If you've been keeping dibs on the social media market, you've probably come across Google Plus (G+), Google’s own foray into the social networking game.
When word was first announced, thousands flocked to muddy the waters in G+’s beta. The catch? The service was invite-only, making the social network’s draw nearly palpable. At least, until they got to the site, at which point they fiddled with some of the new features like circles, found a couple friends, and uploaded a profile picture before jumping ship and returning to their ‘real’ social network: Facebook.
In much the same way that Twitter had a slow start (in terms of implementation), G+ didn’t see an extended reach upon release, but no one can deny Twitter’s potential today, so now may be the best time to hop on G+’s bandwagon, because chances are it’s going to be a big year for the little social network that could. Many never looked back, and I can’t say I blame them. G+, as a new entry in social media, was endlessly (and unfairly) compared to Facebook, which is like juxtaposing any new start up company to Google itself. With a user base of over 1 billion, Facebook has a clear edge here, and whether or not it was on purpose or in response to G+’s lame start, Google decided to market G+ as something different.
(Remember, Google+ is still new, so the trick is to get in now while it’s still small, that way you’ll track/rank better when the competition gets heavier!)
Here are four reasons you should stop avoiding Google+.
1. Communities
G+ communities are great places to find active engagement, whatever your motives or interests. It’s an easy and effective way to meet people who are passionate about the same topics as yourself, and what’s more is, it isn’t convoluted with so many users that you feel like a needle in a haystack of sorts.
Upon joining a community (whether public or private), you can ask questions, post pictures or comments, or link to blogs much like you would on Facebook. The difference here is focus. By joining communities that have a valid impact on your business, you’re able to engage with a target audience that you may not have had the opportunity to with Facebook. And did I mention that G+ allows businesses to set up their own pages the same as an individual would?
G+ Communities also allows you to relish the roll of thought leader for you particular interest or industry. Share the content you care about, answer questions, make significant connections, and you’ll be able to help drive traffic to your own blog and business site. Remember, relevance is key [as we’ve said before]. You want to be generating the right traffic, not justany.
2. Hangouts
Chat rooms aren’t new. We’ve had them since America Online graced our screens with it’s peppy, computerized "You’ve Got Mail!" (Remember that?)
Upon it’s initial release, G+ included an application they called Hangouts that allowed users to “group message” each other while sharing files, images, and video. Nothing truly ground breaking there, but the innovation lies in the way G+ users engage with Hangouts, as it’s a great way to interact with people in your circles, and communities. There are endless creative possibilities, from brand demonstrations and performances, to showcases and even work meetings. Add into the mix that G+ is fully integrated with all of Google’s applications (such as calendars and mail), and you’re in possession of a powerful marketing tool.
Maybe your next eBook could benefit from a live presentation in the "Internet Marketing" community? Maybe you have a question about a certain product that could be answered in a live Q&A session? It’s worth mentioning because Hangouts is a G+ exclusive, so reap the benefits while they’re there for the taking.
3. Local Pages
With the addition of G+ and the opportunities that have arisen, Google has decided to nix Google Places and reintegrate it wholly within their social network under the name Local Pages. Upon purchasing Zagat and streamlining their search results by only ranking reviews scored through Zagat (discounting third-party review sites), Google is pushing people to use G+ in a way that promotes user-reviewed content while averaging it against the Zagat score, if there is one. Why is all of this important for your business?
When a prospective customer looks up reviews of your business on Google, Google will now take you to that business’ G+ page (Don’t have one? Make one.), where you can review services, post comments and pictures, check-in, and directly converse with the particular business or brand.
Google Circles and Communities also influence Local Pages, as they’re now inherently social. When users in either grouping review or recommend something, those places will rank higher in your search results. It’s one of the many ways Google is trying to integrate G+ into a well-rounded social media metaforce!
[Google Local Pages are seen from all Google search results including maps, mobile, and more!]
4. Authorship
One of the newer features in G+’s arsenal of goodies is the Authorship program. With it, content can be associated with individual authors rather than an entire domain. Not only does it help to promote an author’s profile by inserting their picture next to their name in search results, but it also helps Google disregard irrelevant material.
Need some examples of why Authorship is worth investing time into?
- Higher click-through rate on “authored” links
- Authorship stats (click stats, date, location, etc.)
- Links articles by same author
- Authorship is everywhere! (Use it across the web)
It’s important to understand why authorship is important, away from the individual benefits. Everything Google does these days seems to be structured around finding quality content, and the more quality content you produce under your Authorship, the higher your rank will be in Google search. It’s IMMENSELY important to find your content on the first page of any Google result, so get cracking on that content!
Obviously, G+ has a multitude of features that I couldn’t even crack the surface on, but the word is out, and it looks like 2013 will be a big year for Google. Will it be for you?