We’ve found this feature is often underestimated when discussing overall social media content for our clients.

In this article we’ll highlight the benefits of using and maintaining your digital listings

I (Angela) manage a number of listings for our clients in combination with their website and social media content. This involves managing and keeping up to date with the platform information requests, changes in format and feeds. As well as keeping the business information up to date and relevant. This of course works best by including supporting images and relevant content. All part of the ongoing activity for each client as they require.

Each platform takes dedicated time to keep it up to date and relevant to each business over the year. Not all businesses have the time to dedicate to this, which is where we help.

Google Listings

So, let’s take Google Listings as an example. This is one of the largest and relevant listings any business can use. Assuming your business information is up to date and the listing is active you will be found via Google Search, appearing as a list and additionally Google Maps.

When a Google search takes place, depending on the key words or specific company name in the search, your business will appear in an inset box; with instant information available for further user action, such as contact and overview business information.

The Benefits

• An up to date listing gives opportunity to be ‘found first’ during a Google search. Meaning your business is highlighted and potentially seen before your competitors
• Initial search - This happens before a user goes to your website – therefore actions can be taken earlier.
• Informative - It’s an information layer accessed as part of a search. Many users will find what they need on the listing if they just want to contact you, see product or service examples or visit your website
• Additional SEO - Over time Google will combine web search activity with your listing, such as creating a direct link to your active social media platforms, particularly Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This, of course, only happens when all are consistent, up to date and active.
• Contact information is instantly seen, such as an active phone number (with click to call ability) and a link to your website. A customer query can be answered without them actually visiting your website
• Additional features - Did you know you can add Services and Products to your listing? Yet another opportunity for a user to find your business and instantly understand what you provide.
• Reviews – Customers can leave a review for your business or service. You do have the opportunity to respond and of course, it’s important to do so, good or bad.

Beware – these are some of the obstacles we have resolved for our clients.

• Platform updates – beyond your control; these take place regularly and need to be managed. Great for security and assessing if a business is ‘live’ and active. If left unchecked your listing will start to lose its position.
• Visible listing - Although often Google generates an automatic ‘listing’ based on website activity. It is not ‘yours’ until you take ownership and verify the listing. That’s when you start to gain the benefits and create specific activity in relation to your business
• New business listing – This should be relatively straight forward to set up if the business its self is new and not previously listed.
• Outdated old business listings – not so straight forward. If you have an old listing that is out of date and not owned by you, this will need to be treated carefully. There is an entire process to follow, which can’t be short-cut.
• Avoid creating a business ‘clash’ – A duplicate listing will create a clash at some point, your listing may be identified as a duplicate and removed.
• Changing name and address – this needs to be done properly and will require additional verification

It’s important to keep the integrity of your business listing from the start, but of course you don’t always have access to this until a later date, particularly when you have ‘inherited’ the listing. At this point nothing can be taken for granted and it needs to be dealt with by someone who knows what to do.

We have found the most complicated issues are when a business has changed ownership or management, leaving out of date information associated with an active business. There are several ways to address this issue, but from my experience it isn’t an instant result. A process needs to be followed and adhered to. Worst case scenario is the listing has to be recreated and merged with the old listing. It’s all doable but often takes more time than expected and requires ‘head office’ input.

We would advise not to be tempted to try to resolve an existing listing yourself unless you have experience of the platform (e.g. Google)

But whatever the business type, a business listing is beneficial only if it is managed regularly (weekly), as this helps to capture any activity and information updates, along with the opportunity to share or highlight your new products or services

We support our clients as little or as much as they need over all social and digital platforms as they require

Our clients know the impact created over all platforms; as we offer monthly summary reports pulling all the information together in one place to enable conclusions to be drawn and priorities and future actions assessed. This saves them time accessing each platform to download the summaries in order to draw conclusions

Here at u-look-i-c Ltd we provide meaningful feedback via real data, reporting or platform statistics, which makes each action measureable and in line with your business strategy. The results help us to identify and guide you through next steps.

We are your professional partner to business growth

Contact us for more information or to set up an initial conversation.