Slippery Rock Gazette

Stephen Alberts

Countertop Marketing 

Google maps (currently called Google Business profile) is a MASSIVE opportunity to get more countertop jobs. When people search in Google for “granite countertops” or any of the other terms that are popular in the industry, they will see ads at the top, the maps section and then the organic section as shown in sample 1. 

The beauty of the maps section is in the reviews. Reviews give a business “social proof.” The best way to explain social proof is when something goes viral. Say there is a post on social media of a cat doing a backflip. It gets shared and liked, and all of those shares and likes add to the social proof of the cat post. So then more people share/like it and the cycle keeps going. 

For your countertop shop that most likely won’t happen. But your Google reviews are a form of that. If a homeowner searches for countertops in their local area and they see three companies in that maps section, which do you think they will look at first? The one with the most reviews, of course! And Google does a great job with showing that star rating up front and center! So…

Tip #1: Get more reviews.

Yep, you got it. You need more reviews for your fab shop’s Google maps profile. You don’t need 100 a month, but you should shoot for two to five per month. 

The tricky part about it is the odds aren’t great. If you ask 20 customers you will probably get about two to five reviews (10 % response rate, or so). The best ways to ask for reviews are:

• In person, after the job. Have your install crew ask for the review right then and there. We give our clients small handout cards that have a QR code a homeowner can scan with their phone and give a review. I have found this approach works great!
• Call them a week after the job. People are still “in love” with their new countertop a week later. Plus, you want to call them to see if everything is OK. That’s good customer service, plus you can ask for that review! 
• Follow up with an email and an SMS message. Since the percentage is low from asking for a review to getting one, you need to hit it from all angles. Send an email and a text message. Send the customer right to your Google profile.

Tip #2: Completely fill out your profile.

There are a couple of common mistakes I see in Google profiles There are many fields in your Google maps profile that you can fill out (or not fill out). A lot of the time, I see this profile has not been completed, and if you don’t fill it out, you are missing out on getting more exposure from homeowners. 

But the biggest mistake I see is not picking the correct category for your countertop shop. Use the ones listed in the image below. When you log into your G maps profile, go to Info and then you can edit the categories on that screen. 
You are probably thinking, “I’m not a granite supplier!” but this is all we have to work with in Google. We know that suppliers in the industry supply your company with material, but we are limited with the categories that Google will accept. Also, feel free to leave out “cabinet store” if you don’t sell cabinets. 

In that Info screen make sure to fill out everything on that page. 

Down at the bottom there is a From the Business section where you can add content. It holds up to 750 characters, so make sure to complete it. And a ninja tip is to add some keywords to this section. 

Do not stuff it with keywords, but if you are a countertop company in Tampa, it won’t hurt to include, “countertop company located in Tampa,” “granite and quartz countertops in Tampa,” and similar keywords in your description. Make it natural, though, using complete sentences. Remember, you don’t want to overuse keywords in this section. 

Another section where I often see companies make a misstep are the business hours. You want to make sure your hours are accurate, and also that they are consistent on your Google maps page, your website and any other profiles you have out there (like your Facebook page, Yelp page, etc.). Google looks at this info as a ranking factor, so the more accurate it is across the board, the more you will show up when people search. 

Tip #3: Add pictures (and posts) each month to your profile.

Google wants you to use their products. Not abuse them, but use them.

There isn’t much you can do with your G maps profile (besides consistently getting reviews), but did you know can post images and posts each month? 

What do most countertop shops have out there that they can share? Project pictures! You should be taking pictures of each completed project and posting them on social media.

Another place that most don’t think to post on are Google maps. When you are in your profile go to the Photos section and upload some pictures to your profile. 

I recommend adding at least a few pictures a month (a few a week would be even better), but even five or so a month is good. Try to do it consistently. 

You can also post on your profile each week. Maybe it’s about new material you received, or if you added a blog post on your site, add that to your profile.

Again, keep it consistent and try to do it each week or at least each month. 

With your posts and your pictures, make sure it’s all unique content. You don’t want to post stock photos or copy and paste borrowed text into the posting box.

Follow these 3 tips and over time you will see more traffic to your Google maps profile, which will result in more countertop projects. 

Stephen Alberts is the owner of the Countertop Marketing Co. They specialize in helping countertop companies grow the retail side of their business outside of word-of-mouth and referrals. 

To learn more, book a free strategy call at www.countertopmarketingco.com or email steve@countertopmarketingco.com.