Blog

About

Careers

Contact

Solo's blog provides the resources that microbusinesses, solopreneurs, freelancers, and other super-small businesses need to start, operate, and grow.

Blog for starting, running, and growing your business | Solo.co

Blog - All Posts

In this article:\nWhy use YP.com for your business\nHow to create and claim your YP.com business listing\nWhat should you do after you claim your YellowPages.com listing?\nYP.com, also known as \nThe Real Yellow Pages,\n gets more than 60 million visitors each month. That’s a lot of opportunity for your business to shine with a directory listing on their site. \nTraditionally, YP.com was the Yellow Pages that we used before the internet opened up a new world for us. They have adapted their platform because they know how important it is for businesses to show up online in this digital age. \nWhy use YP.com for your business\nYP.com is currently run by a company called Thryv. And over the last 125 years, the people in this company have helped small businesses get found by consumers through solid marketing practices and new technologies. \nThey have built this online directory to help lead more consumers to your business, and you should take advantage of it. \nHere are a few benefits your business can receive from being listed on YP.com: \nList your website for free\nGet found by more customers\nImprove local SEO\nAdvertising capabilities to show your business to even more consumers\nHow to create and claim your YP.com business listing\nLet’s get down to it. \nStep 1: Go to YP.com and sign up for an account. \nGo to \nyellowpages.com\n and click “Sign Up” in the top right corner. \n(Image)\n\nYou have the option to sign up with Facebook or Google or to set up a new user account with your email. Any of these options will work. Click “Join YP!”\n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create your YP.com business listing\nNext, go back to the home page for \nyellowpages.com\n and scroll down to the “Claim your business section.” Click “Get Your Free Listing!”\nOr, you can go directly to \nthis link\n. \n(Image)\n\nNext, type in your business name and phone number on the screen you are brought to. Click “Get my free listing.”\n(Image)\n\nThen, fill out your contact information and click “Claim Now.” \n(Image)\n\nAfter that, you will be brought to a form to fill out your business information. If your business already exists on yellowpages.com then some of this information will be filled out for you. If the form is blank, that means your business doesn’t exist and you can add it now. \nAdd the following information to this form:\nBusiness name\nBusiness address\nCity, state, zip\nBusiness owner first and last name\nBusiness email (for customers to contact you)\nWebsite\nBusiness category\nDescription of your business\nClick “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\n \nStep 3: Verify your YP.com business listing\nThe last step is to claim your YP.com business listing with a phone call. Simply click “Verify by phone” and YP.com will place an automated call to your business. They will show a code on-screen for you to enter into the keypad on your business phone. Once that is done, your business is officially verified on YP.com!\n


