Marketing That Matters
by Marcedes Schindler, THE HOTEL INSIDER
Whether you operate a hotel, coffee shop, boutique or another Blount County business, you may be doing everything right behind the scenes. Your service is excellent, your team dependable, your prices competitive and your customers happy to recommend you.
Yet when someone searches for what you provide, your business may be difficult to find—or buried among competitors that appear to offer the same thing.
That visibility gap matters. Many customers begin with Google, Maps, social platforms or AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT when deciding where to go, what to buy and whom to trust. These tools cannot experience your service. They rely on the information and digital signals available online.
Strong operations build a good business. Clear, consistent digital evidence helps people discover it. You do not need to become a technology expert. Start by strengthening your Google Business Profile, which often creates a customer’s—and an AI tool’s—first impression.
Focus on these six signals:
- Complete the profile. Follow Google’s prompts under “Profile Strength” / “Complete Info” and provide as much relevant information as possible. You do not have to purchase ads or create a new email account. Just complete the free sections.
- Keep information accurate. Confirm your business name, address, phone number, hours, website, service area and primary category. Outdated or conflicting details confuse customers and weaken trust.
- Explain what makes you different. Avoid descriptions that could fit every competitor. State whom you serve, what you specialize in and why someone should choose you. Highlight advantages such as local expertise, faster service, a hard-to-find product or a distinctive experience.
- Add recent content. Upload current photos and publish updates about products, services, events or seasonal offerings. Fresh content shows customers that you are active and gives search tools more context.
- Build trustworthy reviews. Recent, specific reviews help customers and AI tools evaluate your business. Ask satisfied customers for honest feedback and respond professionally to compliments and concerns. Review tools such as Zappy Cards can make the process easier.
- Make action simple. Customers should not have to hunt for your phone number, directions, menu, appointment link or quote form. Choose the most important next step and make it obvious.
Next, perform a quick self-assessment using Google and a free AI tool. Search your business name, then use customer-style phrases such as “family restaurant near Maryville,” “Alcoa home repair” or “Blount County wedding florist.” Did your business appear? Is the information correct? Can someone quickly understand what you offer, why you are different and how to contact you? Compare your presence with higher-ranking businesses and identify the clearest gap.
Do not try to fix everything at once. Correct inaccurate information, clarify your message, then consistently add photos, publish content, and request/respond to reviews.
Being excellent is essential—but being discoverable gives new customers the chance to find out.
Marketing That Matters is a regular expert advice guest column that explores ways small businesses can become more visible in a crowded and complex digital marketplace.
Learn more about The Hotel Insider at hotelinsider.com
