Google+ Local: interact with your customers and build your brand!!

As part of Google’s march to get the planet on board with its social media platform, they have completely revamped the way you can find and interact with local businesses online, replacing Google Places completely.

All existing listings have been migrated across to the new format automatically. All the information you had previously entered about your business, as well as all the existing reviews you worked so hard for have been transferred to Google+ Local.

One of the shiny new features of Google’s switch to Google+ Local is the revolutionized review system. Zagat’s rating system has taken over the old 5 star rating system. Unlike the old system, local businesses are now reviewed on a 30 point scale, with 0 points representing a poor business and 30 points representing a business of perfection.

There’s also great potential for using Google’s social media platform to interact with your customers and build your brand. You and your customers can freely upload photos and videos relating to your business, and friends can view each other’s experiences when performing a search relating to your business.