How to create and claim your YP.com business listing

In this article:\nWhy your business needs to be on Facebook\nHow to get access to your page\nHow to create your Facebook page\nWhat to add to your page\nManage your online reputation\nWhen 68% of Americans are using Facebook on a daily basis, that’s a pretty good indicator that your business should be there. More and more frequently, people are going to Facebook Messenger as their initial point of contact with any given business. \nFacebook is a powerful resource for increasing your brand awareness, growing your customer base, and showing up better in the search engines. \nWhy your business needs a Facebook page\nYour business can gain several advantages from starting and maintaining a Facebook business page. Some of the biggest benefits of putting your business on Facebook include the following:\nLow-cost, high-reach \nlocal advertising\nAdding a personal touch to your business\nProviding more information for customers\nMore opportunities to interact with customers\nImproved online visibility\nFollow the steps through the rest of this article to claim or create your Facebook page and start reaping the rewards. \nHow to get access to your Facebook page\nThe first thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that in order to manage or create a Facebook page, you need to have a personal Facebook profile. It is from your profile that you can claim and create pages. \nBefore you create a new Facebook page for your business, you’ll want to be sure that there isn’t already a business page out there. There are two instances when this will be the case: Facebook created an unofficial page for your business, or someone \nelse\n created a page for your business. \nHow to claim an unofficial Facebook business page\nSometimes Facebook automatically generates an unofficial business listing for your company. This can occur if users are trying to “check-in” to a business that they recently visited, but for which no official Facebook page has been created. \nIf enough people are trying to check in, Facebook recognizes that as a real business and tries to provide that information for its users. \nFacebook has also generated “unofficial pages” based on Wikipedia articles. If a business is listed on Wikipedia and the owners didn’t create a Facebook page, Facebook may just create one for them. \nWhen a page is unmanaged, it will indicate “Unofficial Page” below the cover photo. \n(Image)\n\nFollow these instructions to claim your unofficial page:\n Click “Is this your business?” below the cover photo at the top of the page. \n A window will pop up with two options: “Merge *your business* into a Verified page you manage” or “Claim and verify *your business* with a phone call or documents.” Select the appropriate option. If you don’t already have a Facebook page, select “Claim and Verify…” and click Continue.
\n(Image)\n\n You will have two options to claim your listing: verify by phone or verify with documents. \nTo verify by phone:\nEnter your business’s phone number and click “Call Now.” You will need to make sure you can answer an incoming call from Facebook to that number, which will give you a 4-digit verification code to enter on the following page to verify your account. \n(Image)\n\nTo verify with documents:\nFacebook will prompt you to scan an official business document to prove that you are the business owner. This option can take up to 24 hours because Facebook has to verify the documentation. \n(Image)\n\nOnce your page is claimed, you’ll have access and can update all of your business information, update your profile and cover photos, add new photos and videos, and post content on a regular basis.\nHow to claim a Facebook page that someone else owns \nThis process can be a little more tricky. If you took over a business that someone already created a Facebook page for, or if another employee (or someone else) created a business page and you don’t have access, you’ll want to go through the process of adding yourself as an “admin” to that page. \nThe easiest way to do this (if possible) is going to be for the person who created the page to give you admin access to the page. \nFor this, they just need to follow these instructions:\n Go to the business page. \n Click “Settings.”\n Go to “Page Roles,” and under “Assign a New Page Role” enter the name or email of the person whom you wish to give access.\n Change the dropdown item next to the name to “Admin” and click “Add.”\n(Image)\n\nIf you don’t know who created the page or the person has left your company and you can’t get access by asking them to grant it, that’s when things get a little hairy. Your best bet is to instigate a chat with Facebook’s customer support team to work this out. \nFollow \nthis link\n for quick access to Facebook’s support team. Click “Get Started” and give Facebook as much detail as possible into your situation. \nFacebook will usually ask for documents to verify your affiliation with the business and will work to move the page ownership over to you. \nHow to create your Facebook business page\nNow, if you know that your business does not have a Facebook page, it’s time to create one. \n Start by logging into Facebook with your personal Facebook account on a desktop computer or laptop. \n Click “Create” at the top right of your window, and select “Page.”
\n(Image)\n\n
\n Click “Get Started” on the “Business or Brand” option to create your business page.
\n(Image)\n\n
\n Name your Page with your business’s name. Be sure that the name is the same name you use on your \nGoogle Business listing\n and other online profiles. Select the category that best describes your business.
\n(Image)\n\n
\n Upload your profile and cover photos. Your company logo and a staff or office photo are perfect for this.
\n(Image)\n\n
\n(Image)\n\n
\nAfter these steps, your business page is official and yours!\nWhat you should add to your business’s Facebook page\nNow that your Facebook page is official and created, it’s time to add all of the relevant information your customers need. \nGo to the About section on your business page to update your company’s information. \n(Image)\n\nBe sure to include all of the following information:\nCreate a page username\nCompany start date\nBusiness type, if relevant\nCompany mission\nPhone number (should be the same number you list on Google)\nEmail\nWebsite\nLinks to other social accounts\nCompany overview\nAwards\nProducts or Menu\nPrivacy Policy\nYour story\nLastly, be sure to add plenty of photos and start posting to your Facebook page to help customers get to know you better. Invite your friends and family to like and share your page to start building up your Facebook reach. \nManage your online reputation\nNow that you’ve got your Facebook page claimed and you have added everything your customers need to know, it’s time to start pushing reviews to your page and building up your online reputation. \nSources:\n
\nhttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/\n
\nhttps://sproutsocial.com/insights/index/\n
\nhttps://www.facebook.com/help/168172433243582?helpref=uf_permalink\n

