Google My Business

I am so excited to walk you through this step because it is one of the best tools for helping clients find you online. It is something I slept on for so long and I absolutely will not be gatekeeping it now. I know the power of what this can do for your business, especially if you're someone who wants to grow a client base or add more clients to your client books. So I want you to just start by thinking about how often you turn to Google for anything. How often do you use Google to search something? Maybe it's to find a new place to grab coffee, or maybe when you're looking for a local shop or a local service, how often do you use Google to find something? Well, your clients do the exact same thing when they are looking for a nail tech or beauty services nearby. And that is where Google my business, or GMB as it's sometimes known as becomes so powerful. First of all it is a free tool and second of all it puts your business right on the map, quite literally when people are searching for services like yours in the area. So I want to start with a quick task. Now if you are watching this on your mobile phone, if you could grab your iPad or your laptop, that would be great. If you don't have any other device to hand, watch this video, give me a little pause and then go and do this task. But I want to give you a feel for what Google my business can do for you and your business. So I'd love for you to just open Google and search for a few common services. So I want you to write gel nails or B AB nails or something specific that you offer and then I want you to write your town afterwards. So for example, for me I could write gel nails Liverpool or be AB nails Maisyside and you can play about with it and try a couple of options. Your town, city, area, location with what it is you offer and get specific on that. Natural nails, gel nails, B AB nails, whatever that might be and try a couple of different options. Now when you are doing this I want you to notice which businesses or competitors pop up at the top of the search results because these are often the top rated local businesses with the best Google my business profiles and also usually the highest number of reviews as well. Now they're often the first businesses people will see when they're ready to book, just like they were the first businesses that you've seen when you've typed that in. So how does that make you feel? Were you near the top? Was it a local business that you know of that you think you're better than? Was it a competitor? Was it a business you've never heard of before? Who came up at the top and why do you think they came up at the top? And now I want you to try typing in your own business name and notice what comes up. Is it made easy to book in with you straight away if an existing client wants to search your specific business name on Google? Now, as you test and scroll through these searches, I just want you to pay attention again to those top listings. What do their profiles look like? What details stand out? Notice how businesses with lots of reviews and usually a mix of great photos and complete information are usually the ones that Google highlights. Well, this is exactly what we want and what we're going to aim for. For your business to be right there at the top and visible for anyone who is searching for nail services in your specific area. Now, one of the main reasons that Google my business is so effective is that it acts like a local website for you. It is completely for free. And by setting up a profile, you're creating a mini, almost like a digital shop front where clients can find you, can check out your work and can get in touch. So think of it as a chance to make a first impression that is right in front of people who are looking for services who are just like yours. And here's a quick story for you. When I ran my own salon, I had actually never typed our business name into Google before because quite honestly, I didn't have the time. I was rushed off my feet and I'd never really needed to. But then one day I had a regular client come in and she told me that she had typed us in on Google to send our location to her friend. And our salon was showing the strange unrelated makeup photo on our listing. Now, somehow it had pulled an old image either from a previous business at our address, or maybe it was actually even a past student's work. Come to think of it, who'd tagged us in this image, it definitely wasn't our work. But because we had never put any thought into the profile ourselves, Google had just used this image as the profile picture for our whole business. Now, it wasn't at all what we wanted clients to see. It definitely didn't reflect the high quality work that we offered. And, and it's likely that it probably might have cost us some clients who came across that picture and thought, oh no, that doesn't look like a salon for me. And that is why it is so important to keep an eye on your listing. Make sure it's fully optimized, and also that everything is accurate. Your reputation literally depends on it. So throughout this section, we're going to set up your profile step by step. We're going to choose your category. We're going to add photos of your work. We'll even cover how to hide your exact location if you're working from home, because I know that sometimes this can be a worry if you are someone that works from home. But we still want to attract clients without showing your actual address, we can still do that. So don't worry. So I want you to grab a notebook, or you can use your notes on your phone, if that's easier. And I want you to jot down any thoughts or questions as we go. By the end of this section, you're going to have a profile that is engaging, professional, and ready to welcome in those clients.