Google is a business, at its core, and is no stranger to helping out small businesses with things like its new #SmallThanks initiative, meant to help small businesses bring positive customer feedback to the forefront of their image. The free service is available to any small business with a verified Google listing, and parses customer feedback like reviews to automatically create printable marketing materials with minimal input from the shopkeeper. Less focused materials from Google are also available, which help remind customers to leave reviews and help enhance a business’ image. #SmallThanks can generate posters to print and social media posts for businesses to throw out online, among other things.
Along with the blog post announcing #SmallThanks, Google has posted up a few tips for small businesses to help them use it as effectively as possible. The first tip is for small businesses to customize their printables by choosing the aesthetic style and which reviews and feedback they want to highlight. The goal is embodied in tip number two, which is to show new and potential customers why old customers love your business, which includes using the #SmallThanks hashtag on social media. Google also urges small businesses to ask customers straight out to review your business, showing them how important it is to do so with printable flyers and placards. Google also wants businesses to ask customers to find them online, and provides “Find us on Google” stickers to help with that. Finally, Google highlights Local Posts as a great way to keep searchers up to date on things like special hours and menu items, among other business developments.
These changes come just in time for the holiday rush that many tourist-heavy areas will be experiencing, which means that small businesses can use #SmallThanks to attract unprecedented amounts of new business with Google’s help. Google’s blog post about this matter espouses the company’s love of small businesses, and this is often reflected in special initiatives like this one to help small businesses grow and thrive. The aim here is twofold, of course; along with growing small businesses, the company is hoping to encourage customers and businesses alike to make more use of its services, which means that it will be able to serve more ads.