How to create and claim your Facebook business page

In this article:\nWhy sell on social media?\nHow to add your products to Facebook and Instagram\nHow to start selling on Facebook and Instagram\nCompatible 3rd-party eCommerce platforms\nSmarter small business owners have been moving more aspects of their businesses online over the last few years. The world is strongly transitioning to a more digital commerce space, and even local businesses are having to compete with the likes of Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and other online stores. \nLocal brick-and-mortar stores still have lots of appeal and unique benefits, primarily in a personalized customer experience and great service. But even this type of business should have a strong online presence, and ideally be selling in a “unified commerce” model where your products and services are available in multiple sales channels.\nSuper small, one-person shops, microbusinesses, freelancers, and sole proprietors can get started or even flourish by selling their products and services entirely online.\nThrough your business Facebook page, you can now set up an eCommerce store that allows you to get more visibility for your products from your social media audiences on Facebook and Instagram. You’ll even be able to advertise your products easily to reach your target customer. \nWhy sell on Facebook and Instagram?\nNow is the time for your business to take advantage of the number of people using these two social media giants. With nearly 3 billion active monthly users on Facebook and 1 billion users on Instagram worldwide, you have a lot of opportunity to reach new customers. \nWith more people opting to order online pickup from grocery stores, do their shopping on Amazon, and spend hours each day on social media, it’s more important than ever for you to be selling online. Facebook and Instagram are the perfect place to get started if you aren’t already there, and if you have an online store, it might be easier to start a social media shop than you think. \nHow does a Facebook store work for small businesses?\nSetting up a Facebook shop will allow you to sell products directly from your business Facebook page. You’ll have two main options for getting your page set up: upload your products directly to Facebook or import your products through a third-party eCommerce system. We’ll go more in-depth on each of these options below.\nSet up a your business Facebook page\n if you don’t already have one. \nOnce your products are loaded onto your Facebook page, visitors can click on your “shop” tab in the menu on your page and start purchasing from you like any other eCommerce site. Make sure that you continue to grow your Facebook audience in order to gain more opportunities to get new customers. \nHow does shopping on Instagram work?\nMost companies that have a Facebook page also have an Instagram account because the two are so closely connected (Facebook owns Instagram and many of the features and demographics interconnect between platforms). You can link your Facebook page to Instagram and easily cross-post content without having to heavily manage each platform individually. \nSet up your business Instagram account\n if you don’t already have one. \nWith the eCommerce options on Instagram, there is a little bit of this integration with Facebook as well. In order to set up an Instagram store, you’ll need to have your Instagram profile connected to a Facebook catalog, which comes back to those two options we mentioned previously: uploading directly to Facebook or using a third-party eCommerce system. \nOnce your page is connected, you can share posts and stories that tag your individual products and link back to them on Facebook to allow followers to complete their purchases. \nLet’s go over how to get this started. Before you can ever sell anything, you need to get your products uploaded properly to each of your accounts. \nHow to start selling on Facebook\nThe first step is to upload your products to your Facebook page. Now’s the time to dive deeper into the two ways to do this. \nOption 1: Add your products manually\nGo to your Facebook business page and click on Shop in the menu bar. If you don’t see this, follow these \ninstructions to change your page template\n.\nClick “Go to Commerce Manager” where you’ll be redirected to Facebook’s Commerce Manager to add your products and manage your store. \nNext, follow the prompts to link your business accounts, set your shipping and return options, and set up payouts. \nOnce the shop is set up you can add a catalog of your products. Select “Create Catalog” in the eCommerce manager. If you don’t see this option, go to \nhttps://www.facebook.com/products\n. \nSelect the category that best describes your business: ecommerce, travel, real estate, or auto. For most businesses, you’ll likely select ecommerce. 
\n(Image)\n\nClick next and then select “Upload Product Info.” Under “Who owns this catalog?” make sure that the correct Facebook business page is selected. And then name your catalog. Click “Create” and then “View Catalog.”
\n(Image)\n\n
\n(Image)\n\nIn the menu on the left, select “Products” to start adding products to your new catalog. 
\n(Image)\n\nFollow the prompts to add your products. Click “Add products.” From here you will have the option to add each product manually or to create a Google sheet to bulk upload your products (recommended if you have a large inventory that regularly changes). We’re going to walk you through the individual product loading in this guide. Select “Add Manually” and click “Next.”
\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nUpload an image for your product and add the following information: name, description, content ID or SKU (if you have it), link to product on your website, and price. Repeat this process for each product.
\n(Image)\n\n
\nOnce your products are uploaded, click “Use Cases” on the left menu bar.
\n(Image)\n\n
\nSelect “Get Started with Page Shops” and connect a Facebook Business page to your shop. Once your page is connected, your shop items will automatically be generated in the “Shop” section of your page. 
\n(Image)\n\nOption 2: Use a third-party ecommerce platform\nSeveral third-party ecommerce sites are partnering with Facebook to help their customers easily add their products to their business pages on Facebook. If you are currently using a third-party service to sell your products on your website, find out if your provider is offering Facebook integrations that will allow you to automatically add each of your products to your page. \nHere are some of the ecommerce sites that are working with Facebook on this:\nEcwid\nShopify\nBigCommerce\nWoo\nChannel Advisor\nCedCommerce\nCafe24\nTienda Nube\nFeedonomics\nMake sure your Facebook page has a shop section and follow the instructions from your individual ecommerce solution to upload your products to your Facebook page. \nHow to start selling on Instagram\nIn order to sell and advertise your products on Instagram, you’ll need to get your products added to a Facebook account that is connected to your Instagram account. Follow the instructions above for adding your products to Facebook. \nOnce you have your products added to Facebook, go to your Commerce Manager and click “Use Cases” in the left menu bar. Click “Get Started with Instagram Shopping” and connect your Instagram account to your Commerce Manager. \n(Image)\n\nWhen that is done, you’ll be able to tag products from your Facebook catalog on your Instagram posts and stories for users to easily click over to your Facebook store or website to make their purchase. \nDon’t wait to get started. It can take a little time to get everything verified on your Instagram and Facebook accounts, so get the process started as soon as possible so you can reach your customers with this new method of shopping online. \nAs you begin selling on Facebook and Instagram, these pages are going to become online extensions of your business, much like your website, so make sure you stay on top of it!\nSources:\n
\nhttps://techcrunch.com/2020/05/19/facebook-shops/\n

