Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Local Ice Cream Shop Uses Google Maps for Seasonal Hiring
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, you know how every May we start seeing stories about small businesses struggling to find summer staff? Ice cream shops, landscaping crews, seasonal retail — they're all fighting over the same pool of teenagers and college kids. Luna: Oh totally. And the classic move is just sticking a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window and hoping someone walks in. Which, spoiler, rarely works anymore. Lucas: Right. Well, I came across a case recently that I think flips that script. There's a seasonal ice cream shop in Portland — called Scoop & Co. — that filled all fifteen of their summer positions in under two weeks. And they did it almost entirely through Google Maps. Luna: Wait, Google Maps? Like, people searching for their location and discovering they're hiring? Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just a happy accident. They had a deliberate three-step process. First, they updated their Google Business Profile to include the 'Hiring Now' attribute — that's a little badge that shows up on the listing in search results. Second, they created Google Posts specifically about job openings, with shift times, pay, and a direct application link. Third, they ran a localized ad campaign targeting anyone searching for 'summer jobs near me' within a 5-mile radius. Luna: So they basically turned their Maps listing into a mini recruitment hub. I love that. But did they have any data on how many of those applicants actually came from Maps versus other channels? Lucas: Yeah, they tracked it. Of the fifteen hires, nine came directly through a Google Maps interaction — either clicking the 'Apply Now' button on the profile or calling from the listing. Another four came from the local search ads. Only two came from the old-school sign in the window. Luna: That's a massive shift. And it makes sense — when you're a teenager on your phone looking for a summer gig, you're probably searching 'ice cream jobs near me' or 'summer work Portland' right in Google Maps. Lucas: Exactly. And the timing matters. According to Google's own data, searches for 'summer jobs near me' spike about 60% in May compared to the rest of the year. So if you're a seasonal business, that's your window. Scoop & Co. had their profile updated by April 15th — two weeks before the spike — so they were already ranking when the search volume hit. Luna: Okay, so step one is updating the profile. But not everyone knows that 'Hiring Now' attribute exists. Can you walk us through how to actually do that? Lucas: Sure. So in your Google Business Profile dashboard, there's a section called 'Info.' Scroll down to 'Attributes' — you'll see a list of things like 'Has outdoor seating,' 'Accepts credit cards,' that kind of stuff. If you scroll further, there's an attribute labeled 'Hiring Now.' You toggle it on, and then a small badge appears on your listing in search results. It's subtle but noticeable — it says 'Hiring' in green text. Luna: And then the Google Posts — what did theirs say? I imagine they didn't just write 'We're hiring, apply here.' Lucas: No, they were smart about it. They wrote three different posts, each highlighting a different angle. One emphasized flexibility — 'Set your own schedule, work 15–30 hours a week.' Another focused on perks — 'Free scoop every shift, plus a bonus for referring friends.' The third was more urgent — 'Only 5 spots left for June start date.' They rotated them every few days so the listing always felt fresh. Luna: That urgency piece is key. Teens have short attention spans — if they see 'only 5 spots left,' they're more likely to apply right then instead of bookmarking and forgetting. Lucas: Exactly. And the local search ads — those are basically just Google's 'Smart Campaigns' that you can set up from your Business Profile. You choose a budget — Scoop & Co. put in $200 for the whole month of May — and Google automatically shows your ad to people searching for relevant terms within a radius you set. They used a 5-mile radius, which covered most of central Portland. Luna: So $200 to fill nine positions from Maps. That's like $22 per hire. Compare that to paying for a job board listing or a recruiter — it's ridiculously efficient. Lucas: Yeah, and the conversion rate was high because the people seeing the ad were already looking for a job nearby. It's not like a billboard or a radio spot where you're blasting a message to everyone. These are high-intent searchers. Luna: So what about businesses that aren't seasonal? Like a regular restaurant or a retail store that needs to hire year-round. Does this still work? Lucas: It does, but the timing is less dramatic. For year-round hiring, you'd want to keep the 'Hiring Now' attribute on all the time, but rotate the Google Posts every two weeks to keep the listing active. Google's algorithm actually gives a small