Run a Business? Sign Up with Apple Business Connect

ByEmily Dolloff

Every company today conducts business online, by sending email, if nothing else. That’s true even if your firm operates primarily in the physical world—customers undoubtedly find you by browsing in Apple Maps, searching in Spotlight, and asking Siri for directions. If you sell products, you probably take Apple Pay.

Apple Business Connect is a free program designed to help businesses enhance their brands everywhere they appear on Apple devices, including Maps, Wallet, Siri, Calendar, Messages, Spotlight searches, and more. Once you sign up for Apple Business Connect (we’ll resist the temptation to say it’s as easy as ABC) and are verified by Apple, you can:

  • Set up Branded Mail: With Branded Mail, email sent from specific addresses or your entire domain will be branded with your logo in the Mail app on Apple devices, helping users identify your brand.
  • Configure location information: Simple addresses don’t always connect with store entrances, so you can precisely specify the entrance to each of your locations.
  • Customize Place Cards: When customers find you in Maps, add your address to Calendar, or ask for your location from Siri, Apple displays a Place Card. With Apple Business Connect, you can customize the Place Card.
  • Add custom action links: Your Place Card can contain custom action links that point to your website or other Web-accessible platforms. For instance, a restaurant might add custom action links for Menu, Reservations, Takeout, etc.
  • Create Showcases: A Showcase is a module on the Place Card that lets you highlight sales, deals, new items, or other promotional content. If someone is looking for you, why not promote your latest offerings?
  • Get Insights: Apple records valuable information about customer search behavior, including search locations, discovery methods, and actions customers take after finding your business.
  • Add Tap to Pay on iPhone: For those who don’t already have a point-of-sale system, Tap to Pay on iPhone lets you accept contactless payments on an iPhone without an extra terminal or hardware.

Apple has also announced Business Caller ID, slated to ship in 2025, which will display your brand’s name, logo, and even a specific department when you call someone using an iPhone. That should help people realize that a call from your company is legitimate and not some telemarketer, making them more likely to pick up.

Getting started with Apple Business Connect is simple, but verification can take up to a week. It’s best to work through Apple’s clear documentation for registering your business, but the basics are:

  • Sign in with your Apple Account (use your Apple Business Manager account if you have one).
  • Enter your company details.
  • Set up a brand by giving its name, category, geographic location, and logo.
  • Turn on Branded Mail by adding a domain or email address, and verifying your company.
  • Add a location by specifying its address and hours.
  • Create a Place Card, add a Showcase, and create custom actions.

Needless to say, Apple Business Connect only impacts how you appear to people using Apple devices and apps. For everyone else, we recommend setting up a Google Business Profile, which provides similar features, though primarily for businesses with physical locations and upsells for advertising on Google.

However, it’s absolutely worth working with Apple Business Connect to enhance how you and your brand appear to customers. If you need help setting it up, contact us.

(Featured image based on an original by Apple)

Social Media: Discover how Apple Business Connect helps businesses stand out in apps like Maps, Spotlight, Calendar, and Wallet. From custom Place Cards to branded email, Apple Business Connect can enhance your brand and help you reach your audience more effectively.

Similar Posts

  • _Dear Friends,_

    I had a great trip up to Jasper, GA to pick up the 2003 Victory motorcycle. I took almost all two-lane roads and the weather cooperated although it was a bit chilly in the mornings. It got busier as I headed south in Florida but all in all it was a great way to spend the weekend.

    Small Dog Electronics is finishing up our 20th year in business and we are going to be changing out the 20-year anniversary banners and signs. Now that we are going to be 21 we are renewing our commitment to walking the walk as a socially responsible business. We feel that how we treat people, customers, employees, vendors or strangers is an equal measure of our success as to how we treat the planet and the profit we hope to make. Did you know that 100% of the electrical power for our S. Burlington store and about 85% of the power for our Waitsfield headquarters is generated from solar energy?

    When you form a “corporation”, if you tear down the word to its Latin base, it means to “form a body”. My high school latin teacher would be proud. As a body in society, a business has a bigger footprint than any individual. We have buildings, we consume resources, we generate waste and we have a huge impact on peoples lives. With that larger footprint comes a larger responsibility and that is the basis for our commitment to always measure our success by the triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit.

