Google has just launched "What's Happening" for its Google Business Profiles. You can display daily specials alongside your business listing if you are a restaurant or bar. This offers a valuable opportunity to increase your visibility at the critical time when customers are making dining decisions.
It is said that it will soon be rolled out to other businesses.
What is the "What's Happening" Feature
When potential customers search for dining options in your area, they'll immediately see your current promotion before any other business information. This placement ensures that your most compelling offers receive maximum visibility when it is critically needed.
Currently, you have nothing to lose, as it's free.
Implementation Options for Your Business
I was thinking about how you can use the "What's Happening" feature.
Try it out by publishing this content directly through your Google Business Profile dashboard.
If you like it, connect your existing Facebook or Instagram profiles to sync relevant content to your Google Business Profile automatically. If it works, this would eliminate the duplicate work while maximising the exposure of your existing content across platforms.
If you are our client, we are happy to assist you as we always like to maximise our clients' benefits.
Optimisation Strategies
I am sure that Google's algorithm will favour current, engaging content that they are looking for. So to extract maximum value from the "What's Happening" feature, you would need to:
- Focus on a straightforward offer rather than overwhelming potential customers with multiple options.
- Use action-oriented language, e.g. "Book today" or "Try our new menu", as it's designed to drive immediate response, so you need something that is for an immediate response.
- Clearly say when promotions begin and end to create urgency and manage customer expectations
- Keep it up to date; customers will only be disappointed and lose trust if they come for an old offer that is no longer available.
- Note each promotion to see which ones work for you to refine your approach over time
Integration with Point of Sale Systems
If it takes off, we will undoubtedly integrate. I can already see some automation, as the POS system knows
- Your excess inventory can be used to reduce wastage.
- Performance analytics can be utilised.
- Automated scheduling is no problem for your POS System.
How to do it
To implement the "What's Happening" feature for your hospitality business:
Access Your Business Profile
Sign in to your verified Google Business Profile.
Review Profile Verification
Please ensure your business details are current and accurate
Select Implementation Method
For starters, till you get going, I suggest picking manual posts
Create Your First Update
Highlight your most compelling current offer or upcoming event—something simple like the deluxe premade range of sandwiches, 50% off now to 4:00 p.m. today. Remember, unsold sandwiches are often binned if not sold by 4:00 p.m. Also, I must say that excessively offering such discounts rarely does a business much good in the long term.
Review
See how it goes, I suggest experimenting a lot. Its very hard in advance to know what motivates your customers.
Please tell me
I would love to know how it goes for you.
One problem I noticed is that it only supports one location. If your business has multiple locations, you may have problems. One solution might be to make one business profile for each location.
Conclusion
It's free and does represent a significant opportunity for Australian businesses to enhance their online visibility and connect with customers.
I would say, "What do you have to lose?"
Written by:
Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.
