“Google is fascinating, and the book isn't finished. I'm creating, living, building, and writing those chapters.”

― Susan Wojcicki, Former CEO of YouTube

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I have been part of the Grow with Google Digital Coach Program Since January and it has been a great experience. Google partnered with Main Street America to provide grants to local Main Street organizations in order to provide small businesses in rural communities free training on Google products that could support their growth. I have been working with Downtown Middletown Inc. and Heritage Ohio to train Main Street Directors and businesses all over the state of Ohio. I've met some great business owners that are supporting local economies and their families. Here are some of my experiences and how you can plug into this amazing opportunity.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

What Every Small Business Owner Needs to Do Today!

1. Google Business Profile

93% Use Google Maps to Find a Business

(source)

With Google being the number 1 search engine in the world, this may not be surprising but think about this: If your business is not on Google Business Profile then you will not get in on this action. Think about how you find a new service or business. "Google, hair salon near me." After finding options on maps, customers generally look at the reviews. This is free real estate and information that you can give to potential customers just by activating Google Business Profile. Check out how much real estate you actually get below!

GMB Listings With Accurate and Complete Information Receive 7x More Clicks

(source)

That's pretty crazy to even think about. Just by scheduling 15 min. per month to check your Google Business Profile, you are increasing the click rate on your business 7X! That's insane. Just put 15 minutes on your calendar every other week. OR if you post on any social media account, post the same thing on Google Business Profile (GBP). Check your GBP reports to see if you start to see an increase in engagement: calls, website clicks, etc.

If you have not claimed your Google Business Profile or updated it recently, please check out this video to learn more.

2. Connect Your Website to Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a powerful free tool to determine any type of data around the traffic visiting your website. If you do not have a website yet, then really focus on updating your Google Business Profile on a regular basis.

The next step would be to get a simple website up where you can provide information about your business and a way to collect leads (email and phone numbers) as well as sell your products or services. There are lots of website hosting tools out there but I'm going to recommend HighLevel as it can be used for sales and as a crm to collect customer lead information. We use it to run our business. (I am a HighLevel affiliate and if you use my link, i'll help you set up your account so you can get started faster.)

Once you set up your simple website, Google Analytics will tell you if the changes and efforts you are making are actually working to drive traffic. You can also see if visitors are taking action on your website. Visiting is one thing but engagement with your potential customers is the next level that you want to achieve.

If you have previously set up Universal Analytics, be sure to set up your GA4 because UA is not storing data anymore as of July 2023. Google has a good video series on GA4 that you can check out to learn more.

3. Knowing Your Customer

My colleague, Lindsey Newland, Google Coach from Iowa, and I did a national presentation on understanding your customer. It is so important to know who you are focusing your marketing, social media, and content toward as you try to grow your business. Marketing to all, markets to none. In this presentation we outlined how to create an Customer Persona or Avatar and how you can leverage Google Bard to help with that. Check out the recording below and stay tuned until the end. There is a free guide we created that is super helpful in doing this work. Don't skip this step as it will really help to focus your messaging efforts and to grow your business.

4. Google Bard

One of the things I have learned in doing this work is that many people are not familiar with Google Bard. (Bard.google.com) It may not be available to everyone but if you have a personal gmail account, it should be available to you. Some businesses may have blocked it but if you are the domain administrator, go to your domain controls to activate this feature.

Bard is Google's AI tool which is similar to ChatGPT. There are differences but what is nice is that Bard integrates with some of the other Google tools (Gmail, YouTube, Flights) which really amplifies its power. This tool is introduced by me in the video above. Essentially Bard can become your virtual assistant for your small business and save you LOTS of time and make your work more efficient. It is especially helpful in marketing, communication flows, SEO and other areas that may feel cumbersome for the solopreneur. I highly encourage you to try it out. Bonus: it makes travel planning MUCH easier with suggestions on flights, sights, activities and more.

I have met so many small business owners doing this work which has solidified my resolve to serve the small business community with our products and services. Everyone should have the opportunity to launch a small business if they are interested and we want to support that.

FREE TRAINING!

If you are interested in hosting or receiving some free Google Training and you live in Ohio. Contact me at [email protected] or I can connect you with the Coach in your state. Time is limited on this program so don't wait! I have access to over a dozen trainings that I can provide that will boost your business and accelerate your growth.

Also check out some of the towns that I have visited on our TikTok channel. So fun!

BONUS:

Check out our gear store for T-shirts, hats and more!