When it comes down to which social platform to use for your business, which platforms come to your mind? I know for me, I think of Facebook and Twitter right away, not Google+. Almost everyone should be on those platforms for reasons such as, there are 1.3 billion users worldwide for Facebook and people might be talking about your company on Twitter. These are two reasons that give me the, absolutely, answer to, “should my business be on Facebook or Twitter?” Yet, how do we answer that same question for Google+?
Why should my business use Google+?
First off, Google controls Google+, obviously. Therefore, they can see everything that is happening on + very simply and they do. That is reason enough to at least have a good listing on Google, and be somewhat active.
Once my business is on Google+, then what do I do?
You may ask yourself this question because like many of us, you don’t understand Google+ yet. Just like Facebook 10 years ago, we are confused, excited and ready for a new challenge. There are a few things that I would say you need to be doing when you get onto +.
- Generate unique, quality, rich content. Have you ever heard the phrase, “content is king?” That is definitely true and only becomes more so as we move into 2015. Google has algorithms now that pick up on all the different aspects of your website content. + allows for you to take responsibility for it, and prove yourself as a top professional in your industry. Did you know Google is still the #1 search engine?
- Share other people’s and companies content. You have be personable to the people that follow you or engage with you on your + page daily. This will provide you more credibility within your industry. This communicates that you aren’t just about your own products and services, that you care about other companies, and that you want to share the unique content they are sharing because you find it valuable.
- Engage in “Communities” within your industry and the industries that you serve. The companies in each of these Communities have shared interests that they like to converse with one another about. Being active in different Communities will give you more relationships in and outside of your industry, which then builds your reputation. Sharing your unique content within these Communities will get your content more exposure, which in turn will get your company further exposure. If people are active and like your content, then they are likely to share your content with their own networks on their + page and possibly other social networks.
- Google provides many tools through their + service that allows your company to engage more in the social realm. Google Hangouts, Events, Circles, etc. These tools are used to help you organize your who you are following into categories, easily communicate with people instantaneously, and provide your followers the latest updates from your business. Why not explore them and start connecting?
Ultimately, being in multiple Communities, sharing your content and sharing other’s content will help you to build reputation, relationships with others in and outside of your network, and show Google how active you are on their social platform. Remember that Google controls a majority of the search activity on the Internet.
What is there not to like and benefit your business by being active on your + page? Get started and get engaged!