{"id":16586,"date":"2020-12-11T16:22:48","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T23:22:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/?p=16586"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:25:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:25:25","slug":"google-business-profile-messaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/google-business-profile-messaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Business Profile Messaging via the GBP App"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Business Profile is a powerful tool for helping a business get found by potential customers that are looking for their services, and not searching directly by the business name. But Google Business Profile can do so much more than being a search query result tool. Along with follow options, posting options, menus, and services, with Google Business Profile Messaging, your customers can get in touch with you in real-time from your Business Profile on Google. You can answer questions, tell your story, and attract more customers to your business. Messaging works best as a conversation between your business and your customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Google Business Profile Messaging Works<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you turn on messaging, customers will find a &#8220;Message&#8221; button on your Google Business Profile listing and be able to message you at any time.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-16593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Turn-on-GMB-messaging.png\" alt=\"Turn on GBP messaging\" width=\"223\" height=\"286\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Messages will appear in the Google Business Profile App, and you\u2019ll receive notifications for incoming messages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can customize the automated welcome message that customers will get when they message you.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If multiple people own or manage your Google Business Profile listing, each one can message with customers with the mobile App.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers may find your name and profile photo from your \u2018About me\u2019 page.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Turn on or off messaging<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Android Device:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Business Profile app.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have multiple locations, open the location you&#8217;d like to manage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To turn on or off messaging:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turn on: Tap Customers <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messages <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Turn on.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you&#8217;ve turned on messages, you can return to Customers <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messages to get all messages chronologically.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turn off: Tap More <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Settings <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messages. Then turn off Turn on messages. You can turn on messaging again at any time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><b>iPhone:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Business Profile app.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have multiple locations, open the location you&#8217;d like to manage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To turn on or off messaging:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turn on: Tap Customers <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messages <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Turn on.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you&#8217;ve turned on messages, you can return to Customers <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messages to get all messages chronologically.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turn off: Tap More <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Settings <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messages. Then turn off Turn on messages. You can turn on messaging again at any time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16595\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Turn-on-or-Off-GMB-messaging-1.jpg\" alt=\"Turn on or Off GBP messaging\" width=\"519\" height=\"320\" \/>*It is important to know the Google Guidelines for messaging, <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/business\/answer\/7506237?hl=en&amp;ref_topic=7505835\" rel=\"nofollow\"><b>click here<\/b><\/a><b> to see them all.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Adding the Welcome Message<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After messaging is activated you\u2019ll want to set up an autoresponder message. You can do this by clicking on the three dots on the right of this screen and selecting \u201cMessaging settings\u201d on the bottom of the screen. The next step is to select \u201cEdit your welcome message\u201d and then enter your message of up to 120 characters. You can even set up a \u201cWelcome Offer\u201d for new customers, with a special you create to entice a new follower to come to your location.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16596\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Save-or-Edit-GMB-welcome-message-1.jpg\" alt=\"Google Business Profile Messaging - Save or Edit GBP welcome message\" width=\"431\" height=\"314\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Value of Customer Interaction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We always talk about rankings and the Google algorithm. Consistency, Reviews, and a lot of other options with GBP allows us to touch on many of the algorithm signals. One commonly overlooked is customer interaction or engagement. As Google continues to adjust its ranking algorithm, engagement signals and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/google-business-profile-optimization\/\">optimization of GBP listings<\/a><\/strong> are becoming more important as a signal of true relevancy. Google looks for customer\/business interaction. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reviews are an important part of this, as well as responding to reviews, but the GBP messaging allows a business owner or agency to take it one step further with real-time conversation. But the advantage of engagement doesn\u2019t end with the Google algorithm. From a customer\u2019s point of view, quick, accurate responses could be the difference between your business getting a new customer, or your competitor will. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a customer reaches out with a question, for example, \u201cDo you sell such and such and what time do you close?\u201d, a business has an opportunity to send a quick but accurate response. \u201cYes, we sell them here, we have them in stock and close at 9pm today.\u201d As a customer, I would be compelled now to go for a visit, see the item, the price, and more than likely go ahead and make my purchase. Most customers sending a message are looking for that quick response, so they can plan accordingly and get what is needed, whether it\u2019s a service or a product being offered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Response Time Is Important<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following requirement is for any business that uses messaging on Google Business Profile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you receive a new message, it\u2019s important to reply within 24 hours. This may promote trust and encourage engagement with your business. To support timely responses, <\/span><strong>Google may deactivate messaging for your business if you don\u2019t respond within the time frame.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GMB-Messaging-Response-matters-1024x512.png\" alt=\"GBP Messaging Response matters\" width=\"722\" height=\"361\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Current Experimental Feature (As of January 2020)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have messaging turned on in the Google Business Profile app, customers may be able to request a booking with you from your Business Profile on Google Search. The option to request a booking may also appear to customers when they&#8217;re messaging with your business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>*This experimental feature is available for select merchants in select business categories.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><b>How the booking process works<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a customer requests a booking, you&#8217;ll receive a notification and message in the Google Business Profile app.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the message, you&#8217;ll see a description of the customer&#8217;s request and their preferred service time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can send the customer your available dates and times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The customer will be prompted to confirm the date and time of the booking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*If you have this option on your listing it is important to know you cannot turn off booking\/appt requests. You would need to turn off the messaging feature entirely if your location does not offer appointments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16589\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Booking-Request-GMB-1024x663.png\" alt=\"Booking Request GBP\" width=\"429\" height=\"278\" \/><\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>The Benefits Of The GBP App<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google believes that the app is a much better and more efficient way to manage your Google Business Profile listing since you will be able to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customize your welcome message<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Receive notifications<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add your employees to help respond quickly to customers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide customers with your name and profile photo from your About Me page if you choose<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Update your business hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add photos<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Respond to reviews<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create posts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>In Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The GBP App and Google Business Profile Messaging options are both valuable tools a business can utilize. Direct messaging with in-depth questions or concerns can raise the customer experience and create more interaction. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both would help improve rankings as well as a business\u2019s ROI. Agency services offered as the \u2018<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/local-seo\/\">Professional Local SEO<\/a><\/strong>\u2019 package from <\/span><b>V Digital Services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can make utilizing all the nifty features Google has today, as well as the ones they will release in the future, a lot easier. Not only will our agency direct you with these options, but we can also create the content and activate these features, as well as help monitor all of them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more options Google Business Profile releases, the more daunting it could get for both small businesses and large franchises to manage. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/contact-us\/\">Reach out to us<\/a> <\/strong>and see how we can increase your online presence and help you rise to the top of the search results!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google Business Profile is a powerful tool for helping a business get found by potential customers that are looking for their services, and not searching directly by the business name. But Google Business Profile can do so much more than being a search query result tool. Along with follow options, posting options, menus, and services, [&#8230;] <a class=\"moretag red\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/google-business-profile-messaging\/\">KEEP READING<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":25707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[148,31,113],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16586"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}