What is Project Beacon, and How Can it Help Your Business?

A few months ago, select businesses started receiving strange packages from Google. Some of these businesses had requested to be part of Google Project Beacon—others had no idea why this package came and worried about whether they’d be billed for it. Fortunately, you don’t need to pay for the Google Project Beacon device. But still—what is Project Beacon, and what are you supposed to expect from this thing? And is it really free? Read on!

What is Project Beacon, Exactly?

The word from Google is that they’re sending out Google Beacons to businesses they think may benefit from it as a sort of pilot project. The recipients are all companies that already use Google’s advertising services, especially Google’s location extensions.

Project Beacon Google devices are supposed to fine-tune a business’ location information using a Bluetooth device that projects a uni-directional signal to phones in the store’s general vicinity. The Beacon does not pull any information from the user’s phone, but if the user is using location sharing, the Beacon can send a signal that helps the phone hone in on their precise location. The Beacon can then send the user all kinds of helpful, targeted information that improves their experience at the brick-and-mortar store location.

How Do I Set Up Project Beacon?

If you got a Project Beacon Google device in the mail, it comes with reasonably simple setup instructions that go like this:

1. Unpack the Beacon, and it will start working automatically, powered by a long-lasting battery.
2. Locate the Beacon in the center of your business, away from walls shared with other companies. The Beacon comes with an adhesive strip you can use to attach it to a wall or pillar in an unobtrusive location. Just press the Beacon’s adhesive to the target surface for 30 seconds.
3. Navigate to the link provided in the box to activate the Beacon, using the activation code printed on the address label. If you can’t find the activation code, you can also use your zip code and business name.

The Beacon should start sending information out to phones in your vicinity right away. But now what?

Here’s How to Use Google Beacon:

Now that you’ve gone through your Google Beacon setup process, here are some fun things the Beacon can do for you:

• Your business’ location will now appear on a phone user’s personal maps (if they’re using Location History).
• You can collect user-generated content about your store like Google Reviews, photos, videos, and other content about your store posted by real customers.
• Use “Location Insights” to show visitors how other customers have worked with your store.
• You can post business information like busy times, typical visit times, etc.
• Send notifications about discounts, coupons, in-store deals, etc.

These are just some basics, and as more businesses use Google Beacon, there will be other features to try out.

What to Do After Google Beacon Setup

If you’ve mastered Google Beacon set up already, you still may not know everything you can get out of it to boost your business. For some fine-tuning help, contact Zero Gravity Marketing’s digital marketing experts for assistance. Our SEO specialists can set you on the right path to helping you learn how to use Google Beacon to boost sales!