Each and every marketplace and industry is getting more and more competitive by the day. Before we even consider the changes from the consumer behavior side of this formula, you NEED TO UNDERSTAND how to adapt and maximize the free tools available to expose and capture the free and targeted traffic that your Google Local Business Maps listing can provide to you.Were you aware that 46% OF BUSINESSES are still without a website – amazing isn’t it? Now you may be thinking this statistic was from January of 2000, but I nearly fell out of my chair when doing market research in January, 2011.Also, according to an independent internet research company (The Kelsey Group), 31% of households PREFER USING THE INTERNET FIRST when gathering information about a product or service – and many of those searches are local, via Google Local Business Maps Listings, Yahoo and Bing Pages.You may also be shocked to find out that 86% of searches that reach a website locally follow their search up with a phone call. For the proactive searchers that live within a 6 mile radius from that business, they’re 90% ready-to-buy and want to do so once contacting a local business, so get your cash registers ready.Below are 3 Tips To Maximize Your Google Local Business Maps Listing:1. Fill Out All Of The Fields Google Asks You To- Because Google is what’s called a relevant based search engine, those business owners that obey their rules will be most rewarded. Typically, search engines don’t care about what your personal preferences are… so just follow their lead to get handsomely rewarded with free traffic, leads and then convert in the house.2. A Good Picture Is Worth Thousands Of Dollars – Instead of putting in space-holder pictures in your 5 allotted Goggle Maps/Google Places page, use this “prime real estate” to drive sales and willing-to-buy prospects to your company website. This prime real estate can also be a significant boost at getting your website to the top of Google.I’d strongly recommend finding a graphics person who’s handy in Photoshop or Illustrator (both Adobe programs) to create high-end coupons that will prompt prospects to call and visit your business.3. The Power Of Persuasive Videos Is Prominent These Days – It has been proven by the numbers that video marketing is starting to dominate. Think about human nature for a minute, do more people watch TV or read books? So why is your website and Google Maps/Google Places page only text and images? Don’t you want to give people what they are looking for?The 4 major search engines have seen significant growth in the local landscape. This area of business online has fast become the largest growing sector on the entire internet… but regardless of what you think or feel, just listen to the people that knows more about this stuff than you.I fought it for years – and lost every time! So if you want to maximize your Google Local Business Maps listing then do what the experts are telling you, we did and our business is positioned and prime to thrive for a long time because of it!