Google and Your Business

Explore the Future of Digital Marketing with Google and Industry Executives on June 4th

2013-05-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, June 4th we’ll host our annual digital leadership summit, thinkDoubleClick, with provocative conversations about the future of digital marketing and media, and you’re invited to join via live stream by registering here!

Hear executives from advertising, agencies and publishers discuss some of the big questions in digital such as:

How do creatives leverage, but not be overwhelmed by, technology to deliver next-generation consumer experiences?

What unique experiences are publishers developing that add value to consumers and advertisers alike?

How do CMOs best use social with other marketing channels to build strong brands?

The full agenda for the thinkDoubleClick event is listed below. You can join in the conversation on June 4 by using the #thinkDCLK hash and commenting during the live stream at www.youtube.com/doubleclick.

Register here for the thinkDoubleClick summit

June 4, 2013

9 am - 12:15 PDT

9:00 - 9:30 am

Connecting Digital, Accelerating Growth

Neal Mohan, VP Display Advertising, Google

9:30 - 10:00 am

The Coca-Cola Company's Liquid & Linked Marketing: How a 127-year-old company is pivoting for success in a real-time, socially-connected world

The Coca-Cola Company sells over 500 brands in 207 countries, with over 700,000 System associates and 1.8B+ servings of their beverages everyday. Hear insights and lessons learned on how the world's most valuable brand is remaining relevant by becoming more connected, transparent and nimble in real-time.

Wendy Clark, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities, Coca-Cola

10:00 - 10:35 am

Advertisers Must be Inventors

This year, Volkswagen and Deutsch LA partnered with Google to work on a briefto re-imagine how to build a stronger, bigger community around its brand. In today’s connected world, telling stories alone isn’t enough; we need to create tangible value and utility to bring the brand’s promise to life. In this session the creative team from Deutsch LA will be talking about the process for developing more rewarding and shareable experience.

Winston Binch, Partner/Chief, Digital Creative Officer, Deutsch LA

David Kim, Group Creative Director, Deutsch LA

10:35 - 11:15 am

Time to Rethink the Marketing Mix?

Emerging trends in digital marketing -- including new ad formats, the rise of social media, and proliferation of channels -- are creating new challenges and opportunities for brand marketers. What are the key trends marketers should be concerned about -- and how should they respond? AdAge deputy editor Michael Learmonth poses the hard questions in an executive dialogue on what’s next for

brand marketing.

Fireside chat with:

Michael Learmonth, Deputy Managing Editor, Advertising Age

Lorraine Twohill, VP, Global Marketing, Google

Jonathan Nelson, CEO, Omnicom Digital

11:15 am -
12: 15 pm

New and Native: Extending the Conversation

Technology has had a profound impact on the media industry. This disruption, though, has brought along significant opportunities for creative publishers to thrive. In this session we’re bringing in three executives to show how they’ve leveraged the digital revolution to deliver more engaging content and differentiated solutions to advertisers.

Randall Rothenberg, President & CEO, Interactive Advertising Bureau (provocateur)

Jim Lanzone, President, CBS Interactive

Peter Horan, President & Chief Operating Officer, Answers

Meredith Kopit Levien, Group Publisher & Chief Revenue Officer, Forbes Media

We look forward to seeing you on June 4th at thinkDoubleClick.

Spruce up your business for spring

2013-05-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Springtime is in full swing; can you feel it? In the grand tradition of spring cleaning, we’ve got a few ideas for freshening up your business online. We believe that a tidy online presence can go a long way in kicking off a season of growth for your business.

First day of spring Google Doodle

Tidy up your website
Does your business have a website? If not, check out our Help Desk Hangout with Get Your Business Online to get started on the web. If you’ve already got a website, do a quick check to make sure your contact details, like business name, phone number, and address are accurate and current. You might also update seasonal hours, if it’s relevant for your business, or refresh the branding for your business if it’s changed recently.
Extra Credit: Learn about analytics and to measure and grow your website’s success.

Dust off those social channels
Are you connecting with customers and potential customers online? It’s easy to do so using social media, and we’ve got some Google+ tips to help you get started. You can post updates about your business easily or engage in conversations with customers. If you’re already set up with social media, it might be a good time to check your channels to make sure you’ve posted recently. If not, check in with those communities.
Extra Credit: You can learn how to use Google to measure social performance by watching our webinar, Social that Adds Up.

Clean up the Google listing for your business
Are you using Google Places for Business to manage the listing for your business on Google Maps? If not, you should become a verified business owner. This will allow you to manage the listing on Google Maps for your business and update it as needed. We’ve got some tips to help make sure the listing stays healthy, too.
Extra Credit: If you spot inaccuracies on a page, click on Report a problem on the right hand side of the page to let us know.