Small business guide: How to sell your products directly from Facebook and Instagram

In this article:\n23 free listing sites to add your auto shop to\nWhat you should do next\nMost everyone has a car, and what do they do when their car suddenly has a problem? They Google the nearest auto shop and look at the reviews of the top-ranking listings on Google. Is your auto shop showing up?\nOne way to help your auto shop show up better on Google is to add your information to several online listing sites. This shows Google that other places are verifying your information so it will transfer that trust to potential customers. \nSeveral of these websites are also popular for reviews and other places that customers search when they are in need of an auto repair. \nAs you get started with this list, just keep this important note in mind: make sure your business name, address, and phone number (or NAP) is the same on each of these sites. Inconsistencies can cause confusion with the search engines and make them less likely to show your listing. \nLet’s get started!\n1. AutoMD \nAutoMD was created specifically for customers to find auto repair shops near them. It offers easy Q&A’s to help customers diagnose the car issues they are experiencing and then guides them to the right shop for them. \n2. Carwise\nCarwise is an awesome site with its own auto shop directory. Not only that, but it allows your customers to book appointments from this platform when they find your business. Get your auto shop listed and opt-in to their scheduling capabilities for maximum opportunities. \n3. BimmerShops\nBimmerShops is the perfect place to get your auto shop listed if you specialize in servicing BMWs. They want to help their users find trusted mechanics with the knowledge and experience necessary to work on their BMW. \n4. AutoBodyAlliance.com\nAt AutoBodyAlliance.com, users can find auto insurance carriers, repair shops, and report their claims. List your auto shop here to be placed in a specialized directory for auto repair shops. \n5. BiznisDirectory\nMost online directories sort out their business by category to help their users find the thing they are looking for as quickly as possible. BiznisDirectory is no different. They have a specific directory just for auto shops that you can submit your business to for free. \n6. VolvoMechanics \nVolvoMechanics is—you guessed it—all about getting the best service for Volvo owners. So if you specialize in fixing up Volvos, be sure to list your auto shop on volvomechanics.com. \n7. ExtremeWrench.com\nExtremeWrench.com is another directory devoted to auto repair specialists. Users can search by their vehicle type to find the best auto shop for their needs. Add your auto shop to this directory for free and get found by more customers. \n8. Google My Business is a no-brainer\nYou can’t show your business on Google maps without a Google My Business listing. With Google as the top search engine, you definitely want to make sure your auto shop is showing up here. Include all of your relevant information, add photos, and make sure your hours are correct. \nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your Google Business listing\n9. Bing Places, believe it or not\nBing is still a widely used search engine, especially as the default for Microsoft Edge. So, you’ll want to make sure you have a listing here as well. If you already have a Google My Business listing, you can log into Bing Places with your Google account and import your Google listing. \n10. Yelp for auto shops? Yep!\nYelp is a huge source for customer reviews across several industries—including auto shops. Ninety percent of Yelp users that make a purchase based on their searches say they were influenced by positive reviews. Get your auto shop listed on Yelp and start getting positive reviews for more opportunities to get in front of customers. \nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\n11. \nSolo \nprofile\nWith a free Solo profile, even the smallest local one-man auto shop or detailer can have a helpful, functional SEO-friendly online presence for free. Building and maintaining a traditional website is simply too much for many super-small businesses to deal with. This is one reason a Solo profile can be such an amazing benefit. \nYour customizable Solo profile can list your business’s location, relevant contact information, links to your social pages, and any business details you want included. Sign up at \nSolo.co\n.\n12. Don’t ignore Facebook\nFacebook does count as an online listing site that Google crawls, so make sure your auto shop’s information is consistent here, too. \nCreate a Facebook business page\n for your auto shop and be sure to add your logo, photos of your shop, and other relevant information to help reinforce your brand. \nIf you need help getting set up on Facebook, follow our simple tutorial: \nHow to claim your Facebook business page\n. \n13. TripAdvisor is a must\nWhen someone is on vacation and their car breaks down, they just might be conducting their searches on TripAdvisor. This popular listing site gets 390 million unique visitors each month, so don’t miss out on any opportunities.\nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n \n14. Foursquare\nFoursquare gets more than 55 million views each month. Users can check into your auto shop and leave tips to help other customers get the best experience at your business. \n15. MapQuest (yes, really!)\nAnother popular site for tourists and vacation goers. List your auto shop on MapQuest to capture this particular group of customers. MapQuest support is awesome and will help get your listing up within days. \nCheck out their guide to \nadd a basic business listing\n. \n16. YP.com\nThe traditional YellowPages created an online directory to stay relevant in this digital age. With more than 60 million users each month, it’s safe to say that there are plenty of opportunities here. \nClaim your free business profile\n on YP.com now. \n17. Better Business Bureau (BBB)\nThe Better Business Bureau is a common platform for people to use when they want more information on a particular business, whether they are considering working for it or shopping there. BBB grades its businesses and tells people whether or not they can trust your business. \nFollow \nthis guide\n to get listed on BBB. \n18. Angie’s List is hugely important\nAngie’s List (now Angi.com) is a popular site that is most frequently used to find home and auto services. You can offer deals from your listing here to entice more customers to choose your auto shop over your competitors. \n19. BrownBook: lots of detail\nBrownBook.net is a global business listing database that allows you to add a free listing with much more detail than most listing sites. Add your logo, tons of photos, videos, a history of your company, and so much more. \n20. Use your local chamber of commerce\nYour local chamber of commerce is dedicated to helping small local businesses get off the ground. They likely have an online directory or businesses in your community, so be sure to find out how you can get your auto shop listed. \n21. Manta\nManta is a pretty cool directory site because it has a tool that allows you to check your listings across the web to see where your information is inconsistent or missing. Use this to help you list your auto shop correctly and to get another free listing checked off your list. \n22. Get listed on CitySearch\nCitySearch is all about helping its users find the best places in their neighborhoods. They want to make their platform a fun place to find new businesses, so they’ve added features like voting and award badges to help entice customers. \nTo get listed on CitySearch, add your auto shop to the \nCityGrid database\n. \n23. Try MerchantCircle\nMerchantCircle helps small businesses network with other businesses and get found by local customers search for specific services. With free marketing tools and social media features, this is more than just another site to get listed on. \nWhat next?\nThis is only a small list of the places you can list your auto shop for free, but it’s a great start to helping you rank better on Google and increase your online visibility. \nGo deeper with this article: \nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\n

