So Google+ is here...but what now? If you are struggling to figure out how to use Google+ for business or you have the feeling of "Oh boy, another social network I have to add to my marketing to-do list", then you are in for a treat today.
Embracing Google+ should be on your short list of activities and this Google+ Marketing Guide is going to walk you through the process of getting started with Google Plus + to promote and market your business in 10 easy steps.
Google+ is making its presence known and getting ahead of the curve now can help you position your brand and business at the top of the Google search engines leading to more exposure, customers, leads and sales.
So let's get started!
Why Do You Need To Be On Google+
Google+ is rapidly becoming a mainstream social media platform and it is also THE social network endorsed by the world's #1 search engine. If you are still wondering why you need to be on Google+, let me shed a little bit of light on the key reasons why you can't afford not to be on it.
- If you want to use Google+ you have to actually get on the social network to post updates (you can not update from other programs) so engagement is greater than on Facebook and Twitter where the process can be automated.
- Google+ is a great way to drive traffic to your blog or website. Not only can it boost your search engine rankings, it's a great platform to connect your business and gain exposure.
- One thing is very apparent: Google+ is already showing up in the Google+ search results. Meaning they are giving precedence to content updated and shared by people within the Google+ social network.
- Google is transforming into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships. They began this transformation with Social Search, and they are taking huge steps by introducing three new features:
- Personal Results, which enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page;
- Profiles in Search, both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and,
- People and Pages, which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.
Together, these features combine to create what's called Search plus Your World. Search is simply better with your world in it, and Google is just getting started.
So as you can see, Google is well on it's way to completely transforming the way we interact socially online.
As with any social media marketing method, it's not as simple as building a profile and watching the flood gates of traffic stream in. Engagement doesn't happen by itself. You have to interact and actively participate. You must construct a profile that attracts your target prospect and showcase enough value to make that potential prospect want to know more about you.
With that said here are 10 steps to getting started with Google+and making it work for you and your business.
Step # 1 Sign Up For Your Google+ Account
If you haven’t signed up for Google+ yet set up a free account by going to their start page. You can sign up for Google+ using your current Google Account or by creating a new Google Account. To ensure your current Google applications are seamlessly integrated into your Google+ profile, you will want to create your Google+ profile under your already established personal Google account.
Signing up is pretty straight forward and you'll be asked to enter your first and last name. If you have a business you will also have the opportunity to fill out a business page as well. Next you'll want to upload a photo. Make sure your picture is professional and similar (if not the same) as your profile picture across your other social networks.
[box type="note" style="rounded"]Quick Tip: Be sure to use the same photo you have on other networks such as Twitter or Facebook, so that others will easily recognize you.[/box]
Once you've completed your signing up, you will be prompted to invite friends into your circles by having Google+ search your email contacts on Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail.
Step # 2 Build a Strong Profile
Before you start connecting and adding followers to your circles, the very first move you want to make is creating a strong Google+ profile. Why? Not only will you be attracting people that share your interest (I'll show you how to SEO your Google+ profile in a minute) but when people stop by your profile you want to give them a compelling reason as to why you are someone they NEED to be connected to.
So how do you take advantage of Google+ to get exposure to your personal brand and drive traffic. SEO! Google+ has a ton of awesome features that will allow you to optimize your search engine results. I have included for you an example of how I SEO optimized my Google+ profile below. As you can see from the spotlighted areas, you can optimize your profile by updating specific data fields on your profile as well as build links back to your own sites.
I have links back to all of my social networks, my blog, specific posts and pages (notice the multiple links back to the "Go-Guide" newsletter- talk about increased opt-ins!!) and my business. I have even utilized the "Occupation" section to the max, by listing targeted keywords relevant to my niche!
You may only have one chance to grab a potential prospects attention so make it count. One of the most important steps for businesses who want to leverage Google+ is to update both your personal profile and Google+ business pages profile making sure all of the details are completely filled out! Your Google+ profile page may be the very first point of contact people have with you online so make sure you have a killer description, include all your contact details and add links to your website, blog and top 3 -5 social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn). You will also want to add links to your top pages on your blog or business site (maybe your newsletter page, free marketing tips or products and services page).
Step # 3 Maximize The Photo Strip
As an entrepreneur your # 1 goal is to build awareness for you or your business. Take the time to fully utilize the photostrip underneath your headline to display the photos that best showcase you and your brand. Here is a really cool example of how Coca Cola highlights their brand.
You can update your Google+ profile to include photos that provide insight to who you are and what you are all about. This includes uploading pictures:
- that show social proof (at events, with industry leaders)
- that show helpful facts and figures about your industry
- that show your lifestyle
Are you an author? Show your Google+ followers pictures that highlight chapters of your book. Create 5 different graphics that are 720 x 720 pixels and upload them to the photo strip on your Google+ profile.
Step # 4 Get Creative with a Mini-bio Hovercard
This feature right hear is pretty cool. Note that your Google+ profile also has a place to insert your location and employer (past and present).
Don't just list your employer or company name, get creative with your “Employment” field and use that to craft a compelling “mini-bio.” This mini-bio will then show up as your hovercard, which is the only information someone using Google+ sees when deciding whether or not to circle (follow) you.
Simply go to the "Employment" section and enter a complete description. You have plenty of characters to write as much or as little as you want. Just make sure you maximize the opportunity to tell people about you. Write a bio similar to one you have on your other social networks. You can even include a link (even though it is not clickable).
