How Businesses Can Be Listed On Google And For FREE!

Mindanaoan Meets World
by: Maria Irene Aserios

I love supporting small, homebased businesses, especially those run by women. You see, I know the many challenges of running one, having started out young as an entrepreneur (read: certified raketera) myself. During my elementary days, I made and sold cross stitch creations. In high school, I engaged in buy and sell. When I was in college, I had a flourishing perfume “distribution center.” I didn’t take any business, finance or marketing classes at all. Somehow, I was convinced that all it took was common sense, basic Math knowledge and lots of intestinal fortitude. Good times, good times.

These days, however, I am more interested in helping out other businesses, either through social media strategy or online publicity. Using the Internet, after all, is a cost-effective way to reach customers all over the world.

Take the case of Lockets By CharmiFy, a homebased business in Cagayan de Oro that’s being single handedly managed by amiable Fylynn. Fy uses the power of the Internet to sell cute, very affordable, personalized lockets. In fact, one of the lockets is now on its way to New York City! How cool is that? The personalized bit about the lockets is what I love the most, by the way. I own one and inside my locket are carefully chosen charms – I have charms that depict my passion for travel (passport, airplane, suitcase, camera), my love for the beach (diver’s mask, lifebuoy) and a couple others. The locket and the chain do not tarnish so it’s a pretty good deal. It’s like keeping memories and things that I truly love close to my heart everywhere I go. (If you want to order, do call Fy at 0917 477 0611 or search for Lockets by CharmiFy on Facebook)

However, I told Fy that so much can still be done to really get her business off the ground. There are so many tools available now that even solo, hands-on entrepreneurs like her can use.

This is the reason why I readily accepted the role of Google Business Group CDO – Women lead coordinator. Being the GBG Women CDO lead allows me to share various strategies and tips especially on how to effectively use the Internet to promote businesses online.

One of the recent activities the GBG CDO folks and I got involved in was the Google My Business CDO orientation and sign-up day held last May 26, 2015. Google, duly represented by Sam Shoushi from their Singapore office, partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Google My Business is Google’s new service that connects entrepreneurs directly with customers. So if a potential customer is searching for your establishment by searching via Google, Google Plus or Google Maps, you have to make sure that you’re listed on Google My Business. The catch? NONE. Listing your business via Google My Business is absolutely FREE! So to entrepreneurs out there – do give this a whirl!

Visit my Mindanaoan.com blog for more. Thanks for reading! Til next ish! Safe travels, everybody!