Posted by the Google and Your Business blog team

A fresh look for AdWords Express

2013-05-16T10:45:00.001-07:00

Cross-posted with Inside AdWords.

Today, when you log into AdWords Express, you’ll notice a brand new look. We’ve listened to your feedback and worked with a lot of small businesses to streamline the AdWords Express experience. It’s part of our ongoing efforts to make Google products more beautiful and efficient.

Clearer stats and reporting graphs
Small business owners have told us that they’re busy and that they don’t want to spend time looking for the information they need. We redesigned the dashboard to show you at a glance how many views, clicks and calls your ad has generated. There’s a simple pie chart for tracking your monthly spending, and you can also compare results over time with the new performance graph.

A faster, simpler signup
We’ve made some significant improvements to the signup experience. Now there are just 3 steps to start advertising: select your audience, create your ad, and select your budget. Getting your ad set up shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Real-time ad previews
With the new real-time ad preview box, you can now see your ad created right as you type. Just hover over the icons to preview all the ad formats that are available based on the text you provide. Try it out by creating an ad at google.com/adwords/express.

We’re constantly working to improve the AdWords Express user experience to make it easier for small businesses to get their ads online. Keep the feedback coming!

Posted by Cinthya Mohr and the AdWords Express User Experience Team

Local businesses get new rating system

2013-05-15T11:51:00.001-07:00

People across the world use Google to find the freshest coffee, friendliest service, and fastest delivery. With today’s launch of the new Google Maps, we’re making it easier than ever to choose the right places to eat, drink, shop and play.

Users who opt-in to the new Google Maps will now rate businesses on a scale that ranges from one to five stars. The system maintains the precision of the former 30 point scale while improving the readability and accessibility of the business listings. Your customers will be able to find up-to-date, accurate information on your business faster than ever. As a business owner, you’ll notice that past ratings have been mapped to the five star system.

These updates will continue to roll out on Google Maps, Google Maps for Mobile, Google search results and Google+ Local in upcoming months. Zagat reviews are still available throughout Google, and you’ll continue to see Zagat throughout Google products with editorial reviews and curated lists awarded to notable places

For more information on the score changes, join us on the Google and Your Business Forum.

Posted by the Google and Your Business blog team

Bringing it all together for Google Apps customers: 30GB shared between Drive and Gmail

2013-05-13T11:14:00.002-07:00

Cross-posted with the Google Enterprise blog

Life gets a bit easier when your Google Apps products work well together -- whether that’s inserting a Drive file into an email or sharing Docs and photos from Drive on Google+. As that experience becomes seamless, having separate storage doesn’t make as much sense anymore. So over the coming weeks, you’ll get 30 GB of unified storage to use as you like between Drive and Gmail. Just as before, files created in Docs, Sheets and Slides don't count against your storage quota. Storage will also be shared with photos you upload to Google+ larger than 2048px.

With this new combined storage, you can use your storage how you need to. If your business or school is like most, you know how many important emails and attachments you receive every day. As a result of today’s storage change, Gmail inboxes for Google Apps customers are no longer limited to 25 GB -- any additional storage you purchase can be shared and used by Gmail. Or alternatively, if you’re only using a few gigabytes of email storage, but have a lot of large documents and files stored in Google Drive, you can now use your storage primarily for Drive.

If you want to know how you are using your storage, check out our recently updated Google Drive storage page. Simply hover over the pie chart to see a breakdown of how your storage is being used across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos.

This update will roll out to Rapid Release domains over the coming weeks.

Posted by Clay Bavor, Director of Product Management, Google Apps

Hangout on Air: Ad Disapprovals and Review Process

2013-05-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

AdWords Specialists Joe Abernethy, Alec Fox, and Kaylyn Frazier hosted a Hangout on Air yesterday about Ad Disapprovals and the Ad Review Process.

To watch the full 20-minute Hangout on Air, visit the Google Business YouTube channel here.

After sharing some interesting, Googley facts about themselves, Alec and Joe explain some of the top reasons for disapproved ads. Alec reminds us of the important policies regarding URLs in ads. Joe explains why we have editorial standards, and discusses guidelines for using symbols, punctuation and capitalization.

Alec and Joe use screen share to show us exactly where to re-submit ads that are disapproved, check on statuses of ads and view important policy details about ads in an AdWords account.

Take a look at the article on Editorial Standards that Kaylyn references in the Hangout.

To learn more about how to get started with AdWords, visit our Help Center, check out the AdWords Community forum, or call us at 866-2-GOOGLE if you already have an AdWords account.

And remember to stay tuned for upcoming Hangouts on Air!