You want to do everything you can to make is easy for more people to circle you. Right now your # 1 goal is to get as many followers as possible. This is what will make a huge difference in the search engine results. The more followers, the more sharing of your content, the higher your search engine rankings.
Step # 5 Personalize your page URL
Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin all let you create what's called a "vanity url" which is makes your social media link all cute and pretty. Well Google+ doesn't have that feature. So what do you do?
You may have noticed (it's pretty hard not to) that your Google+ page URL looks like this https://plus.google.com/102229962150902607675/posts. Yep, ugly, long...who wants that on their business card? At some point Google may include a feature that allows for a vanity url, but until then you can use a service called Gplus.to to create a user-friendly, custom URL (3-25 characters) like http://www.gplus.to/bolder, which will redirect a user to your page.
Step # 6 Create Circles
After you've gotten the basics out of the way and configured your privacy settings, start adding Circles. Google plus allows you to create Circles, which allows you to categorize your connections and selectively share information with certain people.
You may want to post something that you only want your family to see. You can select your "family" circle, and only the people you've tagged as "family" will be able to view that post. Mark your post as public if you want everyone to see it. This is a great way to streamline your information.
I suggest you create a list of circles to help you organize and categorize specific content. For example your circles can be "Family, Friends, Influencers, Authors, Social Media, Los Angeles, Ca and Business Partners." Watch this short video below on how to start with Google+ Circles.
[youtube width="425" height="350"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocPeAdpe_A8[/youtube]
Once you've created your circles, you need to start filling them with people. To find people to add to your circles, click on the circles icon. Here, you 'll see your Gmail contacts and people Google thinks you might know. Underneath you'll see a dashboard displaying your circles – Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and Following, etc. You can add people to these circles by dragging their picture into an already created circle or them or create new circles by dragging people into the blank circle on the left hand side.
After you have extinguished your list of imported or suggested contacts, move on to finding new people by typing their name in the Search Google+ box. You even have the option of searching based on brand names or keywords to find people related to them. You can also add someone to your circle directly from their profile. Based on the privacy settings they have selected, you can see exactly who they have added to their circles along with people who added them to their circles. Clicking on the "View all >>" link will allow you to view a complete list and add people you know to your own circles.
If you’re still looking for more people to add to your circles, the Google+ Top 100 is an awesome resource to check out. While you won't want to follow everyone on the list, you will be able to find more people in your industry or niche by seeing who they follow as well as who follows them.
# 7 Establish your presence & get to know your audience
The easiest way to stay active on Google+ is to add relevant content surrounding your niche. Google+ presents a unique opportunity for you to establish yourself as a thought leader in a space where your competition may not be actively participating...YET!!
Get to know your audience by asking questions, sharing content and interacting. What works on more established social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook may not be a good fit for your Google+ audience. Make the effort to customize your message and content to their needs. Also take advantage of the Google+ hangout feature that allows you to use a live webcam (videoconferencing) with up to 10 other Google + users. What better way to connect with people than via live chat.
You can update with quotes, articles and provide a link to new blog posts you write on your personal profile. But there are other things you can do too. Simply updating your stream regularly will tell people you are serious about using Google+. If you make yourself worth following you will build a bigger audience and that audience is then more likely to follow you off site to your own website.
As with any social network, the rule of thumb is to always give value. Before you post anything, ask yourself if it is going to be beneficial, useful or of value to others. Even though you can share selectively between friends, acquaintances, family members and people you are following just be careful about what you post to make sure you are worth the follow.
# 8. Commenting and Tagging People
Commenting on a picture or a status update by using the +1 is a great way to let people know you like what they posted and that you are paying attention. Since comments on public status updates will also be public, your profile will be seen by anyone who reads the update and its comments. Whenever leaving comments, be it on Facebook, Blogs or Google+, be sure to leave insightful comments that provide value and will help build up your authority in your industry.
Tagging other Google+ followers is one of the best ways to interact and build your audience. You can tag them in your stream post and comments by simply typing the @ symbol followed by their name. The Google Plus smart search will populate their name as you type. You can then select them from the dropdown menu and the person you tagged will then be notified with an e-mail that they've been mentioned in your G+ stream.
[box type="note"]Be sure to only tag people when you are talking to or about them. Don’t randomly tag someone just to get them to look at your updates or comments. That is called spam! [/box]
#9: Promote your Google+ page
The best way to drive traffic to your business on Google+ is to promote it. You can promote your Google+ profile from your website, blog and other online platforms.
Businesses should utilize features such as Google Badges and Google +1 icon buttons. To do this, simply go to the Google+ Platform Preview and sign up to receive updates. Next you'll want to visit the Google+ configuration tool page to customize your badge or icon. Copy and paste the generated code into your site to enable and display the badge or + 1 button. By adding these to your website or blog, it allows visitors to recommend your content with a single click of the button.
HubSpot shares some interesting data, reporting websites that use Google’s +1 button generated 3.5 times more traffic from Google+ than websites that don’t have the button installed.
# 9 Go Mobile with Google+ iPhone App
If you have a smartphone such as an Android or iPhone like I do, you can enjoy the benefits of the Google+ iPhone app. Simply visit to app store, search "google+" and click the green install button. The application is FREE and you can use it to view your news stream and profile, post updates, check your notifications, view photos, and find people to add to circles. You can also use it to start a new conversation with friends via the Google+ as an instant messenger feature.
This Google+ Marketing Guide should get you up and running on Google+ in no time. Have any helpful tips, tricks or shortcuts to using Google+ for business? Share your experiences with this increasingly popular social network. We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment