Tapping into Local Markets: Google Maps Prospecting in Clay

Many businesses—especially local service providers, retail shops, and professional practices—aren't well represented on LinkedIn or traditional B2B databases, which makes it difficult for traditional prospecting tools to find them. 

At Clay, we understand this challenge, which is why we've integrated Google Maps into our platform. With Clay's Google Maps integration, you can efficiently find and prospect local businesses within your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

In this lesson, we’ll cover how to use Google Maps to find businesses, filter results effectively, and extract meaningful insights to enhance prospecting.

How it Works: Watch the Guided Demo

Watch the full guided demo below, or skip ahead for a step-by-step breakdown.

Step 1: Accessing Google Maps in Clay

To start a Google Maps search, follow these steps:

1. Open the Sources Modal – Click the Create New Table button from the Clay homepage.
2. Select Google Maps – You'll find it listed among the available data sources.
3. Choose a Workbook – Either create a new table or add results to an existing workbook for better organization.

Step 2: Defining Your Search Area

Since Google Maps is location-based, you'll need to define the geographical area for your search:

• Set a Location – Input a city, neighborhood, or exact address.
• Adjust the Search Radius – Zoom in/out to refine the coverage area.
• Manually Drag the Map – Fine-tune the location by adjusting the pin placement.

Example: Searching for dentists in Brooklyn, NY, you could focus on specific neighborhoods like Fort Greene, Gowanus, and Prospect Heights or expand the radius for a broader search.

Step 3: Choosing Search Method & Business Types

You can search for businesses in two ways:

1. Free Text Search – Enter any keyword (e.g., “best dental clinics”).
2. Business Type Search (Recommended) – Choose from pre-defined Google Business categories for more accurate results.

Example: Selecting “Dentists” under Business Type will yield more reliable results than a generic text search.

Step 4: Running the Search & Filtering Results

Once you’ve configured your search:

• Click Submit to pull businesses matching your criteria.
• Google Maps will return up to 1,000 results (default max limit).
• Let Clay continue fetching results in real time—don’t assume the initial count is final.

Maximizing Your Search Results

Once you've set your parameters and initiated the search, Clay will pull in a wealth of information about the businesses in your target area. Here's how to make the most of this data:

1. Filter by Ratings: For quality control, you might want to focus on businesses with high ratings (e.g., 4 stars and above).
2. Analyze Reviews: Use Clay's AI capabilities to extract insights from customer reviews, helping you understand the business's strengths and weaknesses.
3. Enrich Your Data: Look beyond the basic Google Maps data. You might want to investigate:some text
   
   • Number of practitioners (for service businesses)
   • Services offered
   • Website information (last update, design quality)
   • Social media presence
4. Be Patient: The Google Maps integration may take some time to populate all results. What initially appears as a few dozen listings could grow to hundreds as the data loads.

Ideal Use Cases

This feature is particularly valuable for prospecting:

• Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
• "Mom and pop" shops
• Local service providers
• Businesses in traditional industries with limited online presence

Congrats

By combining Google Maps data with Clay's powerful enrichment and analysis tools, you're not just building a list – you're creating a rich, targeted database of potential clients that others might miss. This approach allows you to tap into markets that are often overlooked by traditional B2B prospecting methods, giving you a competitive edge in local markets.

Remember, the key to success with this method is precision and patience. Take the time to refine your search parameters, thoroughly analyze the data, and create personalized outreach strategies based on the unique insights you've gathered. 

Next up: Finding Company Lookalikes.

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