Posted by Joe Abernethy, Alec Fox, and Kaylyn Frazier, AdWords Specialists

New Learn with Google Webinars to Help you Become a Smarter Digital Marketer

2013-05-02T10:18:00.002-07:00

At Google, one of our goals is to help make the web work for you. Today we’re announcing a new series of Learn with Google webinars, which will teach you how to use digital to build brand awareness and give you the tools you need to drive sales and grow loyalty and retention. Each of our sessions gives you deep-dive educational content, across a breadth of products and marketing objectives, in a format that’s convenient for you. Every webinar is led by Google product experts and includes time for audience Q&A. Sign up to start becoming a smarter digital marketer now.

Upcoming live webinars:

May
[YouTube] Driving Direct Response with Video
[Shopping] Google Shopping 101: Google Shopping for Beginners
[Research] New Research: How US Shoppers use Smartphones in Stores
[Mobile] Driving Deeper Engagement with your App Users
[Mobile] Driving Brand Engagement with Mobile Rich Media
[Analytics] Measuring Success in a Multi-Device World

June
[Mobile] Understanding Mobile Ads Across Marketing Objectives
[Shopping] Google Shopping 201: Merchant Center Deep Dive
[YouTube] Building your Business with YouTube Video Ads
[Analytics] Metrics for the Mobile App Ecosystem
[Search] What's New & Next in AdWords
[Analytics] Unleashing the Combined Power of Google Analytics & AdWords
[Social] Growing your Business & Engaging your Audience with Google+
[Shopping] Google Shopping 301: Creating & Optimizing Product Listing Ads
[Social] Launching & Amplifying your Impact Across Social Channels
[Display] Reaching the Right Audience with Remarketing
[Research] Creating Custom Infographics with the New Google Databoard

Webinars are held Tuesdays through Thursdays at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern.

Visit our webinar site to register for any of the live sessions and to access our large library of recorded content. You can also stay up-to-date on the schedule by adding our Learn with Google calendar to your own Google calendar to automatically see upcoming webinars.

During our last series of webinars, attendees had the chance to win a Nexus 7. Clint Wilson was our lucky winner and he’ll soon be enjoying all of the tablet’s cool features. Check out our upcoming webinars for another chance to win!

Learn with Google is a program to help businesses succeed through winning moments that matter, enabling better decisions and constantly innovating. We hope that you’ll use these best practices and how-to’s to maximize the impact of digital and grow your business. We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming session!

Posted by Erin Molnar, Marketing Coordinator, Learn with Google

Enhanced Campaigns Hangouts on Air: Optimizing Mobile Strategy

2013-04-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

On April 25th, AdWords Specialists hosted a Hangout on Air as the last installment of the Enhanced Campaigns Hangouts on Air series.

To watch the full 20-minute Hangout on Air, visit the Google Business YouTube channel.

During the Hangout, Wes explains how to adjust bids for mobile devices. He does an account walk through, demonstrating how to adjust bids for the time of day, location and device. For example, if a user is on a mobile device near your store during regular business hours, it may make sense to increase the bid. Wes explains how to calculate the actual bids when using multiple bid adjustments at the same time.

Andy then explains how to create mobile preferred ad texts and mobile preferred ad extensions. He emphasizes the importance of sending users on mobile devices to optimized mobile websites, and briefly touches upon ValueTrack parameters. This blog post further explains how to use ValueTrack parameters to manage URLs by device.

To learn more about how to get started with AdWords, visit our help center, check out the AdWords Community Forum, or call us at 866-2-GOOGLE if you already have an AdWords account.

And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Hangout on Air at 11 a.m. PDT, Thursday May 9th, when our specialists discuss the ad approvals process in detail.

Posted by the Adwords team.

Award-winning partners share tips for SMB success

2013-04-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

We’re always looking for ways to share helpful tips with our readers, so we asked a few of the recent winners of our 2012 Premier SMB Partner Awards to share some words of wisdom with small businesses for digital success.

1) Love your customers
“There are two main items we focus on to create great customer relationships. The first is frequent customer contact. If you talk to your customers often, you’ll become aware of the little issues before they become big issues. The second is what we call ‘showing the love.’ When a customer knows they’re important to you, the level of trust is much deeper. Try and ‘show the love’ with everything you do.”
—Brenton Rose, Director of Ad Operations & Duncan Scarry, CEO, Haystak Digital Marketing - Winner of Highest Customer Satisfaction Award (North America)

2) Use a mix of tools to meet your unique goals
"Every business is different, and there's no one size fits all for AdWords campaigns. Think about what your customers are looking for and what actions they might want to take, and craft your ads with the right features and extensions to be most relevant."
—Kris Van Peteghem, Project Manager, Roularta Media Group - Winner of Highest Customer Satisfaction Award (EMEA)
Learn more about enhancing your ads with different types of extensions.