23 free listing sites every auto shop should be on

In this article:\nLearn the 5 key elements of an effective marketing strategy for your independent bookstore\nOptimizing your online business presence\nEngaging with customers and getting involved locally\nWhat’s an appropriate ad spend, and where?\nHow small business software can save you time and effort\nLet’s face facts: Amazon changed everything for bookstores, and has killed off nearly all of the huge, national booksellers. Barnes & Noble is the sole remaining national chain, but recently faced serious management troubles, was hemorrhaging money, and was sold to an investment management firm in August 2019.\nIf you run an independent bookstore, you may applaud or mourn these giants’ demise, but you should take careful note and work to ensure your business offers something that Amazon (and the former big chains) can’t provide.\nIf your independent bookstore is doing well, it may be tempting to forgo budgeting for advertising or developing a solid small business marketing plan. Traditional thinking leads a lot of local bookstore owners to believe that being an edgier, quirkier, or hipper “alternative” to Amazon is all they need to thrive.\n\nThat may have worked in the pre-digital market space, but to survive today bookstores need to do more than just “be there.”\nNow, that doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money. You can never hope to outspend Amazon, who last year spent over $10 Billion on marketing trying to win even more of your local customers. \nBut if you spend some time implementing the steps outlined below, a small investment in marketing can go a surprisingly long way. Let’s get started.\n1. Optimize your independent bookstore’s online business presence\nDespite Amazon transforming the marketplace by combining the seemingly incongruous components of online shopping and real, paper-and-ink books, independent bookstore owners sometimes feel that a robust online presence is not necessary or relevant to them.\nNothing could be further than the truth. Studies show that today’s local customers overwhelmingly search for everything online, and we mean everything. Did you know, for example, that Amazon is now the nation’s top retailer of \nauto parts\n? \nWhen people look for places to spend their money locally, or talk about the best places to buy locally, that conversation now takes place online. 97% of people read online reviews for local businesses, and most consumers trust those reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family. \nWhat’s more, one bad online review can cost you 30 new customers, and a one-star drop in your business rating can result in a nearly 20% decline in revenue. These things MATTER.\nSo, even you are the very indiest of indie booksellers, the first step in your marketing plan absolutely must be claiming your business profile on all of the major review sites. Click the links for our helpful how-to articles on how to claim your profile on \nYelp\n, \nGoogle\n, and \nTripAdvisor\n. \nYou should also claim, monitor, and remember to update your profile on Facebook, Foursquare, and on independent bookstore websites like \nIndieBound.org\n and \nNewPages.com’s\n bookstore listings.  \nRead our article on claiming your \nfree business listings\n for many more.\n\nClaiming your profile on these sites, updating any incorrect info (including hours of operation, location, contact info, etc.), and monitoring them regularly is essential, because this is the number one way people find your store… and people are leaving reviews for your business there, whether you want them or not. Plus, research shows that businesses that claim their listings on multiple review sites make up to 58% more money!\nThis brings us to the next step.\n2. Engage existing bookstore customers online \nHow do you feel when you text, message, or email a friend and you get no response? Not good, right? That’s how your customers feel when they take the time to post a review and you don’t let them know you appreciate it (or offer to fix any problems they bring up).\nSmart local booksellers read and respond to all their online reviews and develop plans to get more reviews (click to learn the right and wrong ways to \nget more reviews\n in our in-depth article).\nResponding appropriately to all reviews starts attracting more customers to your bookstore and enhances your online reputation. (For our primer on \nhow to deal with negative reviews\n, click the link.) \n3. Get involved in your community and capitalize on the “buy local” movement\nSmall, independent local bookstores are gaining traction, despite Amazon’s attempt to take over the market. The biggest advantages you have over the Goliaths is you can provide the unique ambiance, positive customer experience, rare/used book selection, and personal attention to detail that huge online retailers and big box stores don’t have a hope of matching.\n\nWith some effort, you can develop fanatically loyal customers who will become your strongest online (and offline) advocates. The key is to help them feel a personal connection with you and your store.\nSo, get more involved in your community! Host local events such as book signings, poetry readings, slam poetry nights, coffee klatches (assuming you have the facilities), or anything else you find interesting. \nPost notices of these events and give or send physical, text, or email invitations to your customers. (63% of customers say they want more invites to local events, but only 12% report getting any).