In recent years, Google My Business (GMB) has increasingly become a critical part of the online reputation management space. The popular search engine’s business listing portal is now considered one of the most important web-based spaces for companies seeking to improve their relationship with current and prospective customers.
In consideration of the importance of this tool, Thryv Holdings, Inc., the provider of Thryv® software, a leading end-to-end customer experience platform built for growing small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), has announced the launch of a dedicated GMB dashboard. Read on for a look at how the company, under the leadership of CEO Joe Walsh, is helping customers improve the way they leverage GMB.
Google My Business At a Glance
To understand how the announcement is positioned to make a huge impact for SMBs, let’s first examine some of the tools provided by GMB itself. Perhaps one of the most visible aspects of the platform is the manner in which it functions as a business listing service. Since Google is considered the top search engine for the majority of internet users, having a business listed with the platform allows for increased customer visibility. GMB listings will show up in relevant search engine searches and will also populate on Google Maps, a popular choice for users seeking out new businesses that fit their needs.
However, GMB is much more than just a business listing service. The platform provides important context for its listings that can incite users to make purchasing decisions. This can be especially impactful for SMBs who may not have reached potential customers through other marketing channels. The context provided by the platform includes business information, reviews, directions, social media-like posts, photos, FAQs, and much more. In short, GMB listings often function as a first impression for users and can, in turn, act as an important incoming stream of new business for companies utilizing the service.
Thryv Brings the Power of Centralized Management
While GMB can be a fruitful source of new and continued business, many SMBs are missing out on the potential of this resource. Thryv has created its new GMB dashboard to help make interactions with the service easier and more impactful. The company already manages more than 30,000 GMB profiles for its customers, leveraging its expertise in amplifying businesses’ portrayals on the web. The company has now taken this existing expertise in the space and turned it to its new dashboard, where it can provide customers with a wealth of options for ensuring the impact of business listings.
The dashboard will be available to users in the United States and Australia, providing broad reach through the rollout. The feature will provide a centralized location in the platform to allow users to update their GMB profiles. This includes streamlined edits to hours, contact information, business descriptions, and more. The dashboard also allows users to create new Google posts, manage existing posts, manage photos, view Google reviews, and create real-time responses. The tool also provides access to many of Google’s analytic services, providing impactful insights on key metrics about customer interactions.
Considered together, these offerings provide a powerful set of tools that allow SMBs to take control of their online presence and put their best foot forward with respect to customer interactions. Not only does this provide businesses with the ability to keep listings up to date, but it also allows them to indicate to users that they prioritize easy-to-read and accurate business information which ultimately informs customers and saves them time. This can help to increase incoming business and can have an enduring effect on the brand’s reputation, both online and in-person.
Thryv Dashboard Complements Existing Google Features
The high level of usability offered by the GMB integration is reflective of the many other services provided by the customer experience platform to its SMB customers. Since many of these offerings have already focused on Google products, the dashboard will serve as a centralized location to not just leverage GMB, but also many of the company’s other products. Thryv’s VP of Product and Marketing, Ryan Cantor, touched on this recently when speaking about the new release.
“Thryv currently provides multiple Google integrations to our users, including a Gmail email service plugin, Google Posts, automated campaigns, Reserve with Google, Google Reviews, and soon, Google Messenger, which will automatically send and receive messages directly inside of Thryv’s SMB-friendly centralized inbox,” said Cantor. “Our users asked us to create one central place to manage all of these critical elements – and we’ve delivered. We’re continuing to find new ways to streamline and centralize day-to-day operations and communication for SMBs.”
By offering interactions with so many of Google’s existing products, the dashboard emerges as a powerful tool for SMBs who recognize the power of managing their online presence. When businesses utilize the company’s platform to interact with customers and provide them with key business information, they invariably help to support their own efforts to increase visibility and promote brand recognition.
Additional Integrations
The GMB dashboard also serves to increase the power of the other tools included in the software’s extensive array of offerings. With a deep recognition that the resources available to businesses are almost always limited, CEO Joe Walsh has worked to create a team and platform that can save users time and help them increase earnings. The platform serves as a centralized location to manage contacts, track leads, promote businesses on social media, process payments, and much more.
Taken together, the platform’s robust set of features allows SMB owners to make more efficient use of their efforts to administratively manage their businesses. This helps to ensure that these efforts are both easier and more impactful. It also allows business owners to spend more of their time focusing on other business activities and, correspondingly, providing increased value to customers.
The creation of the GMB dashboard stands out as another important feature advancement for the powerful business customer experience platform. By empowering SMBs to leverage the power of Google along with other online portals, the company is providing even more impact for its base of dedicated customers. The new feature adds to the platform’s existing track record of empowering SMBs to improve a wide range of daily operations, ultimately helping to increase overall business health.