3) Make your site mobile-friendly
“When you consider the smaller screen sizes of most mobile devices, it’s important to have a mobile-friendly website. If not, visitors viewing your site from a mobile device are likely to have a poor, and perhaps confusing, experience.”
—Louis Gagnon, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Yodle, Inc. - Winner of Mobile Champion Award (North America)
See how your site looks in mobile and give it a mobile makeover.

4) Make it easy for customers to get in touch
"People on the go are often looking for something local - be it a business in the area, directions, or a phone number. Offer your customers more ways to easily communicate with you, whether that’s through your website, via phone with call extensions, or with location extensions to bring them into your physical location."
—Alessandro Giuliano, Head of Product Management, Omnimedia AG, part of Ringier Digital AG - Winner of Mobile Champion Award (EMEA)
Find out how to set up location extensions.

5) Maximize potential from the get-go
“In order to reach potential customers, SMB’s need to increase their online visibility. Google AdWords campaigns enable businesses to derive tangible value from their online marketing efforts."
—The team at goudengids.be and pagesdor.be - Winner of Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base Award (EMEA)
Learn how AdWords Premier SMB Partners can help you maximize your AdWords potential.

The Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner program connects trusted and experienced AdWords partners with small businesses to help them create, manage and optimize their online advertising campaigns. Here’s the full list of winners:

North America:
Best Quality Accounts: Dealer.com
Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base: Dex One
Mobile Champion: Yodle
Display & YouTube Champion: Dealer.com
Highest Customer Satisfaction: Haystak

EMEA:
Best Quality Accounts: Interinfo
Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base, Emerging Partner: Truvo Belgium (goudengids.be)
Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base, Established Partner: Begun
Mobile Champion: Ringier Digital AG
Display Champion: Trudon
YouTube Champion: Agora
Highest customer satisfaction: Roularta
Posted by Todd Rowe, Managing Director of Global Channel Sales

Posted by Todd Rowe, Managing Director of Global Channel Sales

Improving the look and feel of Google Places for Business

2013-04-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Google Search, Maps, Mobile and Google+ to find and discover great local businesses -- either in their hometown or in the places they’re headed. We’ve been able to deliver more comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date information to help these people find what they’re looking for thanks to you, the many business owners who manage your online presence through Google Places for Business.

Today, we’re introducing an upgrade to the look and feel of Google Places for Business that will roll out to business owners over the coming weeks.

Easier to use
The upgraded interface is simpler and more intuitive, so the process of updating your business information is quick and easy. There’s also a widget that helps you understand at a glance how much more you need to do to complete your business profile.

Edits go live faster
When you make changes to your business, your customers want to know about it right away. Most edits made via the upgraded user interface now appear on Google Maps and our suite of other services within 48 hours. As before, we may continue to moderate changes to ensure the highest quality local experience.

Better integrated with Google products
Through this upgraded interface, you will be able to access your local Google+ page to take advantage of social features like sharing photos, videos, or posts. For businesses who also use AdWords Express and Google Offers, managing your ads and promotions is easier than ever. You can check results and make edits directly from your upgraded Places for Business dashboard.

What to do next
If you’re an existing user of Google Places for Business, this new interface is coming soon. You’ll receive an email notification once we’ve upgraded your account, and see the new interface once you sign in as usual. If you haven’t yet verified your business listing, now is the time to do it!

Posted by Qasar Younis, Senior Product Manager

Enhanced Campaigns Hangouts on Air: Campaign Management and Upgrading Strategies

2013-03-28T09:22:00.002-07:00

AdWords Specialists hosted a Hangout on Air yesterday as the second installment of the Enhanced Campaign Hangouts on Air series.

During the Hangout, Phil and Leslie talked about how to upgrade to use the new Enhanced Campaign features. Phil told us how to upgrade a single campaign, and Leslie showed us how to use AdWords Editor to migrate multiple campaigns before upgrading. To watch the full 20-minute Hangout on Air, visit the Google Business YouTube channel.

To learn more about how to get started with AdWords, visit our Help Center, check out the AdWords Community forum, or call us at 866-2-GOOGLE if you already have an AdWords account.

And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Hangout on Air at 11 a.m. PDT, Wednesday April 10th, when we discuss location targeting and ad extension updates.

Stay tuned!

Posted by Courtney Pannell, AdWords Team

Help Desk Hangouts: Google+ Profile and Page Update

2013-03-15T13:09:00.003-07:00

Editor’s note: Each week on the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.

In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we chatted with +Navin Kadaba, who works on Google+. We walked through the updates to Google+ profiles and pages that rolled out last week, learning about the new, larger cover photo, the refreshed look and functionality of the About tab, and the new customizable tabs for profiles.

