Intro: Maps are a powerful tool for all businesses. Businesses can use maps in many fundamental ways, from mapping out your business’s location to visualizing customer data. Maps are a great way to visualize data, and they can make your business more efficient. In this blog post series, you learn how to create maps for internal and marketing purposes —starting with the basics of mapping software before moving on to topics like what type of map is best for your company’s needs or exporting an image that looks professional. This blog post will walk through the basics of creating a practical map and provide examples of how different businesses can use them.
- What is a map :
A map is an illustration that shows information about geographical locations such as landforms and boundaries or objects like buildings and roads. Maps may also offer other features such as natural resources or political boundaries like state lines. Maps come in many shapes and sizes, but they are often shown on paper or computer screens with symbols representing various features (e.g., roads, rivers). - Why should you use one?
A map is a graphical representation of an area. A map can show many different types of information, but it is most commonly used to indicate location or directions. Businesses often use maps for marketing purposes; however, there are other ways to be beneficial. For example, exporting your address data into Google Maps allows you to track your company’s location. Once you have added your address, you can create a map link and add it to your business cards, email signatures, and social media accounts. Some examples of ways that businesses can use maps are:
Internal View: When you have multiple locations, adding them together on a map will give you an idea of how much space your business takes up. Companies can also use it to track the location of inventory, employees, and sales data.
Marketing: Adding your locations on a map allows you to show where you are located (if applicable). It is vital for businesses that rely heavily on foot traffic or driving customers. If there are multiple locations, you can create a map that visually shows the distance between various locations.
- Why are maps important to my business: A map can be used for many purposes, but one of the most common uses is to display locations for your company. Here are some ways that maps can be beneficial to businesses:
- Manage marketing campaigns more effectively by increasing local relevance
- Make better decisions about branch and area office locations.
- Provide better customer service with location information
- Increase revenue by showing your business on Google Maps and getting more visibility (get found by customers who are close to you or near your branch/office).
- Planning your map – what should be included: You need to consider what your map needs to show. For example, if you’re a local business, you probably want your location to be visible on the map. If not, you may want a map that shows how far away from other companies or landmarks you are. Consider what kind of data is essential. Are there general things you want people to see, like your location and the locations of nearby businesses?
- The importance of an interactive map for your business: Interactive maps can provide general information about locations, but they may not suit your business’s needs. Connecting with local businesses is one of the most valuable benefits of creating an interactive map, so you should consider what you want to gain from it before making a choice.
Reasons for using an Interactive Map:
- Directing customers to your location
- Offering search capabilities and detailed information on locations
- Providing a space for reviews and testimonials from customers
Tools to create Maps: Online map creation tools allow you to easily create custom maps that companies can embed into your site. These tools include open-source software, but some offer premium features for a price. There are many ways to create maps for your business, but if you are looking to use Maps in-depth throughout your marketing activity, GEOreach Location Intelligence software is worth considering. It features tools for both internal and marketing purposes while also having the ability to automate your marketing. You can customize and edit your map as much or as little as you want; the size and type of map are scalable; maps will be interactive, allowing users to switch views depending on what they need (satellite view, road view). However, if you’re a company ready to add more high-resolution images and intricate details about your locations, Google isn’t the best option. In these cases, it may be wise to turn to other companies who specialize in maps.
- Common mistakes when creating maps for businesses: Some common mistakes are made. One of these mistakes is confusing the legend. The legend on a map shows what each color represents on the map you have created. For example, it might seem straightforward that a green bar would represent a specific amount, but it is important to label what goes into that bar so that others know exactly what they are looking at.
- Another mistake is nitpicking over the details of your map creation when a business wants to create a map with more information than what can fit onto the page, such as creating a large amount of detail for one sector but having inclusive sections for other sectors.
- When making maps, it can be tempting to want to provide extensive details, but it is essential to keep in mind the final goal of your map. Make sure that you are putting data on your map that will be useful for the map.
- What are the different types of maps you can make for your business:
- A simple location map: Simple location maps show the primary location of your business or branch locations, often with a small number of them on one map. Maps like these allow users to see where branches are located and how far they are from each other.
- An interactive map: Interactive maps allow users to switch views depending on what they need—for example, a satellite view or road view. With interactive map maker., You can also add pop-ups with specific information when clicking on the map.
- A map of your services: Another type of map that you may want to create is a map that shows all your company’s services and products. For example, if you’re an accounting firm, you can map out all your services with specific locations where they are submitted.
- A sales territory map: Another type of map shows how your sales territories are divided up geographically. You can create maps like these to show how selling domains are assigned to employees and managers.
Conclusion: creating a map for your business is an excellent way to show data and the location of specific areas effectively. It is a map that is a powerful way to visualize data and make your business more efficient. The main takeaway for this section should be that you don’t need to use a specific map-building application like Google Maps because other, less complicated, and user-friendly ones exist. Instead, make their use for the optimum.
