Google have created and released Google Boost to a few lucky cities in the US( San Francisco, Houston, and Chicago). The new online marketing solution is aimed at helping local businesses connect with potential consumers in their area. Google Boost will allow you to easily create an ad directly from your Google Places account.
Boost ads are eligible to appear in the “Sponsored Links” section and Google Maps search result pages. The ads will include all the expected information; company name, address, phone number and website address, but the really cool features may include the number of reviews your business has recieved, an average star rating and a link to your Place page to help potential consumers find additional information about your business that could be useful to them. Additionally, businesses that are using Google Tags will also see their yellow tag appearing in the ad. Again this feature is not available in Australia at the moment.
What Will Google Boost Look Like?
Google Boost & You
Setting up your ad seems pretty easy from viewing the Google example. All that is required is a short description, a web or Google Place page, selection of a business categories and a monthly budget. From that point on, the Google system will set up your ad campaign and figure out the relevant keywords for you to trigger your ad in Google and Google Maps.
Getting Google to trigger your ad with the right keywords will be the tricky part!
Just like Google Adwords you will only pay when someone – hopefully a potential customer – clicks on your ad. According to Google you will also be able to view basic ad performance data within your Google Places dashboard.
If Google Boost gets rolled out to the rest of the world (hopefully), business owners will have another geotargeted marketing channel to reach consumers and a quick and easy way to share information about themselves. To make sure you are made aware of Google Boost if it gets released in Australia, claim your local business listing in Google Places and keep your fingers crossed that you receive a notification from the Google Gods! 
Other Google Boost Reads
SearchEngineWatch.com -Google Launches New Ad Format for Local Businesses
Blumenthals.com – Google Places Rolls out Simplified AdWord Product “Boost” in Limited Markets
Blumenthals.com – Google Boost – More Detail
Blumenthals.com – Interview with Chikai Ohazama, Director of Product Management for Maps