Any search agency worth its salt knows that keeping up with marketing technology is key to serving their clients well. At (amp), we always recommend that our clients stay ahead of the curve by taking advantage of promising new platforms and integrations.

In January 2023, Apple launched a new platform called Apple Business Connect, and as a media agency that has seen the incredible marketing power of new platforms, we think you should consider using it.

Apple Business Connect was developed to compete with Google Business Profile. The platform allows businesses to add and maintain their shop information to a customizable online place card, which is visible across multiple apps, including Apple Maps, iMessage, Wallet and Siri. Through Apple Business Connect, companies can customize their photos, logos, hours, and location. Apple Business Connect also allows businesses to meet specific customer needs in-app, such as placing orders, reserving services, and getting directions. It also offers a showcase feature, where brands can show off seasonal offers, promotions and more to entice customers to make purchases.

To provide consumers with a seamless UX, businesses can easily update business information at scale. To help brands optimize the information and appearance of business place cards, as well as design and expand their future advertising offerings, Apple offers insights on Business Connect data. These insights are a media agency’s dream because they enable brands to gather and analyze their user data from all business locations to better understand how customers interact with their place card and how they can expand and deepen their digital impact.

Why use Apple Business Connect?

In the same way that Google Business Profile has connected millions of customers with local businesses, Apple Business Connect is a powerful tool that, when optimized and maintained properly, can streamline your brand’s communication, collaboration, and productivity. The platform helps consumers around the globe easily find businesses and contact them from within the app.

According to Apple’s Senior VP of Services, “Apple Business Connect gives every business owner the tools they need to connect with customers more directly, and take more control over the way billions of people see and engage with their products and services every day.”

If you are curious about how listing your business on Apple Business Connect could help grow your brand, here are (amp)’s top five reasons why you should consider adding this new platform to your digital ecosystem:

1. Joining is simple and completely free. Businesses can log in with their existing Apple ID or create a new ID to get started. After login, simply verify your business identity, claim your locations, and start personalizing your business place card! Remember that the more information, photos, and helpful actions you can provide, the more likely consumers will be to connect with and purchase from your business.

2. The userbase is huge…and guaranteed. With so many iPhone users searching online for places to eat, shop or travel, a recent Rio SEO (Search Engine Optimization) study found that an incredible 80% turn to the Apple Maps feature to guide them. Apple also recently announced that several listing management agencies like Uberall and Yext will integrate Apple Business Connect into their applications to increase the platform’s visibility and expand its user base.

3. Not joining will leave you in the dust. According to the Rio SEO study, 20% of Apple users avoid businesses with minimal or inaccurate online information. If your competitor down the road has a robust online place card and you are not even on the map, your business is automatically losing visibility, engagement, and conversions.

4. It is effective for local businesses. There are millions of iPhone users in the United States, and over a billion worldwide. When travelling someplace new, many people rely on their devices to spark shopping, dining, and entertainment ideas, make reservations, and guide their way. Creating a Business Connect place card that informs and entices travelers is key to making sure these travelers add your business to their itinerary.

5. It is easy to learn from. After creating and optimizing your online place card, Apple Business Connect provides insights about search taps, search types, brand searches and spatial insights to help you understand how you appear online and how consumers are finding and using your place card. Insights are available after 72 hours of launching your business place card and reports are aggregated in daily, weekly, and monthly intervals.

Stand out online.

Every successful business is continually searching for ways to improve their visibility and SEO, increase conversions, build consumer trust, and gain valuable consumer insights. As a media + search agency that prides itself on making our clients’ voices stand out in the sea of digital marketing, (amp) believes that Apple Business Connect will quickly become a vital component of every brand’s digital ecosystem.

To learn more about how online place cards can boost your brand’s visibility and sales, reach out to (amp) today.