    This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive features the iPad mini 4. This model in Space Gray includes 64GB of storage and cellular capability. With the Retina display and Touch ID this incredibly thin and light iPad could be a complete solution. Because this model has cellular capability (cell contract required) you can use it anywhere where there is Wi-Fi or Cellular coverage. The iPad Mini 4 is my iPad of choice. I like the way it fits in one hand and is perfect for reading. It feels like you are holding a paperback book. This week, exclusively for Kibbles & Bytes readers we are offering the “iPad Mini 4 in Space Gray with AppleCare Plus”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002167 for a special price. AppleCare Plus for the iPad extends the 1-year warranty to 2-years and also provides for coverage for accidental damage (i.e. broken screen, etc.) for up to two incidents for a $49 deductible. It also extends the 90-days of free Apple technical support to 2-years. Normally, this bundle is $729.98 but we are giving Kibbles & Bytes readers the opportunity to save $40 on this bundle. You get the iPad mini 4 64GB Cellular model with AppleCare Plus for only “**$689.98!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002167

  • Emily's Favorite Mac Accessories

    I am the kind of gal that admittedly likes gadgets and accessories just because they are cool, I don’t even need to have a use for them to make me want one! If there is a new iPad case, a new speaker, a new product announcement from Apple, I want it. This has resulted in a vast collection over the years of all kinds of gadgets, gizmos and some stuff that I just hang onto for no good reason other than I might need it one day. Some things have been a bit of a fad, others have stood the test of time. Over the years I have found that I few items in my collection of gadgets that have either become invaluable or the kind of item that really stands the test of time.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4651.jpg!

    My first must have and favorite gadgets are portable bluetooth speakers, and I have had several over the years. The battery powered speakers from Skullcandy I had were one of my most favorite pocket sized speakers! It took up little room in my bag and I could have my music wherever I wanted. You never realize how much you miss having music wherever you go until you start to use these kinds of speakers and then suddenly don’t have them! I eventually outgrew my little Skullcandy speakers and upgraded to a larger but still portable Altec system. This speaker system went everywhere with us. In fact, it still travels with us in our camper even though it features a 30 pin connection for our phones. What I loved most about this set up was that it had a rechargeable battery, so unlike my little Skullcandy speakers I didn’t need to worry about carrying around spare AA batteries. It also allows me to use a 3.5mm headphone cable and an FM radio. I recently started to use the “**Outdoortech Turtle Shell**”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85338/outdoor-tech-turtle-shell-2-0-rugged-wireless-boombox-electric-blue speakers to replace the old Skullcandy speakers for immediate portable sound, and as a huge bonus this speaker is bluetooth, something none of my previous portable units had. I will admit, I still haven’t found a better replacement for my aging Altec portable speaker as far as sound quality goes, but I will also admit finding a newer solution would require my having to let go!

    My second must-have gadget is an airport express base station. You might be surprised that it is not the Airport Extreme. Why do I love the “**airport express**”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/80932/apple-airport-express-base-station-802-11n-wi-fi so much? Well part of it might be a bit nostaglic. It was my first introduction into wireless speakers. How cool was it to plug in my Harmon Kardon speakers, simply tap my iPhone while sitting on the couch, and my speakers came to life like magic? But the great features don’t stop there. It’s a really powerful and inexpensive wireless router. For many, we don’t have huge areas we need to cover with wireless. Maybe it’s just a small apartment, or perhaps your house just isn’t that big. When I first started to use the airport express the one draw back was that the only ethernet port had to be designed (in most cases) for your internet modem, but in recent years Apple has added a second ethernet port allowing for more flexibility and versatility with this little gem.

    p{text-align: center;}. !http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4650.jpg!

    iPad and iPhone cases are another huge weakness of mine. I probably have no less then five cases for my phone and for my iPad. You could say I collected cases like some girls collect shoes! But on a serious note, this is a very important accessory for your iPhone or your iPad. Some folks prefer form fitting and minimal, others prefer a more rugged case. I have come to prefer several cases. However, I think cases that combine both slim form factor and serious protection are the “**Lifeproof**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002119 cases. I have one for my phone and one for my iPad. What I love most of them is that they come off easily! I don’t always want a heavy duty case on my devices, but have found that many cases that offer greater levels of protection end up being very difficult to take off your device.

  • Sonos and Apple Music

    A little over a week ago things became official: Apple Music is now available to those who use “**Sonos.**”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/?mmfg%5B0%5D=Sonos For some of us this wasn’t a huge announcement. I have been using the beta version now for several months and have been enjoying my Apple Music playlists as well as my own personal play lists on my iPhone. I have been a huge fan of Sonos for about two years and not being able to listen to Apple Music was my one complaint about the system, but not anymore!

    Apple Music isn’t the only great thing about Sonos either, did you know that you can also control your Sonos system from your computer? I admit, I didn’t realize this at first. With a huge focus on how easy the system is to set up and control from your iPad or iPhone, this is one feature that’s often overlooked. With a simple “App download”:http://www.sonos.com/controller-app on your computer, you can open up your entire (in most cases) music library for listening through your Sonos system. Another great feature of the Sonos App is the ability to set a sleep timer. If your someone who enjoys falling asleep to music, but prefers it doesn’t stay on all night this is a huge feature even if it is a bit hidden. The more info icon within the Sonos App hides a lot of features, including the sleep timer.