\nConsider working with local schools’ English departments to facilitate or sponsor reading marathons or book fairs. Volunteer for and/or sponsor the local symphony, arthouse cinema, or independent music scene. Maybe collaborate for a “taste of the town” event with your favorite local restaurants and retailers. Try to think outside the box.\nThe main goal is to become a landmark and champion for local business in your town. When people feel personally connected to a business, they visit more often, spend more, and tell more people about it.\n4. Invest wisely in targeted advertising \nNow that you’ve laid the ground work, you are ready to start spending some dough on marketing. But how much should you spend, and where?\nWe recommend you spend approximately 7-8% of your gross revenue on marketing. This aligns with advice from the U.S. Small Business Administration.\nIf that seems like a lot, consider the fact that the average small business spends 10% of their gross revenue on marketing, the typical large company spends 13%, and many businesses spend \nup to 50%\n. Yikes.\nSo where should you spend?\nFor small businesses, email marketing is by FAR the most efficient, powerful, and effective marketing tool, having an unmatched return on investment (ROI) of up to 44 to 1. In simple terms, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, it brings in up to $44. (Get more details our \nemail marketing\n article.)\nIf you’re worried about getting branded as a “spammer,” consider that 86% of customers say they actually want promotional emails from businesses they like. Relevant, timely emails are welcome, not hated.\nA simple email receipt with a “thanks for your visit,” happy birthday wishes, or special deals or offers delivered to a customer’s inbox can go a long way. Email marketing software can be a huge timesaver here (see #5 below).\nEmail is also a great way to notify your customers of those special events we discussed above. \nConsider Facebook and Instagram\nOne of the best ways to advertise without spending a lot of money is through social media. \nIf you’re not familiar with advertising on Facebook or Instagram, it’s very straightforward and pretty easy. Just visit \nwww.Facebook.com/business\n or \nbusiness.instagram.com\n to find all kinds of resources, as well as simple steps for creating your business account, creating ads, and all the other information you need to get started. \nDecide what kind of “persona” you want your bookstore to have, and use that persona in establishing the voice and personality of your social media accounts. \nThis helps your customers establish a personal connection with your business and become more engaged. \nWhen it’s time to spend money on targeted advertising, pay careful attention to the types of people visiting your bookstore, then use that information to dial into a similar audience when you spend ad money via Facebook or Instagram. \nFor example, if you have a lot of young mothers coming in with their kids to browse and buy books, you might ask Facebook or Instagram to target women ages 25-35 with children at home. \n\nIf you find your initial ad spend results in more traffic to your store, you can ask Facebook to create a look-alike list from that original advertising campaign and push it out to a different, broader set of people who match that description.\nThis is an effective way to expand your marketing to new people, while sticking with the type of demographic that has shown to be effective for your particular store.\nIf you can, hire a professional photographer for half a day. Using high quality pics in your ads and social posts helps boost social media engagement and ad effectiveness.\nThis could be photos of your books, your store, comfy reading nooks, your employees, whatever you think relevant and eye-catching. \nPosting regular photos of yourself and the other people who work at the store is a great way to help potential customers get to know you and feel like they’re a vital part of your small business family. \nPartnering with other local businesses for promotions and giveaways via Facebook or Instagram is also a great opportunity to leverage your social media accounts and get information about your store in front of a wider set of people. (See the section about community involvement above).\n5. Maximize your efforts and save time with small business software\nAlthough the four steps above are free (all it costs is your time), very few independent bookstore owners have the time or resources to dedicate to managing their online presence, collating and responding to reviews, gathering customer data, sending reminders or invites manually, etc. \nSo if this all seems a little overwhelming, consider automating as many of those critical tasks as possible with software specifically built to save local businesses time, facilitate customer reputation management (CRM), and increase revenue.\nThe right platform can help you visualize key revenue trends, benchmark against your local competition, send email reminders and promotions, and automatically request reviews from your happiest customers.\nFollowing these tips can help you grow your independent bookstore into a treasured local landmark. \nSources:\n
\nhttps://searchengineland.com/88-consumers-trust-online-reviews-much-personal-recommendations-195803\n
\nhttps://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/\n
\nhttps://deloitte.wsj.com/articles/who-has-the-biggest-marketing-budgets-1485234137\n
\nhttps://www.spinutech.com/digital-marketing/paid-media/sem/how-much-does-amazon-spend-on-digital-marketing-2018/\n

