On Wednesday my fellow Localogy analyst Mike Boland and I recorded next week’s This Week in Local podcast. And the first topic we discussed, at some length due to Mike’s diligent work, was the new Apple Business Connect, which allows businesses to update their content on Apple Maps.
This is essentially Apple Maps’ answer to Google Business Profiles. Or as Mike calls it, “the artist formerly known as Google My Business.”
Here is some of what Mike said in his post this week on the subject.
This essentially means that Apple, as Google has done for years, is crowdsourcing its listings data by allowing businesses to add and maintain their profiles. That includes the standard set of business details like name, address, place (NAP) as well as photos, promotions, and other particulars (think: mask policy).
When Will Agencies Jump In?
On the podcast, which comes out on Monday, we spent a few minutes wondering how the Localogy community, in particular digital agencies, would respond to this significant Apple Maps rollout. Will we soon see Apple Business Connect solutions announcements?
At one point I ask, “will it become just part of the service bundle naturally going forward, of the listings management providers?”
Mike responds. “I bet it will. I think it serves them and their products and services to be able to offer it…So yes, this will be added to their service bundles pursuant to the need to be a one-stop shop for all the places where consumers are going.”
Well, Yext one of the OGs of listings management, certainly wasted little time announcing its plans with Apple Business Connect. Specifically, Yext announced an integration with the Apple Business Connect API. This will allow Yext customers to update their information on Apple Maps at scale.
Here is how Yext describes the core relevance of its announcement.
“Businesses leveraging the new Business Connect API, which includes all current Yext Listings customers, can now make updates to their Apple Maps place cards at scale. With this upgrade, organizations can also further optimize their digital presence with Showcases, a social posting feature that allows businesses to highlight offers or promotions for specific locations in the Apple Maps place card.”
In its announcement, Yet emphasizes the significant advantages of offering the Apple Maps solution via API integration.
“API integrations give businesses more confidence in their data because they provide two-way communication — meaning they can not only send data in real-time but also receive feedback from the publisher,” Yext writes.
To illustrate its point, Yext offers two scenarios. One in which you leave a voicemail ordering two pizzas. And the other is where you get someone on the phone, order the pizzas, and have the order confirmed. Of course, we would be more confident under the second scenario that our pizzas would arrive on time.
“An API integration uses that same logic when delivering data to a third-party publisher, like Apple Maps. The publisher will provide confirmation as to whether or not they successfully received your data,” Yext writes in the announcement.
