Did you know Google Maps offers you a lot more features than directions? (Especially if you’re a business owner.)
This particular feature helps to build trust with your customers. It creates a better connection with your target audience. Both of which potentially increases your ROI.
What we’re talking about is your standard business image taken to the next level: Google Maps street view.
This feature allows your customers to take a virtual tour around (and inside!) your business.
Customers can get excited about the restaurant atmosphere before walking through the doors.
…all from the comfort of their living room.
At the same time, Google Maps uses technology that automatically blurs faces and license plates. So you don’t have to worry about unwarranted privacy.
Read on to learn what specific benefits Google Maps street view can offer your business!
1. It Builds Trust With Your Customers
According to an Inc article, humanizing a brand is crucial to fostering trust.
Humanizing a brand involves adding pictures of your employees and yourself to the company website. As well as adding an “About Us” tab to your website’s menu.
Another way to humanize your business is by using Google Maps street view. Which allows customers to put a face to the business name.
This increases their comfort level, making them more likely to enter your doors.
Show, Not Tell
Also, it’s trustworthy because you’re not outright telling customers they should trust your business. You’re showing them.
What the virtual tour does is show that your business has nothing to hide. In fact, just the opposite.
2. It Helps With the Research Process
According to a Forbes article, retailers state that 82% of consumers do research online before visiting a store.
Such research may involve wanting to know what the store looks like inside and out.
Google Maps street view helps with the researching process by allowing prospective customers to take a virtual tour before visiting.
Customers can learn valuable information from this virtual tool—such as what your storefront looks like.
Other pertinent details include the overall business atmosphere and the store’s friendliness and personability.
Information that customers would have to dig for on sites like Yelp and Glassdoor.
Demonstrates Quality
Google maps street view is doing more than helping with the research process. It’s demonstrating the quality of your business.
By providing this feature to your customer, you’re showing that your business cares for its customers. And will do everything it can to provide the best customer experience.
Both of these aspects of the research process will increase the chances of customers visiting your business and making a purchase.
In fact, your potential customer can have instant access to the inside of your business within one click. After all, 43% of searches are done in Google Maps.
3. It Creates a Better Connection
One of the benefits of humanizing your business is establishing a better connection with your customers.
They know you’re legitimate, and don’t need to put up their guard. Enough said.
4. Better Access to Your Target Audience
Let’s say you’re a sports bar restaurant whose target audience is NFL football fans.
To attract your target audience, you’ve hung up football banners and memorabilia throughout your restaurant.
Well, you want to show off the decor, right?
Google Maps street view gives you that platform to do so. Suddenly prospective NFL football fans can take a virtual tour of your restaurant. They see the football decor and are hooked.
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Help Attract Local Target Audience Too
On top of that, Google Maps has over twenty petabytes of data, according to a Mashable article. In case you don’t know, that’s 21 millgigabytes and 20,500 terabytes.
Your target audience may be scouring Google Maps’ data. They’re looking for a restaurant in the Austin, Texas area.
Since you registered your business with Google, your restaurant comes up. Not just that but those customers can drop a pin to see if they’d like to dine there.
Stree view may just be the tipping point. Especially when they compare to your local competitors who don’t have street view access.
5. It Helps Customers Make Informed Decisions
Is there enough parking in the back? Do they need to come early to get a spot? What about the dress atire? Is the area safe?
These are questions customers want to know but may need to dig through a review site to find out.
Not with Google Maps street view.
Instead, customers can make all of their informed decisions by “walking around” your business.
Customers can then plan accordingly for the occasion. This helps customers to relax and not worry about any unexpected hiccup.
6. Passive Marketing
Instead of actively asking for referrals, let your customers do that for you via word of mouth.
How Google Maps Street View Helps to Make This Happen
One of your customers is having dinner with friends.
They complement him on the T-shirt he’s wearing. He then goes into detail about your clothing store.
How the staff was friendly and personable. How the prices are reasonable. And that he remains a loyal customer to this day.
He then shows what the store looks like using the street view features. Now, his friends can put an image to their friend’s customer experience.
They also can verify it’s legit. And, combine that with the fact that this rave review is coming from their friend—not you— they’re more likely to trust it and check it out.
7. It’s a Convenient and Comfortable Experience
Customers can use street view wherever they’re at: the mall, park, concert, you name it.
Here is what a virtual looks like
Bonus: Increase the Quality of The Impression
According to research, the brain processes visuals sixty times faster versus text. This may be why images are 40 times more likely to be shared on social media.
Anyways, the point is, 3D images of your business will be processed faster than just a description of what your business offers.
In other words, a picture really is a thousand words.
Final Thoughts
Street view began as a project in 2007. And has now blossomed into a marketable feature for businesses.
Leveraging street view can help you attract your local target audience. And communicate that you provide quality service.
So, how has street view influenced your business? Leave a comment!
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