“But what is this little device?” I hear you cry… and we were asking the same question.
It turns out these Beacons are one-way transmitters that use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to mark important places and objects by transmitting relevant, targeted messages and information to mobile devices within a specific proximity of your Beacon (usually about 300 feet) to allow for highly context-sensitive use.
What are the Google Beacon's uses?
- The ability to send push notifications such as discounts, coupons, or simply information about yourselves to entice users into your location
- Being able to really pinpoint your business’s location – for example, if your business is set on a busy street or in a large shopping complex, it could allow you to give a clearer idea to your customers of where they can find you
- Be used to track devices, and their users, when in a range – for instance, marketers can use beacons to determine how long a customer spends in a certain area of the store
Despite Google introducing this technology in 2015, it never really took off. However, with Google now keen enough to promote the use of Beacon technology through supplying free devices to businesses, perhaps marketers will become more inclined to utilize this new technology and see how it could benefit their business.
What are the advantages of the Google Beacon?
- It will help your customers plan when they’ll visit your business by more accurately identifying the popular times in your business and therefore reduce waiting times
- Help you further connect with your customers by gathering check-ins and identifying those on your customer’s maps
- Get more reviews through their ‘Local Guides’ service
- Get more pictures of your products/venue from visiting customers
We think it’s safe to assume that the primary use of these will be with retailers trying to lure impulsive buyers into their stores. Nonetheless, we’re sure our new gadget could benefit us by allowing us to communicate with users passing by our office to let them know who we are/what we do and give them even more of a reason (as if there’s not already enough!) to come in and ask about our services.
How do I get hold of a Google Beacon?
We were sent our beacon by Google. If you have a Google My Business profile you may be sent one too, but how long that will take is hard to say. Google seems to be rolling them out to people at their own pace. There was a form for a while where you could request one if you had Google My Business and a Google Ads account with a location extension, but that doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
If you’re keen to get a beacon fast, consider a third party beacon that works with Google's system. Find out more here.
We don’t supply or install Bluetooth beacons ourselves, but if you need help getting more visibility in search results, we can help! We specialise in web design, branding, Google Ads and SEO.
