Get Found 2016 | Breaking Even Communications

This is the best picture Nicole took at Get Found. She is adding it to this blog post to show that no one physically fell asleep during the event.

On January 15th, we hosted our first workshop of the year with Jim LeClair of Smart Data Map Services right here at Anchorspace, the coworking space we work out of.

We had an impressive turnout, even after capping the registration early (thanks to everyone for being awesome and getting a bit cozier than we anticipated).

For those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s what the event was all about (unfortunately, we don’t have any of Nicole’s so-called ugly but very delicious cookies left to share with you…)

What is GYBO?

“Get Your Business Online” is an initiative from Google to help small businesses succeed on the internet (which is also what we do!).

It’s geared toward small businesses to encourage them to get listed on Google with updated information, which will in turn direct more people to their business location, website, or both. You’re probably familiar with Google as a search tool generally, and won’t be surprised that it’s the most commonly used search engine. When people use Google to search for your business, you want to make sure your information (like hours and location) are correct. The easiest way to do this is to create a Google Business listing (oh, and it’s free!).

To help with this set up process, Google works with partners (like our friend Colin at Root Deeper Marketing), which gave Nicole the idea for this event. Jim LeClair agreed to join and discuss some of what he does with mapping for businesses to make the agenda a bit more interesting, and Get Found 2016 was born.

The Presentations

Jim talked Data Maps. Most of us rely on some form of GPS system for directions, and it’s a little bit frustrating for businesses and customers when an address is incorrectly listed on these maps. That’s where Jim comes in. Jim’s presentation shared the importance of having an accurate address associated with your business listing on Google (and other services). Two important takeaways: 1) filling out as much information as possible in any listing can only help you and 2) many business are identified by phone number so having separate numbers for separate businesses makes sense. For more information about data mapping and Jim’s business, check out his website.

Nicole talks Google+. As far as social media platforms go, Google+ is pretty underrated. No one ever comes to us saying “Hey, our business really wants to get active on Google+, can you help?” (usually they ask about Facebook). Nicole gave a presentation about Google+ for Businesses, explaining the benefits for business marketing and some examples of the different types of content to share. You can watch Nicole’s full presentation here.

What Can You Do?

Even if you missed the event, or don’t have a business to list on Google, there are a couple ways you can show support for area businesses.

Leave a review on their Google+ page.

2. This is a fun tool we found while preparing for Get Found 2016. It’s an online tool from Google that creates a postcard based on your 3 favorite businesses that you select, and then you can share on social media. You can create yours here (Note: this link is set to Bar Harbor businesses, but you can pick any town you want!).