Offer Posts on Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile is always changing its layout and sections, either adding or taking out features as they see fit. Just a few months ago, they deprecated Welcome Offers from posts for new Profiles in an attempt to weed out areas that see little to no adoption. In light of that, however, we recently learned that offer posts now have a more prominent space in Profiles, making them a more important post type or category to focus on as you regularly optimise your GBP.

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What are Offer Posts?

Offer posts help businesses promote upcoming sales or special deals and encourage customers to visit their stores or website.

There are three ways to see offer posts:

1. Google Maps: They appear in carousel style just below the Review Section
2. Google 3-Pack on Search: As offer justifications
3. Knowledge Panel on Search: When scrolling down, you will see them under “Deals.” This is the newest view (see image below).

Previously, these were located in the Post section of Profiles – they were regarded as regular posts, just like an update, and were not as obvious as they are now.

And if you’re looking at your desktop or laptop right now, you won’t see the Offers section just yet. It’s only visible on mobile, where local searches tend to start.

The format of the full post hasn’t changed drastically. You still have a description, start and end dates, and calls to action at the end. Some businesses do offer a coupon or promo code for special discounts, which you can add at the backend.

If you manage a single location, you can create offers on Google Search but if you have multiple locations for your business, you can still create them on the Google Business Profile Manager.

Benefits of offer posts

1. Flexible for different types of offers

What’s really great about offer posts is that they’re extremely flexible. It doesn’t have to strictly be sales or discounts. If you’re a place of worship and you’d like to share a free online pamphlet that serves as a “pass” to a community event, you can create an offer with those details. If you’re a grocery and you have monthly themed specials that include a freebie, that’s something you can do too.

2. Attracts customers with an intent to purchase

Offer posts invite customers to visit your physical location and buy from you or use your services, especially with a deal just for them. This does increase foot traffic, piques more interest, and drives more sales.

3. Improves customer experience and satisfaction

You’d always want your customers to give you a 4 or 5-star rating and a positive review, and offer posts, because they add value to your business by providing value to the customer, are a great way to make them happy during each visit. Beyond the special deals, the freebies and the discounts, you’ll get a loyal following because customers will know that you appreciate them.

So what are you waiting for? Publish those free products and services, discounts and all kinds of offers with Google Business Profile!

How to create an offer post using Google Business Profile

To create an offer post, make sure you’re logged in to the Google Account associated with your Profile. When you’re in, do the following steps:

1. Search for your business name. On top of the organic search results, scroll through the carousel until you see “Create an offer”. Click that and another tab will direct you to the Create Offer Post section.
2. Upload a photo or video that summarises your offer post.
3. Write your offer title and include start and end dates. In case you want to be more specific, add start and end times too.
4. While it’s optional to add more details, we encourage you to include other points or factors so your customers know what to expect. Click Add more details (optional) to add more information.
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5. Once you’re done with the offer post, you may either choose to preview it first or publish it immediately. You’ll see your offer post on the Deals section of your Profile.

You can also make offer posts on the DigitalMaas Platform (and in bulk too!)

Got a business with multiple locations? It’s going to be a chore to update all those Profiles one by one for the same offer post. Save time and energy with the DigitalMaas Platform where you can create several offer posts in bulk for all or select locations. This eliminates the need to go in and out of each Profile backend and gives you more time to focus on other parts of your already busy schedule. No need to spend a whole day publishing posts – compress a day-long task into one done in less than 10 minutes.

Looks like something you can use for your business? Sign up for an account today.

Things to remember before writing your offer post

Always take note of Google’s community policies when writing any type of Post, both on GBP and on the DigitalMaas Platform –

• Avoid publishing that is irrelevant to your business
• No spamming, malicious links, or poor image quality
• Strictly no hateful posts against any race or ethnic group, religion, gender identity or age
• No inappropriate or disturbing content targeting minors, animal abuse and the like

Is the future for fresh content on GBP?

Google Posts are definitely evolving, but knowing the search engine giant, things can change in a heartbeat. But we do welcome this latest enhancement as it gives more importance to offer posts, especially now that Google is shifting to a product-centric mindset. Offer posts do give your business the edge it needs when a customer is looking for better value online. If you have what they need, they will come to you, and offers or deals are the ideal invitations.

The DigitalMaas Platform is ready to adapt to these changes and continues to help businesses optimise their information online. Sign up for an account today to make local marketing even easier for you.