Marketing Your Local Business Online – Google or Facebook?

Today’s Local Business Online Marketing Thursday Thought, inspired by my visit to the hairdressers, for some reason reminded me of the Eddie Izzard sketch – Cake or Death! The mind works in mysterious ways…

While Google is definitely “cake”, Facebook is only “death” when not used to its full potential. Let me explain a bit more clearly.

I was walking back from Morrisons the other morning after picking up a bit of shopping. The weather was vile, that drizzly rain that seems to be brolly proof and gets you wet anyway. As I cross the road, a flashing “Open” sign catches my eye, a new hairdressers. I had been growing my hair and it was annoying me no end, so I made one of those instant decisions to pop in and see if they could chop it off.

You know how it is, you get chatting about everything and nothing. So the business has been there for 2 months and I ask, “Have you claimed your Place on the Google Map yet?”

I was quite surprised that the answer wasn’t just no, but a no but we’ve got Facebook and that has a map anyway.

Google and Facebook are two very different mediums and work in completely different ways.

When it comes to marketing your local business online, your main priority is to be found online. Google is a search engine, it provides over 80% of UK search results and is very focused on producing LOCAL search results as far as possible.

Even if you don’t have a website (and you should!) claiming your Google Place can get you first page listings for local searches.

Facebook is a social media site. And, while it dominates the social aspect of the internet and is great for connecting with clients for many businesses, it’s not a search engine.

When was the last time you used Facebook to search for local business products or services?

Additionally, once your Google Place is set up and optimised then a quick check, update and tweak every now and then is fine. Facebook works because it is social. If you do not have the time to log in and post something and interact with your fans, then it isn’t going to work.  It is not something you can set up and leave.

I am not knocking Facebook, or any other social media, it can be a very powerful marketing opportunity.  But, claiming and completing your Google Places page is the most time efficient and cost effective way of getting your local business online right where local people are searching for you.

So which do you choose to get your local business online? Cake or Death?

Cake please – every time.

Now after watching Eddie Izzard strut his stuff, I do hope you are going to claim your Google Places page. Not sure how? Download my free guide, simply pop your name and email address into the box below.

Edit: Since writing this post, Google have introduced their new social networking endevour – Google Plus. It has since incorporated Google Places into “Google My Business”. While the buttons you press have changed, your business info is still put on the Google Map – so go claim yours!