Miss the event? You can watch the whole thing on the Google and Your Business YouTube channel.

Check out the video description on the YouTube page for a minute-by-minute breakdown.

Some of the questions we answered during the Hangout:
What size photo should I upload as my new cover photo?
We recommend that you upload an image that is 960 x 540 px (16x9 aspect ratio). At a minimum, please select a photo that is 480 x 270 px. For HD displays, we’ll take a maximum resolution of 2120 x 1192 px.

What does the update look like on mobile?
This is a desktop-only update for now.

Any tips and tricks to making my page look good?
We’d recommend keeping the essential aspects of your cover photo toward middle, vertically. The bottom fifth of the cover photo will sometimes be covered by a dark gray bar, and when people visit the page, the top portion of the cover photo may not be visible. We also recommend uploading a large, zoomed out profile photo, so you can crop the photo to appear as you’d like.

Posted by Jade Wang, Google+ Local Community Manager

Fueling discoverability and engagement with Google+

2013-03-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Cross-posted with the Inside AdWords blog.

Automotive brands were among the first advertisers to adopt Google+ and they’re making it pay off in big ways. Our research has shown that the path to buying a car is becoming more and more social, with consumers relying on information and advice from their social connections and brands to inform their purchase. Millions of consumers are already engaging with the top global auto companies on Google+, and brands are using this opportunity to connect and engage with customers in unique ways, from connecting with auto enthusiasts through G+ Communities to launching new car models via Hangouts.

Today we’re releasing new insights on how Google+ is working to amplify auto brands’ existing marketing campaigns. For example, we found that brands can experience a 91% increase in conversion rate for non-brand terms when running social annotations on search ads.

Please check out our infographic below for additional insights and tips, and visit our Google+ Business site to learn more about Google+.

Click to see full-size infographic

Posted by Gretchen Howard, Director of Global Social Solutions

Looking for Ways to Grow Your Business Online? Meet Friday 15

2013-03-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

In 15 minutes, you could clip coupons, wash dishes, fold laundry, dance to your favorite song... three times, or you could learn some new tips to help your business succeed on the web. Businesses that are online grow faster.* Make it a habit to grow your business online with Friday 15, a series designed to help small businesses make the most of their online presence.

Friday 15 answers questions small business owners need to know, like: How should I choose the pictures on my website? How can I monitor my business online? What should my website be called? How should I handle a bad review? What information should I include on my website?

If you want to learn more about growing your business online, visit www.gybo.com/friday15 for training videos and tip sheets. You can also tune in to live discussions with industry experts during the Get Your Business Online team’s Friday 15 Google+ Hangouts. Each episode is 15 minutes or less and will provide you with tools, tips, and practical use-cases to help grow and promote your business online. The series is open to everyone. All you need to join us is a computer and an internet connection. The Hangouts air every other Friday on +Google+ Your Business at 11:00a.m. PT/2:00p.m. ET. Watch this Friday, March 8th, for a discussion on optimizing your website.

Friday 15 is brought to you by Get Your Business Online with Google, an initiative to help small businesses get online and succeed online. Visit the Friday 15 page at www.gybo.com/Friday15 for directions on how to watch a Hangout and sign up to receive Friday 15 tips, news, event notifications and more.

*Source: BCG Report, "The Connected World: The $4.2 Trillion Opportunity," March 2012

Posted by Whitney Lemon, Friday 15 Host, Get Your Business Online Team

Just Food For Dogs uses Google Business Photos to show off their state of the art dog kitchen

2013-02-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Just Food For Dogs (JFFD) is a dog food company that produces healthy, whole foods for dogs in a human-grade dog food kitchen. In an effort to attract customers who would appreciate the care and attention they put into their high-quality dog food offerings, JFFD decided to get Google Business Photos: a virtual tour of their business interior with Street View technology.

View Larger Map

Justin Bonatto, marketing coordinator for JFFD states, “We can’t see anything else that provides more value than a customer interacting for thirty seconds with Google Business Photos. It conveys everything we would want to communicate about the value of our company.”

For a more in depth look at JFFD’s success story using Google Business Photos you can read the case study in its entirety here.

If you are a business owner and would like to create and publish a virtual tour of your business, learn more at http://maps.google.com/help/maps/businessphotos

Posted by Zach Bruce, Google Business Photos team

Sign up for Learn with Google's upcoming webinars!

2013-02-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

You're invited to upcoming Learn with Google webinars!