How do I market my independent bookstore? Top 5 tips

In this article:\nWhat is Google’s Local Services?\nHow can Local Services ads benefit your business?\nHow to set up Local Services ads\nManaging your leads on Google Local Services\nHave you seen those ads at the top of the search engines with the little green checkmark, reviews, and maybe even your competitors’ names on them? Wondering how you can get there? This guide to Google Local Services ads will help. \nWhat are Google’s Local Services ads?\nGoogle Local Services ads is a lead generation tool. When you complete the setup for Local Services, Google will present you as “Google Guaranteed” and show your ad at the top of relevant search results. Customers can book appointments with your business directly through the ad or go to your website to learn more first. \n(Image)\n\nLocal Services ads can only be set up for specific types of local services, like plumbing and pest control. There’s a complete list of services that qualify for these ads. Start the setup process (see how below) to see if your company qualifies. \nAnd, the best part is, you only pay for the leads that come in. Unlike traditional Google Ads that cost you money for every click on your ads, Google Local Services only charges you when a lead comes in through your ad. \nYou can even try Local Services’ budget calculator to get a rough estimate for your campaign. Check that out \nhere\n. \nHow can Google Local Services ads benefit your business?\nBeyond bringing in new leads for your business, you can expect great advantages from Google Local Services. \nYour business will be at the top of the search results, which in and of itself will bring more traffic to your website. You don’t have to manage any keyword for this, either! Google will determine when a relevant search is conducted and display your ad. And even if you don’t get leads or clicks from every user that comes across your ad, they are being exposed to your brand and might just become a sale later down the road. \nHaving a Google Guarantee also comes with its own benefits. The Google Guarantee badge not only looks good to potential customers (it’s a great trust signal), but it also comes with a legitimate guarantee that can help people who might be on the fence.\nIf you have customers from your Local Services ad who aren’t satisfied with the work you did and you have a Google Guarantee, then Google may refund the service. In the United States, Google Guarantee currently allows a $2,000 limit for lifetime coverage on claims. \nAccording to Google, this guarantee covers:  \nThe Google Guarantee covers claims up to the amount on the job invoice up to the lifetime cap for coverage.\nServices must be booked through Google Local Services. The Google Guarantee doesn’t cover add-on or future projects, damages to property, dissatisfaction with price or provider responsiveness, or cancellations.\nHow to set up Local Services ads\nIf you think Google Local Services ads are right for your business, then let’s get started. \n(Image)\n\nStep 1: Check your eligibility\nGo to \nads.google.com/local-services-ads\n and click “Get Started.” \nGoogle will then check your eligibility by making sure you are in a relevant service for the ads. Enter your country, state, ZIP code, and job category. Click “Check Eligibility.” If you are eligible for the ads, Google will move you forward in the process. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create your profile\nClick “create profile” and fill in all of the information on the form on this page:\nBusiness name\nBusiness phone\nWebsite\nOwner’s first and last name\nTotal number of field workers (excluding the owner)\nYear founded\nCheck if you are using a home address or storefront address\nBusiness address\nClick “Next.”\n(Image)\n\nNext you will need to add your service area to the account. The city you entered for your address will already be selected. You can add more cities to this service area and/or select specific zip codes for each city by clicking the dropdown arrow by the city name. \n(Image)\n\nNext, you will set up the types of services you offer within your job category. Our example is for plumbers, but select whichever services you offer and would like to receive leads for. This will help Google show your ad for relevant searches. \nFor most jobs, you will be required to carry a professional license and provide verification of that to Google before they will show these ads. \n(Image)\n\nNext, set your business hours. \n(Image)\n\nNext, preview your ad. If