After months of trying to get our Cover Buddies business verified on Google, we finally received the green light, and I am happy to announce that we are finally listed on Google Maps.
So, let’s talk about why you must get your business listed on Google Maps.
What Happened?
Registering your business on Google is straightforward. All you need to do is key in your business, name, website URL, and office address, and Google will send you a postcard with the verification code. In an ideal situation, you would just need to wait for the postcard and key in the verification code provided.
Runaway Mail
We never received any mail from Google and tried multiple times to re-apply for the code. At last, we tried another verification method: getting on Google Meet to show their reps that we were legit and operating as a real business. Google does this to ensure that businesses listed on their maps are accurate and legitimate, which is fair.
Unfortunately, Google insisted we show them our Cover Buddies business signage at the office entrance. Of course, we cannot do that as we're operating in a shared office.
How Did This Affect Us?
For one, it was stressful. Not only could we not list our business on Google so users could find us, but it also meant we had one less avenue for our marketing activities.
The insurance business is highly competitive, and we try our best to utilise every possible channel to market Cover Buddies to the masses. Our marketing channels include;
- Linkedin
- Facebook
- Email Marketing
- Google Ads
- Cold Outreach
- Blogs
Since we're a B2B-focused insurance agency, we don’t spend much time marketing on Facebook and Instagram. However, this also means we have very few marketing channels to work with. Hence, being listed on Google is essential because of the customer review section.
Because it doesn't matter how wonderful you tell everyone you are. It's more important that your customers tell others how wonderful you are.
Let's face it: we all check out reviews of places before making any purchasing decisions. The power of word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most valuable and powerful forms of marketing. And when you compare each marketing channel above, you’ll realise that getting your business listed on Google Maps has many advantages.
Linkedin
Effective in reaching out to decision-makers, but this process can be tedious and resource-intensive. Also, you can only reach out to invite a maximum of 400 prospects a month. This can be too slow if you’re a growing business with a high burn rate.
Advertising on LinkedIn can get expensive very quickly. The average campaign costs four times more than advertising on Google or other platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook & Instagram
Essentially, under Meta, we don’t spend much time on these channels (for now) as we’re a commercial insurance provider whose focus is mostly on enterprise-level products and services.
Email Marketing
Newsletters are great to keep up with top-of-mind advertising and to keep in touch. But note that the average email open rate for email marketing campaigns is 20%
That means out of every 10 emails sent out, only 2 people would ever bother to open marketing emails.
That’s the sad reality of marketing emails. They’re cheap to run, but the open rates are extremely low.
Google Ads
Bidding for keywords within the financial and insurance industry is notoriously expensive. Good luck competing against the big boys with their humongous war chest in this area.
What more? Your site loses traffic the moment you stop running ads. So essential, you cannot stop burning ad money.
Cold Outreach
Traditionally the most common way (and tedious) way to grow a business. By calling up and approaching businesses to introduce your business. The hit rate for this is extremely low.
Google Maps
Being listed on Google Maps is a big advantage. Firstly, it’s free. Secondly, it allows users to easily find your business and contact you directly. And thirdly, it allows user reviews and can be seen by a wider audience. The reviews can be seen by anyone searching for ‘Insurance Agency’, ‘Insurance Agency Near Me’, or ‘Insurance Agency.
This provides boutique insurance agencies like Cover Buddies a chance to reach out to customers looking for our products and services. The user reviews help the business stand out and present a more convincing reason for customers to pick you, instead of some other insurance provider or insurance agency.
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