Video Advertising 101: How to Build your Business with YouTube Video Ads
Wednesday, 2/20/2013 9am PST / 12pm EST

YouTube video ads can help you to increase awareness of your business, to establish and deepen relationships with your customer and to drive sales. In this webcast, we'll cover how to get started on YouTube as well as best practices that help you reach your business goals. Register

From Awareness to Sales: Making the Most of Video Remarketing
Tuesday, 2/26/2013, 9am PST / 12pm EST

Learn how you can maximize relationships with people who have watched your videos or subscribed to your YouTube channel. We'll show you how to use Remarketing and automatically customize video ads to capture the attention of viewers most likely to buy your products. Register

These webinars will be presented by Google product experts and will include live Q&A.

Learn with Google webinars take place each week, Tuesdays thru Thursdays, at 9am PST / 12pm EST. To see the schedule and register for upcoming webinars, click here!

Posted by the Learn with Google Team

Help Desk Hangouts: Google Engage for Agencies

2013-02-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Editor’s note: Each week on the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.

In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we chatted with the Google Engage for Agencies team, who walked us through the resources available through their program. We learned how agencies can benefit from free online and in-person trainings about various Google products, including AdWords, through the Google Engage program. Take a look at the Google for Agencies website (http://www.google.com/intl/en/ads/engage/) to learn more about the resources available and how to join the program.

Miss the event? You can watch the whole thing on the Google and Your Business YouTube channel.

Check out the video description on the YouTube page for a minute-by-minute breakdown.

Some of the questions we answered during the Hangout:

How do I know if I’m eligible for Google Engage?
All agencies that apply to Google Engage are subject to a final review, but basic requirements include:

Your agency must have an active My Client Center (MCC) account.
Your agency must have a website.
Your agency must specialize in helping small and medium sized businesses advertise online.
Your business must also comply with the Google Third-party policy and Google Engage Terms and Conditions

What kinds of resources are available through Google Engage?
Online training courses, webinars and events: Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro, our online and in-person trainings will keep you ahead of the curve with AdWords and other Google products.
Adwords introductory offers for your new clients: Give your new clients a boost with introductory offers for AdWords. With your help, their investment in finding customers will go even further.
Sales tools and marketing collateral: As an Engage member, you'll get access to AdWords case studies, sales pitch techniques, and other resources to help build relationships with your clients.
Dedicated phone support: We're here to help you with everything from setting up your account to sharing best practices.

Posted by Jade Wang, Google+ Local community manager

Sign up for Learn with Google's latest webinar on February 12!

2013-02-07T10:50:00.005-08:00

Sign up for Learn with Google webinar "Brand Building in a Multiscreen World" (Feb 12, 9 am PT).

Join us to learn innovative ways to build awareness and influence consideration for your brand in today's multiscreen world. We will show you how YouTube, the Google Display Network, and the Google Mobile Network can together offer brand-building solutions that will drive engagement and ensure you have a spot in the new living room.

Posted by the Learn with Google Team

Win moments that matter in 2013 with Learn with Google webinars

2013-01-29T09:57:00.001-08:00

Cross-posted with Google Inside Adwords.

What was your business’ New Year’s resolution, and how do you plan to keep it? At Google, ours is to help make the web work for you. Our new series of Learn with Google webinars will teach you how to use digital to build brand awareness, and they’ll give you the tools you need to drive sales. By tapping into technology that works together across your business needs, you can resolve to win moments that matter in 2013.

Check out our upcoming live webinars:

Build Awareness

02/12 [Multiscreen] Brand Building in a Multiscreen World
02/20 [YouTube] How to Build your Business with YouTube Video Ads
03/05 [Social] How to Use Google+ and Make Social Work for You
03/12 [Mobile] Understanding Mobile Ads Across Marketing Objectives
03/27 [Wildfire by Google] The Call for Converged Media

Drive Sales

01/29 [Analytics] Google Tag Manager: Technical Implementation *today*
02/07 [Search] Your Shelf Space on Google: Get Started with Google Shopping
02/26 [YouTube] From Awareness to Sales: Making the Most of Video Remarketing
02/27 [Search] What's New and Next in AdWords
03/06 [Display] Biggest Loser: Digital Ad Spend Edition
03/13 [Mobile] The Full Value of Mobile
03/20 [Display] Getting Started with Dynamic Remarketing

Visit our webinar site to register for any of the sessions and to access past webinars on-demand. You can also stay up-to-date on the schedule by adding our Learn with Google Webinar calendar to your own Google calendar to automatically see upcoming webinars.

During our last series of webinars, attendees had the chance to win a Nexus 7. Our lucky winner was Donella Cohen, who is happily enjoying her new tablet. Check out our upcoming webinars for another chance to win!

Learn with Google is a program to help businesses succeed through winning moments that matter, enabling better decisions and constantly innovating. We hope that you’ll use these best practices and how-to’s to maximize the impact of digital and grow your business. We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming session!

