Author Archives: Google Small Business

Become a Smarter Marketer with Primer

Whether you’re a small business owner or a professional at a large company, connecting with customers can be a challenge. The opportunity to reach people in the moments that matter has never been greater, but to succeed, you must master a new set of tools, skills, and strategies. Keeping up can be tough for even the most experienced marketer.

At Google, we’re working hard to make sure everyone can keep up in today’s digital landscape. That’s why we’re happy to introduce Primer, a free mobile app filled with bite-sized lessons that help you put to work the latest and most useful marketing concepts. You can do Primer’s lessons on the go, whenever you have a few minutes free.  We think of it as an in-the-coffee-line guide to marketing.

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Primer was inspired by the struggles my colleagues and I have faced while trying to learn new marketing topics during our busy daily schedules. The fact is, over 90% of adults don’t spend any time during the day educating themselves.1 So we wanted to build a tool that offers digital lessons that can be soaked up within five minutes – like when you’re on the morning train commute, waiting in line for coffee, or in between meetings.

Primer lessons are available offline so they can be done anywhere. And each lesson is fun and jargon-free, covering topics like mobile site design, programmatic buying, content marketing, and search advertising. In short, you’ll learn real skills you can use today.



Whether you’re looking to grow your business, advance your career, or simply build your professional aptitude, Primer presents you with fresh knowledge to become a smarter marketer. Download it now on iPhone and Android or visit us at www.yourprimer.com.  

Posted by Bethany Poole, Group Marketing Manager, Google

Sources:
1Data for adults over 25 from the BLS’s American Time Use Survey.

Google Small Business Presents Social Media Month

September is Social Media Month for Google Small Business! All month long, we're bringing you a variety of experts to help you harness the power of social for your business. Tune in each Friday at noon PST for a live video Q&A about a different social media topic.

Check out our lineup below:

LinkedIn for Small Business, 9/4 at noon PST
YouTube for Small Business, 9/11 at noon PST
Pinterest for Small Business, 9/18 at noon PST
Twitter for Small Business, 9/25 at noon PST



Click on the event links above to RSVP and come prepared with your social media questions. For more tips, tricks and small business help, join the Google Small Business Community.

Happy Social Media Month!

Introducing AdWords Express home service ads for the San Francisco Bay Area

From unclogging the bathroom sink to getting back into a locked apartment, there are moments throughout the day when people need a quick solution to a big problem. In fact, there are millions of searches every day on Google for plumbers, locksmiths, and other home services.

To help your business connect with customers when they need you the most, we’re introducing AdWords Express home service ads  available today in beta for plumbers, locksmiths, house cleaners, and handymen in select cities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Whether you’re a small plumbing company or a one-person locksmith shop, home service ads help your business show up prominently on Google.com and reach customers who are searching for you.

As a local business servicing the San Francisco Bay Area, GreenKeys Locksmith uses home service ads to promote their commitment to customer service, attention to detail, and 5-star service.


“I treat every customer like they're family, and every lock and key like they're my own. With home service ads, I've been able to reach more customers across the Bay Area and share with them my passion for locksmithing. I'm incredibly excited about what home service ads can do for my business," said Ben Pearson, owner and operator of GreenKeys Locksmith.

Here's how home service ads work: Let's say you own a home cleaning business in San Jose. Simply tell us about your business, get qualified, and we’ll take care of the rest. Google will organize the information you give us into a polished profile page for your business, which includes a professional photo. When someone in your service area searches for “house cleaners” or other related terms, we’ll show your profile within an expandable listing at the top of Google search results.

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Customers can read detailed reviews, submit a service request, or call your business directly for more information. And to help ensure that you and your customers receive the best experience possible, home service ads are only available to businesses that have been screened and qualified.

To learn more about how you can become a home service advertiser on Google, visit google.com/homeserviceads.

Posted by Aileen Tang, Senior Product Managers and Xuefu Wang, Software Engineer for AdWords Express home service ads