ranking boost to profiles that post regularly — so even if you're not hiring, posting about events or menu updates helps your visibility. But when you are hiring, that consistent posting history makes your 'Hiring Now' badge more credible. Luna: That's a good point. I also wonder about the applicant quality. When you're hiring through Maps, you're getting people who are geographically close — which is great for shift workers who can't commute far. But does it also mean you get a lot of unqualified applicants? Lucas: That's a fair concern. Scoop & Co. said they got about 40 applications total from all channels combined. Of those, they interviewed 20 and hired 15. So the pre-screening was pretty minimal. But they also kept the application simple — just name, phone, availability, and a quick 'why you'd be good at this job' paragraph. They figured they could train the skills, but they wanted attitude and availability first. Luna: So the bar wasn't super high. For a seasonal ice cream shop, that makes sense. You're not looking for career scoopers — you want reliable, friendly kids who can show up on time. Lucas: Exactly. And they had another trick — they linked their Google Post application to a Google Form, not a full HR system. That lowered the friction. If you made them fill out a long application, they'd bounce. But a four-field form? That's doable on a phone while you're waiting for the bus. Luna: That's a great lesson for any small business. Make the application process as easy as possible. If it takes more than two minutes, you're losing candidates. Lucas: Yeah. And if today's episode gave you a specific idea you want to try — maybe updating your own Google Business Profile with the 'Hiring Now' attribute, or setting up a local ad campaign — I hope it's useful. The reason we can dive into these practical details without any sponsor interruptions is that listeners like you support the show directly. If you found this helpful, you can throw a few bucks toward the coffee fund at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It genuinely helps us keep doing episodes like this. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the content ad-free and focused on what actually works for small businesses. No pressure, but if it's made a difference for you, we appreciate it. Lucas: Alright, back to the hiring playbook. One more thing Scoop & Co. did that I think is underused: they asked their new hires to leave a Google Review mentioning that they got the job through Maps. Five of the fifteen did that within the first week. Those reviews included phrases like 'applied through Google Maps and got a call back in an hour' — which, when other job seekers see that, it builds trust that the business actually responds. Luna: Oh, that's clever. Social proof for future applicants. And it also helps your overall Google ranking because fresh reviews with keywords like 'hiring' or 'job' can boost your local SEO for those terms. Lucas: Exactly. So now you've got a virtuous cycle: you hire through Maps, new hires leave reviews, those reviews attract more applicants, and you build a stronger local presence overall. For a small business, that's a huge return on a very small investment of time. Luna: And all of this is free except for the ad spend. The attribute, the posts, the form — all zero cost. The ads were $200. That's less than a single job board listing on Indeed or ZipRecruiter, which can run $300 to $500 per post. Lucas: Right. And Indeed charges per application, too. So if you get 40 applicants, you could be paying a couple hundred dollars just for the leads. Whereas Google Maps, you're paying for clicks on your ad, not applications. Scoop & Co. spent $200 and got 40 applications — that's $5 per lead. Compare that to Indeed where it's often $1 to $2 per click, but then you also pay per application? It adds up fast. Luna: So the takeaway for any local business owner listening: if you need to hire seasonally, update your Google Business Profile with the 'Hiring Now' attribute, create a simple Google Post with a direct application link, and consider a small local ad campaign. That's the three-step playbook. Lucas: And do it before the hiring spike hits. For summer, that means mid-April. For holiday retail, that means mid-October. For landscaping, early March. The businesses that get ahead of the curve are the ones that fill their slots while everyone else is still putting up a handwritten sign in the window. Luna: I think the biggest mental shift here is realizing that your Google Maps listing isn't just for customers — it's for potential employees too. It's a dual-purpose asset. Lucas: Absolutely. And the next time you see a 'Help Wanted' sign in a window, you'll know there's a much better way. For now, I think that's a good place to wrap. Next episode, we're going to look at how a local bookstore uses Google Maps to host author events and drive foot traffic. That should be a good one. Luna: Looking forward to it. Thanks, Lucas.