Apple Business Connect: What it is and how to use it.

Apple recently launched a new tool called Apple Business Connect that allows businesses of any size to claim their location place cards and customize key information for over a billion Apple users across different apps like Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet, and Siri. Benefits of Apple Business Connect. This new tool can help small businesses boost their local visibility and advertise products or services in search engines. Furthermore, other third-party platforms use this data for their interfaces. Other benefits include:

Improved Customer Engagement: Apple Business Connect’s quick actions allow customers to quickly and easily engage with small businesses.
Share Limited Offers and Announcements: Through Apple’s Showcases feature, businesses can update their Apple listing to showcase promotions, offers, and seasonal specials. Leveraging showcases can gain additional visibility for promotions within Apple Maps.
Improved Performance Monitoring with Insights: Apple Business Connect’s Insights feature enables businesses to monitor the number of clicks on their listing, measure incoming traffic, analyze how their listing has been found by users, and more. Businesses can also see what buttons people are clicking on their listing, including if they are requesting directions, sharing the listing, clicking on the website, viewing a promotion on Showcases, or calling directly from the listing.

How to get started with Apple Business Connect.

If you don’t have an Apple ID, create one.
Visit the Apple Business Connect website.
Select your business type: small, enterprise, or third-party partner.
Sign in using your Apple ID.
If you are a brand that uses a third party to access data via API, set up and claim your first location in Business Connect. Then, delegate your account to an agency that can add your remaining locations in bulk.
If you have a single location or a small business with less than 25 locations, search for or create your location.
For enterprise businesses, click the “Register as an Enterprise” prompt located at the bottom of the page.
To begin business verification, click on the provided link. This will take you directly to the Business Verification page.
On the Business Verification page, enter your brand information, which includes your D-U-N-S number.
For small businesses, which Apple considers brands with less than 25 locations, search for your location on Apple Maps. If your business is listed, select the matching business displayed in the search results. If your business is not listed, choose the option to create a new location.
If you are adding a new location, you need to add your address details and make sure the map pin is over the entrance of your location.
Add your primary, holiday, and special hours.
Add your primary and additional categories, website, and phone number.
Provide your company details for verification. This will help Apple determine if you are the right contact to manage this location on Apple Business Connect.
To verify your business, you need to submit an identifiable business document such as a business registration, utility bill, or lease agreement, along with a description of the document.
Verification can take up to five days to process.

After completing the verification process, you can start adding more information to your Place Card on Apple Business Connect. Here are the types of information you can add: Firstly, you can provide a unique description of your business location. You can also include any attributes or additional features of your business. The types of attributes available will vary depending on the type of business you have. You can also add a link to an app that supports functions like ordering, making a reservation, or booking an appointment. This can help potential customers easily access and engage with your business. In addition, you can upload photos of your business, including a logo and cover that will be positioned at the top of your Place Card. It’s worth noting that photos will be reviewed by Apple before they are published, and this process can take up to three days. Finally, you can create showcases to highlight timely updates, new features, and products for your business. It’s important to note that showcases will expire after 30 days, but you can choose to end them sooner if you wish. Again, showcases will need to be reviewed and approved by Apple, and this process can take up to three days. If you’re putting your business up on Apple Business Connect, there are some extra bits you might want to think about. We get that running a business can feel pretty overwhelming, so if you need help with your digital marketing, Miss Ink is here to help you. Contact us to learn how we can help you. Sources: Igniting Business (2023) What Is Apple Business Connect and How Can It Benefit Your Small Business? Apple (2023) Introducing Apple Business Connect. Search Engine Land (2023) Apple Business Connect: Your guide to getting started.