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Imarc uses dbaPlatform for Google My Business optimization to conquer their clients’ local search presence.
Imarc uses dbaPlatform for Google My Business optimization to conquer their clients’ local search presence.
The Story
Imarc is a digital agency located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. For over 20 years, Imarc has offered digital marketing and web development services to clients from Marriott to JetBlue and IBM to RSA. In recent years, Imarc has added social media management, SEO, and Google My Business optimization to its offerings, and in Imarc’s words, “dbaPlatform has been a powerful partner.”
The Innovative Idea
Before working with dbaPlatform, Imarc, like many agencies, was manually updating information, photos, posts, and more on Google My Business for their clients. They knew Google My Business management was important for off-page SEO and good local search results, but manually updating each listing was taking a substantial amount of time.
Map Views
39% ↑
Website Visits
107% ↑
Search
36% ↑
Discover
84% ↑
The Execution
dbaPlatform is a Google My Business management software that allows Digital Agencies and Enterprise Clients to manage multiple business listings with a single click. The platform allows agencies to effortlessly import locations, add photos and apply EXIF data, publish and schedule posts, manage reviews (and more), to multiple locations at once, all in one place. With all of their saved time, they were able to put more attention toward other important aspects of their digital marketing campaigns.
dbaPlatform is the only Software as a Service (SaaS) available for managing virtually all aspects of Google My Business listings in one place and with one click. It’s the only option available — not only does it automate but it also schedules for agencies who want to:
- Update business information;
- Manage reviews;
- Create, optimize, schedule and publish posts;
- Create, optimize, schedule and publish photos; and,
- Set up call tracking
To start, Imarc used the photo tool to publish photos for 12 of their clients’ franchise locations. Before dbaPlatform, 11 of the locations had ZERO photo views. After the first month working with dbaPlaform, photo views increased substantially. Imarc also started with the dbaPlatform multi-location post tool, which allowed them to create a single post and publish it to multiple locations with one click. dbaPlatform is the only solution for one-touch multi-location posting to Google My Business listings. Imarc’s clients were very pleased with the huge increase in numbers overall, including more than double the inbound phone calls.
Results
This section compares all Google My Business data from the 12 franchise locations for the first month after using dbaPlatform (June 19 – July 19, 2018) compared to the 3rd month using the platform (August 7 – September 7, 2018) to show consistent increases in numbers across Map Views, Search, Discover, Direct, Photo Views, Website Visits, Phone Calls, and Driving Directions.
Map Views
When comparing the results for this time period working with dbaPlatform, Imarc saw a 39% increase in map views for their client. This means that their client’s listings were viewed 6,787 more times over that time period. Appearing high in search results for map views means people are only one click away from the website, phone number, driving directions and more.
Search
They also saw over 2,400 more search results and won more positions in the prized “Local Pack” feature in Google search results. Appearing high in search results is the primary goal. It is important to update and optimize business listings so that the business will appear first (before competitors) and dbaPlatform makes that task effortless.
Discover
Discovery is very valuable because this means that people who did not previously know about the business happened to stumble upon the listing during a Google search. Discovery helps businesses find new prospective clients who did not previously know about them. Imarc’s client saw an 84% increase in discovery.
Direct
The largest increase of all is direct traffic. Direct traffic saw a substantial 1,651% increase. This means that of those who were searching for the business, 5,085 more people saw the business’s Google listing and had direct access to the business’s photos, posts, website, phone number, driving directions, and more! This game-changing increase just goes to show how imperative it is to update Google My Business listings.
Photo Views
The agency saw an over 1,200 increase in photo views for their client. The dbaPlatform photo tool allows the marketing professional to add EXIF data and other important optimizations to the photo before they’re published. The platform allows the marketer to add appropriate keywords, tags, titles, and descriptions and then automatically adds geographical information based on which location to which the photo is published.
Website Visits
Imarc also saw an increase in website visits for their client. Of all the new traffic to the business listing over this period of time, those who took the time to visit the website increased by 107%. Search engines like to see increased web traffic because it lets them know the website is relevant to people who are searching for a particular service or product.
Phone Calls
Each month, their clients received more and more phone calls from their Google My Business listings. They saw an 11% increase during this time period. Appearing high in search results is a powerful place to be and ultimately brings clients more and more new business each and every month.
Driving Directions
Driving directions also increased by 11%. When people search for the client’s products or services, they were locating the listing and using it to find driving directions to the business more often- bringing increased foot traffic through the door each month.
Conclusion
Local search is a very important part of any digital marketing strategy and is unfortunately too often overlooked. For local businesses, Google My Business listings offer the upper hand in being found locally. Without the convenience of dbaPlatform, businesses with multiple locations will find themselves spending a large part of their day updating and optimizing Google My Business listings. Updating multiple listings is time-consuming and tedious, but it doesn’t have to be anymore. dbaPlatform has proven success, like the case of Imarc’s clients. When Google listing optimization is automated, it leaves more time for other important marketing initiatives.
Imarc plans to add more locations to the platform and will continue to use dbaPlatform to build on the growth and success they’ve already accomplished for their clients thus far. If you need automation in your workflow, consider working with dbaPlatform. If you’re still unsure, read what Imarc and other current clients are saying about dbaPlatfom.
See what automation can do for you.
