Yesterday, the small business team at Google went to Mexico for National Entrepreneurs Week. It was exciting to hear stories about how some of Mexico’s four million small businesses—the second largest number in Latin America—are using the internet to succeed and grow. Let’s look at three ways these business owners have turned their passion into their life’s work.
Turning handmade clothes into a reliable income
Someone Somewhere helps indigenous women turn their craft—making clothes–into a reliable income. The organization uses Google My Business, a free way to create and enhance your business listing on Search and Maps, to help these women reach new customers and sell their art to people from Chiapas and Puebla to Baja, California. By adding inspiring photos, updated info, and more, business owners can make connections with their customers and earn their trust.
Google My Business now allows you to share updates on Search and Maps with Posts. If your menu changes, you have a seasonal sale, or you’re open for special hours on the holidays, you can post about it. Businesses that already use Posts are seeing great results—La Casa del Mendrugo, a restaurant in downtown Puebla, Mexico, got more than 80,000 views from a single post about their business.
A local florist created a striking website in under 10 minutes
Flores de Oaxaca used our free website builder to create an eye-catching site in under 10 minutes. And they are in good company, with the 90 thousand websites we’ve helped small businesses in Mexico build. By using the information from your Google My Business listing and providing simple templates, we make it easy to get your mobile-ready website up and running.
Having a website opened up a new world for us.
A baker uses ads to connect with new customers
Once a business has a complete listing and an eye-catching website, it can reach more interested customers online with ads. When Pasteles Increibles started using AdWords Express, they went from getting 2 calls a day to getting 50.
AdWords Express helps small businesses set up a custom ad campaign in 15 minutes, and lets you choose the real-world results you want—calls, in-store visits, or website actions.
Small businesses have as many unique backgrounds and goals as the people running them. They use what makes them different to become the lifeblood of their communities, bringing jobs and character to the places in which they thrive. And I believe that together we can do more. Juntos podemos hacer más.
