Happy Independence Day weekend, America! Today on Money Radio, we talked about a couple of new tricks up Google’s sleeve: one revealed, one still hidden. Google Posts for Google My Business (GMB) is now live, while Google Advr undergoes development in the company’s experimental Area 120.

What is Google Posts?

You should have a verified Google My Business page with up-to-date contact info, photos, and reviews. You have that, right? If not, you definitely want one, and not just because we happen to know how to manage it for you.

Now that we’re on the same page re:GMB, let’s talk about Google Posts. Picture your GMB listing. Now, picture it with engaging, Facebook-style posts, except with prominent calls to action (like Buy Now, Learn More, and Contact Us) instead of hashtags. That’s what Google Posts allows you to do, and holy conversions, Batman! Need we explain why you ought to take advantage of this?

Difference between Google Posts and Social Media

Picture Joe Googler, searching for “pizza near me.” Your local search result comes up, and as usual he can see your location, hours, and contact info. He can click on a link to call you, visit your website, view photos, and read reviews.

Add Google Posts to that, and now he can immediately see your Buy 2 Get 1 special advertised right next to a button that says “Get Offer.” He doesn’t have to dig through his emails, browse your website, find your social media pages or riffle through the weekly ad mailer. The deal is right there for his convenience (and your conversions).

How much does it cost? Nothing. It’s included in the free Google My Business listing. Of course, running search engine and social media ad campaigns can still be worth the investment as it boosts your visibility.

Advr: Google Ads in Virtual Reality

This is just cool. As virtual reality grows in popularity and broadens its applications, advertisers want to get in on the 3D ad space. An Area 120 team at Google proposed VR ad cubes, with which users can choose to engage. If they do, a video player comes up and they can choose to view the ad in 3D virtual reality.

Given the intense sensory experience of VR, the developers want to come up with ways for ads to get noticed without being overly disruptive. It’s a preview of what VR ads might look like, but it’s not set in stone.

As always, you can listen to our Digital Pros podcast on Money Radio.