Posted by Erin Molnar, Marketing Coordinator, Learn with Google

Game on! See the power of apps in the Ping-Pong Hangout

2013-01-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

Looking to add a little spice into your social media presence on the web?

Last week at Creative Sandbox NYC, which celebrates how technology is shaping culture and storytelling, we announced the launch of the Ping-Pong Hangout brought to you by Google+. This Hangout app allows users to play a game of Ping-Pong with an opponent by using their faces to control the paddle.

As fun as the Ping-Pong Hangout is, we’re most excited about what’s behind it: The Google+ Hangouts API. The API can help you to build deep, engaging and unique experiences for Hangouts. Just take a look at:

Scoot & Doodle, for whiteboarding across the miles
Story Before Bed, for reading bedtime stories over video chat
the Google Art Project, for leading your own curated art tour

For more examples and info, see the Hangout Apps Showcase, check out the recording of our Hangout with the agencies behind the game, flip through our Getting Started guide or ask questions of the Google+ Developers team via Hangout Tuesdays at 2:30pm PT.

What could a Hangout App do your business? How might you use one to add your character to video chats and broadcasts, or to provide more information to users? Head on over to the site to get inspired.

Posted by Lindsay Rumer, Google+ Team

Under the AdWords Hood: Breaking Down Ad Rank

2013-01-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

AdWords Specialists Courtney Pannell, Philip Stern, and Sarah Claxton Deming hosted a Hangout on Air yesterday as the second installment in the “Under the AdWords Hood” series.

During the Hangout, the AdWords experts discussed the basics of ad rank, like how bidding and quality score factor into determining the positioning of your ads. Specifically, Phil shared his best practices for bidding to achieve your optimal ranking, and Sarah discussed how quality score is calculated.

You can watch the full 25-minute Hangout on Air below, or on the Google Business YouTube channel:

To learn more about how to get started with AdWords, visit our Help Center, check out the AdWords Community forum, or call us at 866-2-GOOGLE if you already have an AdWords account.

And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Hangout on Air at 11 a.m. PDT, Thursday February 7, when we discuss remarketing tips.

Stay tuned!

Posted by Courtney Pannell, AdWords Team

Using 1:1s to communicate with your employees

2013-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Editor’s note: In this post, we’re featuring a management technique that we use at Google, which might be useful at your business.

As a manager or the owner of a business, how often do you get to interact with your employees on an individual basis? With busy and conflicting schedules, it can be hard to find times outside of team meetings or performance evaluations to talk more generally to an employee.

To help make sure that employees always have an open channel of communication with managers, we have weekly 1:1s, which is a 30-minute block of time for a manager to meet with just one person. The purpose of 1:1s isn’t evaluation or getting assignments, although those might be outcomes. Instead, it should be an chance for an employee to share projects, questions, concerns, and anything else with his or her manager.

Because the intention of a 1:1 is to have easy communication across levels, the employee should be the person leading the meeting, not the manager. Employees should provide the agenda and direct the discussion, while managers should make sure to listen and provide constructive feedback. Here are a few other tips to get the most out of 1:1 time:

Prepare and share an agenda in advance to keep the meeting efficient.
Use a running document to keep your agenda and notes in to refer to later, and make sure both the employee and manager can edit it.
Discuss career development more broadly, and what skills you can gain at work outside of your core job.

If weekly 1:1s seems too often, try bi-weekly or maybe even monthly. You could also try scheduling a regular office hour on your calendar where employees can just drop in to talk. Does your business have another strategy that helps with communication? Share them with us on Google+ and tag #smbtips!

Posted by Jacinth Sohi, Google and Your Business Blog Team

Help Desk Hangouts: Going Google

2013-01-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

Editor’s note: On the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.

In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we chatted with the Going Google team, who showed us a guide to help businesses transition to Google Apps. We walked through the Going Google guide, learning about change management and how it can make the transition to Google Apps for any business much smoother. The guide’s got training resources, checklists, and tips to help businesses manage the transition timeline.

Miss the event? You can watch the whole thing on the Google and Your Business YouTube channel.

Some of the questions we answered during the Hangout:

Who is the guide intended for? Is it free?
The guide is a free resource available on our Google Apps Documentation and Support site. It is intended for anyone who is helping an organization evaluate Google Apps or make the switch to Google Apps. The guide is targeted to organizations with 250 users or more, but parts of the guide are relevant to smaller organizations too. We also have a guide focused on smaller businesses here.

How does the guide recommend you approach Going google?
At Google, we have a user focus in everything we do. We recommend you have a focused approach to your users' transition to Google Apps. We've created a simple and flexible, three-step model you can use to plan your change management approach when you switch to Google Apps: (1) Get ready, (2) communicate, and (3) train.

