Often overlooked due to its smaller audience reach compared to competitors such as Facebook, using Google Plus for business is a tool that you should not yet be ready to eliminate. Quicksprout tells us that over 150 million users are active on the platform with 50% of all users logging in daily. A number too large to be overlooked. When done properly, using Google Plus for business can positively impact your search engine rankings, create leverage for your brand, and deliver accurate engagement analytics.
Getting Started
All great things have to begin somewhere. Before diving in and optimizing Google Plus for business, you will need to create your profile. If you don’t yet have one, it is time to create a Gmail account. If one already exists, you already have a Google+ page! After navigating to your currently blank page, you will need to:
- Upload a Profile Picture: Choose a photo that can easily be recognized by your audience and matches up with photos from other channels where you have an online presence.
- About You: Fill out the about section with information regarding who you are and what you do. Not to brief, and not too long. This section helps you to be easily found in a Google search.
- Tagline: Let people know who you are. This is a great spot for your go-to sales pitch.
- Contact Information: It is important to include your contact information so potential customers can easily contact you for more information.
Like other social channels, you are required to first set up your personal profile before being able to design a business page of any type. Once both are created you will then be able to link the two together for easy use.
Creating your Business Page
People tend to ask, if I already have a Facebook brand page that can be picked up by Google, why do I also need to create a Google Plus page? The truth is, because Google loves itself. The search engine, when crawling Facebook only indexes your profile information, not the actual content of the posts making it harder to find you. Google, for its own Google+ pages, indexes both your profile information as well as the content in each individual post making it much easier for your information and business to be found by the people searching for you. If the objective of your social content is geared towards driving traffic back to your business properties, you will want to create a page using Google Plus for business.
Building a Relationship
Of course you want your brand to take over the world. Don’t we all? It is important to remember that you are stronger with others than you are yourself. Using Google Plus for business allows marketers from around the globe to interact in one centralized location with the ability to inform, promote, and sell their product or brand to all types of users. Launched in 2014 was something known as Google Hangouts. Hangouts allows you to have real time interactions with others no matter where they are through voice, audio, and video chat. This can be an excellent tool for putting together a meeting, conference call, or broadcasting a keynote.
What to Post
Deciding what to post on your social channels can always be a little bit of a headache. We like to customize our posts to each individual channel depending on the buyer persona that comes along with each of those channels. Facebook, as we know, is most enjoyed by users cruising through loads of viral content comprise of mainly videos and photos with minimal text. When using Google Plus for business, we have learned that people use this platform much more for knowledge than they do entertainment. Whether it’s a few tips and tricks, a product release, or a big announcement, the users of Google+ have made it clear that they are here to learn. Job openings, learning opportunities, and informational content surrounding your brand is a perfect place to start when the time comes to post to your business page.
Use Communities
Having a hard time getting your content to perform well on your business page? Try searching different Google+ communities and post your content there. At Fat Guy Media we like to explore groups such as “Social Media” “Marketing” and of course “Foodies”. Distributing content into these focus groups helps ensure your posts are being viewed by those with an interest in your brand. Further leading to potential qualified leads. Whether its personal love or hate for Google Plus, using Google Plus for business should really be a no brainer. As a company looking to grow its traffic and web authority, working alongside the most dominant search engine in the world can be crucial to help further boost your revenue. Ranking highly on Google can provide the spark a company needs to reach the next level, and a properly utilized page using Google Plus for business is a key player in that success. For more information on how you can use Google Plus for business contact our team at social@fatguymedia.com . You may also enjoy our blogs touching on other social media channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram ! You can find them on our website! Happy Posting!