Run a business? Then you need to join this Apple service – Computerworld

• Branded Mail: Businesses can display their brand name and logo in emails to customers, so they become more visible in Mail. Business users can sign up today, and the service will go live with the release of iOS 18.2.
• Tap to Pay: The brand name and logo can also be made visible when accepting payments through Tap to Pay on iPhone, so customers know they’re making a payment to a trusted and verified business.
• Business Caller ID: This feature means that when a business calls a customer’s iPhone, the business name, logo, and department will appear on the inbound call screen. This should help customers know which calls to respond to and help blunt the ongoing wave of annoying spam calls. This feature won’t be available until next year.

What are the benefits of Apple Business Connect?

The beauty of the service is that it is made available online and via Maps and supporting applications to over a billion people using iPads, iPhones, and Macs. Once a customer or potential customer gets to your business listing, they will find the information there easy to use and access, while your control of that listing lets you work to communicate the benefits of your business to that potential customer.

The added advantage of the Showcase section is that this can be tweaked to provide special offers, including one-time and time-limited offers, to help you win new customers once they reach your card. You can also monitor and optimize the performance of your listing and draw some SEO benefits from the existence of the information in the Apple ecosystem.

“We’re excited to offer all businesses — including those without a physical location — the ability to create a brand that appears across the Apple apps that over a billion people use every day,” David Dorn, Apple’s senior director of Internet Software and Services Product, said in a statement. “We designed Business Connect to empower businesses to present the best, most accurate information to Apple users. With today’s updates, we’re helping even more businesses reach customers, build trust, and grow.”