you’re satisfied with that snippet, click next to continue through the process. \n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Finish Google’s checklist\nOnce you complete your profile set up, Google will provide a checklist for you to work through before your ads can be displayed. Follow these instructions and you will be set. (Google’s team will check on each item as they are submitted and inform you if everything is done correctly). \nAs you start submitting each of the items in the checklist, Google will assign an account representative to you, and they will send you emails and be your customer support to help make sure you get these last items completed. \n(Image)\nThose items are:\nSet your budget and payment information (your budget will determine how many leads you can get in a month–go back to that \nbudget calculator\n if you’re unsure what to put here)\nSubmit licenses (for each field worker you said you have) and insurance details (the business owner’s name must be on the insurance details)\nComplete a business entity and owner background check through Pinkerton or Evident (the checklist says Evident, but if that’s not working, reach out to customer support and they’ll send you a link to submit your background checks through Pinkerton)\nGet customer reviews. You need at least one review before your ad can go live. These reviews are different from your Google My Business reviews. These are reviews that are specific to Google Local Services. Google will provide you with a personalized review link that you can send to customers to get a couple of reviews up on your ads. Reviews are important because they will help convert customers when they click on your add to learn more about you\n(Image)\n\nHere’s an example of what your customer will see when they click on the review link. \n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Wait for verification and watch your ads\nOnce everything on the checklist is submitted, Google’s team will work to verify that everything is correct and complete. If you are missing something or something wasn’t done right, they will inform you so that you can get everything set up correctly. \nOnce everything is approved, your ads will begin showing up on Google. \nFrom there you will be able to manage leads from your dashboard (as they come in). \nManaging your leads on Google Local Services\nNow that your ads are approved and set up, you can watch as the leads start pouring in. \nYour Local Services dashboard will basically act as a booking system in which customers can request appointments (usually just a time frame for when they need the job done), what the job is that they need, where they are located, and when their lead came in. \nWhen a lead comes in, you can follow up and set up appointments for them. You can also mark when a job is completed, at which point, you can (and should) send that customer your review link to get a Local Services review. If Google can verify from your dashboard that this person came in through your ad, they will also add “Google Verified” next to the review, adding another level of trust for potential customers. \nYou don’t have to accept every lead. You can decline requests if the job really isn’t something you do or is too far out of your service area. But it’s always best to leave an explanation so they don’t take it upon themselves to leave you a bad review anywhere else online. \nCheck out these additional digital marketing resources\nGoogle Local Services ads are a great way to increase leads for your business, but there are other things that you can and should be doing to increase the potential for organic (unpaid) leads. Check out these articles to get started:\n\nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search ranking\n\n\n25 free local advertising ideas for small businesses\n\n

144 articles found in “Marketing”

How to create and claim your YP.com business listing

How to create and claim your Facebook business page

Small business guide: How to sell your products directly from Facebook and Instagram

23 free listing sites every auto shop should be on

How do I market my independent bookstore? Top 5 tips

The definitive guide to Google Local Services ads (with walkthrough)

Recommended

How to spot fake online reviews

25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on (Updated for 2022!)

How much does it cost to rent space for a small business?

The 6 elements of an effective customer loyalty program

Important market research questions to ask before starting a new business