Today Google announced that Google Places is now Google My Business. In addition to entering business location information as in Google Places, Google My Business seems to function more like a Facebook Page, allowing sharing of news and updates. The interface of the page looks like a Google Plus account.
Google has said that using Google services does not factor into SERP position, but anyone who has searched for a business on Google knows that Google Places search results are frequently at the top, complete with maps. Perhaps using Google My Business will yield better results for your brand.
