts don’t impact your rating.
- Blog posts. No value here. Doesn’t rank and nobody will read it.
- Good wishes. Because most people aren’t your customers yet. Save it for the email.
- Recruiting. Did anyone ever look for a job via Google post?
Instead, here’s what you should post on Google:
- Special deals. If someone’s looking for a service, 50% off will sway most of them.
- Offers. Make pricing and offers visible in the graphic, like this.
- Services. Be concise in describing what you do.
- Reviews. Take your best testimonials and turn them into posts. You’re validating your brand and giving it extra visibility.
- Awards. If your brand won any awards, make sure you brag a bit.
- Case studies. Short descriptions of how you solved a problem to your customers can be a deal-maker. Try to adapt some case studies into posts.
Of course, anything else that brings your audience closer to the conversion could be your Google post. It’s high-intent, it’s engaging, and it should be among the final touch points.
See the difference?
So whenever you’re in two minds about what you should post on your GBP, ask the question – are you educating or are you selling?
And remember: it should always be the latter.