Messages on Google Maps and Search can enhance your performance driven campaigns

Google is rolling out a new update for Google Maps and Search apps that will enable businesses to contact their customer directly through messages and resolve their queries. As per the new feature update, the users can drop queries to the businesses and get prompt replies on either Google Maps or Search directly over their queries.

This feature can be availed only by verified business on Google Maps and Search provided they have enabled the message feature. Currently, businesses are using the message feature on Google Maps; soon the option will be available on Google Search app too. This would allow businesses to see the user queries right from Google Search and message customers directly.

With the ongoing Covid crisis many businesses have got adversely affected and shut down. While many have moved their store locations/ offices or temporarily closed, others have shifted to a new business altogether.

How both the parties- businesses as well as consumer benefit from this feature.

Benefits to Businesses

The new feature can be a blessing for many businesses be it a local one or large scale business.

• Businesses can leverage a detailed list of the customer search queries which is exclusive to their own business. This can help discover many long and short tail keywords for businesses and design the most effective SEM campaign like never before.
• While digital works best for awareness and engagement led campaigns, brands can boost their performance campaign too. For example, a new store promotion campaign or attracting customers with ongoing discount offers to gain store footfalls, etc.
• This can be a powerful feature in case of emergencies or supporting social issues. For example, a medical store nearby whether open or closed.

This is not all; Google is updating performance insights too. With this, in future, businesses on Google Maps and Search will be able to analyze customer’s data and search behavior and understand how customers find their businesses on Google.

Benefits to Consumer

• Customers with specific queries can always drop messages for example “new store timings”, availability of products/ services, and so on.
• Booking an appointment for store visit can be easier than ever
• No more waiting on those never ending customer care calls.
• Direct one-on-one human interactions with prompt response unlike those with chat bots.

How to use this feature

1. Look for either the Message icon or the Contact Us (Refer to the figure below for step by step illustration)

2. Write your query

3. Follow up with the businesses, if you need to, from the list of those you have reached out to. (Click on ‘Messages’ in the side menu of the app)

What happens when you send a message to the business?

A business could have multiple owners or representatives who may see user’s messages, so users could get responses from different employees.

Users must think carefully before they share any sensitive information (personal details, banking details, passwords, log-in credentials, etc.)

Manage conversations with businesses with utmost safety with features like block/ report spam, delete conversation, back-up/ save conversations as per the needs.

For making this feature more secure, a collective measure is required, both from Google and also the businesses to avoid occurrence of any case of fraudulent.

However, looking at the significantly increasing number of digital users, the addition of this simple yet strong feature is going to open new opportunities for businesses that can take many performance led campaigns to start drawing exposure, customer engagement and boost revenue.