In the first installment of this 2 part series, we discussed some updated features Google released for GMB, and focused heavily on ensuring you have a separate account for Sales, Parts, and Service. If you need a refresher, make sure to check it out. https://lane-marketing.com/google-my-business-101/

In Part 2, UTMs and optimization are the name of the game.

Time to clean up your UTMs.

When you’ve made sure that you have access to your GMB sites and updated numbers, location, and images, make sure you are using UTM codes to track all traffic in Google Analytics.

What’s a UTM code? UTM codes are one of the ways to track performance from any digital marketing campaign. UTM or Urchin Tracking Module is a simple code that can be attached to any URL to generate Google Analytics data for digital campaigns. Specific to Google Analytics, UTM helps track the progress of the campaign on all online platforms. For your GMB listings, you will want to make sure you have UTM codes so you can track this online traffic in Google Analytics.

Before you connect your Website and Menu URLs into your GMB listing, tag those links with UTM codes. This way you can properly track the data and traffic that comes through your GMB. Specify within the UTM code which medium you want it applied to (i.e. Organic) and what campaign it is used for (i.e. googlemybusiness / gmbmenu / etc.). Here’s a tool to help you create the UTM codes needed.  [Click Here] I promise it is very simple.

Enhancement Listings For Your GMB

Once you have your listings set up properly and the traffic being tracked properly, we can begin looking at a few new features to further enhance the listings! 

 1. Add Photos & Videos: Making sure to add your video and photo assets to your GMB post. We recommend you regularly update these photos and make sure they are seasonally appropriate. It’s a few clicks of a button, and it let’s your customers know what to expect when they come to your dealership. Remember, this is a form of your online marketing and it’s free. Why not steer the dialog in a positive direction from the very beginning. 

When uploading pictures via the Google My Business dashboard, you have the ability to upload a specific cover photo that will represent your dealership when your GMB listing is displayed in search results.

You also have the ability to flag images that are not related to your dealership or not relevant. There are times that someone may upload a photo that gets attached to your GMB account. If you click on the photo and click on the flag, Google will review and remove.

 2. Add Products and Services section and Appointment section. The appointment scheduler is a great tool for one click access to scheduling an appointment. Remember, the majority of your traffic is mobile traffic and this one click and ease of use can make all the difference. 

3. Product Carousel. You now have the opportunity to add products to the GMB listing and showcase your key inventory. This is a brand new feature and one that cannot go unnoticed. This is free advertising at it’s very best!

By utilizing the Products Editor you can create model overviews for each new vehicle in your lineup that include images, a description, category, price range, and a direct link to a dedicated model landing page or vehicle search results page.

What Now?

The benefits are tenfold when you update your Google My Business listings. These enhanced FREE features are just one more way to get in front of your customers with up to date information about your dealership and your products & services. 

This is free advertising and should be a priority as you round out your marketing strategy for the year. As a reminder, here are some basics discussed we discussed in the past two articles:

  • Make sure you can log into your GMB account. If not, follow the steps we discussed in article #1 (LINK TO ARTICLE)
  • Create separate accounts for both Sales and Service/Parts
  • Update Hours of Operation
  • Ensure all phone numbers and addresses are correct. CALL the numbers and ensure the phone path is correct and that a live person answers
  • Update/Add UTM codes for visibility and tracking