Will the guide be updated as Google Apps is updated?
Yes, the guide will be updated on a regular basis. Throughout the year, we will add new stories from customers and partners about their change management approach for switching to Google Apps. The guide will also be updated as our Google Apps services are updated.

Posted by Jade Wang, Google+ Local Community Manager

Let Customers “See Inside” Your Business with Google Business Photos

2013-01-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Since the official launch of Google Business Photos in January 2012, over 100,000 businesses have used the feature to virtually invite customers inside their doors. With the use of high-quality panoramic imagery and Street View technology, businesses have been able to offer customers an interactive tour without physically setting foot inside - perfect for showcasing the ambiance of a wine bar or the layout of a gym.

Check out our new video to see what Business Owners are saying about Google Business Photos:

Over the past year, Google has made it even easier for customers to find Business Photos on Google Search, Google Maps and Google+ Local; with just one click, you can now “See Inside” businesses from a computer or tablet.

Or, from your mobile phone click “See Inside” on the Place Sheet.

Google Maps on Android

Google Maps on iOS

If you would like to feature your establishment on Google with Business Photos, please visit our website for more information. You’ll have the opportunity to select from a list of Google Trusted Photographers in your area. You can contact a photographer to negotiate a rate and schedule a time for a photoshoot.

Google Business Photos is currently available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. We are working to expand the service to more areas so that more businesses can reach more customers.

Posted by Shailesh Nalawadi, Product Manager, Google Maps

Under the AdWords Hood Series: AdWords Policy

2013-01-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

Director of Engineering for Advertising at Google, David Baker and AdWords Specialist Lindsay Brownell hosted a Hangout on Air yesterday as the first installment of the four-part “Under the AdWords Hood” series. This series sheds light on topics that you chose in a vote on the Google Ads page!

David and Lindsay broke AdWords Policy down into and delved into three areas:

Ad Policy
Landing Page Policy
Account Policy

You can watch the full 30-minute Hangout on Air below, or on the Google Business YouTube channel.

To learn more about how to get started with AdWords, visit our Help Center, check out the AdWords Community forum, or call us at 866-2-GOOGLE if you already have an AdWords account.

And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Hangout on Air at 11 a.m. PDT, January 24th 2013 when we go Under the Hood and learn all about Ad Rank.

Posted by Courtney Pannell and Divya Vishwanath, AdWords Support Team

9:00 - 9:30 am	Connecting Digital, Accelerating Growth Neal Mohan, VP Display Advertising, Google
9:30 - 10:00 am	The Coca-Cola Company's Liquid & Linked Marketing: How a 127-year-old company is pivoting for success in a real-time, socially-connected world The Coca-Cola Company sells over 500 brands in 207 countries, with over 700,000 System associates and 1.8B+ servings of their beverages everyday. Hear insights and lessons learned on how the world's most valuable brand is remaining relevant by becoming more connected, transparent and nimble in real-time. Wendy Clark, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities, Coca-Cola
10:00 - 10:35 am	Advertisers Must be Inventors This year, Volkswagen and Deutsch LA partnered with Google to work on a briefto re-imagine how to build a stronger, bigger community around its brand. In today’s connected world, telling stories alone isn’t enough; we need to create tangible value and utility to bring the brand’s promise to life. In this session the creative team from Deutsch LA will be talking about the process for developing more rewarding and shareable experience. Winston Binch, Partner/Chief, Digital Creative Officer, Deutsch LA David Kim, Group Creative Director, Deutsch LA
10:35 - 11:15 am	Time to Rethink the Marketing Mix? Emerging trends in digital marketing -- including new ad formats, the rise of social media, and proliferation of channels -- are creating new challenges and opportunities for brand marketers. What are the key trends marketers should be concerned about -- and how should they respond? AdAge deputy editor Michael Learmonth poses the hard questions in an executive dialogue on what’s next for brand marketing. Fireside chat with: Michael Learmonth, Deputy Managing Editor, Advertising Age Lorraine Twohill, VP, Global Marketing, Google Jonathan Nelson, CEO, Omnicom Digital
11:15 am - 12: 15 pm	New and Native: Extending the Conversation Technology has had a profound impact on the media industry. This disruption, though, has brought along significant opportunities for creative publishers to thrive. In this session we’re bringing in three executives to show how they’ve leveraged the digital revolution to deliver more engaging content and differentiated solutions to advertisers. Randall Rothenberg, President & CEO, Interactive Advertising Bureau (provocateur) Jim Lanzone, President, CBS Interactive Peter Horan, President & Chief Operating Officer, Answers Meredith Kopit Levien, Group Publisher & Chief Revenue Officer, Forbes Media