Google for Business

[Tim Bueler]

Wondering if any of the Collective use this "free" service? Is there a catch? Does it work well for you? Is it easy enough that a dumb ole carpenter can figure out how to use it?

I would use it for posting pictures of my cabinets so that potential customers can see my work and I think/hope it would offer another point of contact. I don't know ANYTHING about it so don't really even know what relevant questions to ask. Just hoping to find some insight here.

I don't do Facebook and I'm not interested in starting. More looking for something I can set and forget except for occasional updates.

Thanks
Tim

[Jim Becker]

If your intent is for online marketing, you do need to consider "where your intended audience" is. While you may eschew Facebook for personal activities, it's one of the hottest places for marketing at the present time because of the huge audience and their inherent ability to target as specifically as you want to market. Google for Business, however, looks to be a useful tool to help identify your business to folks who search online. By disclosure, I do use their GoogleVoice for my business number because the cost is right (free) and it's convenient to use because it leverages my existing mobile device for an endpoint while allowing me to not disclose my actual wireless number publicly. I have not yet considered using the Google for Business piece, but it's under consideration. I have to determine if I can mask my location as I do not give out a physical address for the business.

[Tim Bueler]

Thanks Jim. It's the picture posting that most interests me. We moved to a very rural area (a gross understatement) and live on the fringes of that. Having the ability for customers to see what kind of cabinets I build could save them a long drive out and us a couple hours in the shop if they want a different style. I'm not really interested in expanding business as we are semi-retired, just trying to make what we do more streamlined so we can spend more time playing :).

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Tim, I'd recommend reconsidering Facebook. It is a powerful tool for exactly what you are looking for. I'm not a fan of it on many personal levels, but for a business, it's easy to set up a company page, post some pics and have a gallery to refer people to. The beauty of it is that it's easy to share among the people that are already there, which is pretty much everyone. Keep in mind that no one knows you are even in business until you tell them, so you have to get exposure.

A couple years ago I had to change careers. I needed to get some customers, so I spent some hard earned $ on the usual stuff, newspaper ads (useless), website for the local radio station (better but expensive), and finally a Facebook (best and cheapest) page with some of their advertising. You can see how many people it reaches (1000's) in your target zone, and better yet what generates views. I credit it for playing a big role in going from struggling to find work, to having a year plus backlog. Doing good work is important, but getting that initial look is equally so.