Things are happening! Google+ will be opening up to the public very soon, but that’s not what many businesses and brands are excited about… They are excited about Google+ Business Pages! Which will be released shortly as well. There will be some massive benefits to brands that use Google+. There are already people reaping the SEO benefits of Google+ and their WordPress blogs, which we will cover in a bit…
Right now, there is a totally different feel to Google+ right now than Facebook. A much more professional and collaborative feel. It’s like a breathe of fresh air! But, before you go into Google+ full steam ahead, there are some things you should consider and know…
What Brands Should Know About Google+
1. Take a Look Around. You may feel very comfortable with Facebook, but remember… This isn’t Facebook! Take your time and get used to how Google+ works, spend time with the Circles, Hangouts, updating your profile, adding pictures and so on. Also, it’s important to remember, at the time of this writing, you will only be testing “personal profiles”. So this gives you the opportunity for people to get to know the Founder, the staff and employees of a company. It’s probably smart to fight the temptation of creating a business page on a regular Google+ profile. Google+ business pages will be here soon! So hang in there!
2. Don’t Act Too Soon. Like I said, right now Google+ has a very different feel and if you go at it like everything else, you could turn people off and hurt your brand. So take your time and get used to the atmosphere. Watch what kinds of content people are posting and how often people are posting. At the moment most professionals (minus all the tech guys) are finding that posting three times a day has been a good number.
3. Get Strategic. There are many things to think about when using Social Media. With Google+, you are going to want to come up with a strategy, a road map on how you will use it. Like, what kinds of content you will be posting, how you will be engaging people, how often will you post and will you create unique content or share the same content you are already sharing on Facebook and Twitter.
G+ Tip: From the conversations I have been in on Google+, I am going to say that it is going to be wise to come up with G+ specific content. I know it’s easy to use tools that post to everything all at the same time to all your profiles. But, because G+ is so different right now, people aren’t putting up with duplicate content and they REALLY aren’t putting up spam and blatant self-promotion.
4. Assign The Right People. If you don’t personally handle the Social Media Marketing of your Brand, you will want to assign the right person or team for the job. This could include a social media manager. Either way, you want to make sure you are doing everything right and consistent.
5. Integration of Google+. We at iBoost love integration of Social Media! There are multiple way you can Integrate Google+ into your marketing and brand awareness strategies…
- You can post your link on physical and digital sales material, email signature and so on.
- Put G+ on your Web Site. If you are a WordPress user, there are already multiple plugins that you can add that will allow people to G+ (Kinda of like ReTweeting and Liking) your content. Plus, you can put a G+ icon on your site that allows people to connect with you on Google+. There is another integration technique, which leads to number 6!
6. G+ SEO. I see there being a major SEO (Search Engine Optimization) benefits with G+. First, there is a way to get your G+ profile pic to show up with your web pages in the search engines. This is really cool, because we see that this will grab people’s attention much more. Check out this article for more info on that: Google+ Profile Images Now Appearing Beside Search Listings.
The other SEO benefits are because Google owns G+, we might just see some favoritism with G+ profiles and pages in the search engines.
Another thing Brands Should Know About Google+ is, G+ is still in it’s baby stage. It is still growing and evolving into the thing it’s going to be. So it’s important that you pay attention to changes and shifts that happen. That way you are always on the cutting edge and it will be easier to position yourself as the leader in your Industry.
Do you have any questions or comments about Google+? Let me know below! Oh, you can also connect with me on Google+! 
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