Although Google+ is nowhere nearly as strong as Linkedin or Facebook when it comes to social media, it is growing. There are a lot of ways that you can bring traffic to your website through more popular social media networks, but website owners and marketers should not just brush Google+ aside. In a recent post from Google, the social media network has reportedly reached 100 million users. While Facebook has over 800 million users, 100 million is not a demographic to turn your nose up at. If you are a little late to the game, there are a few things that you can do in order to get your business or website into the Google+ game. Here are some very easy suggestions for using Google+ to your advantage.
1. Create A Google+ Brand Page For Your Business
Google+ brand pages are a lot like the “fan pages” on Facebook. They allow businesses to easily promote their services and contact information. A Google+ brand page gives you the ability to post photos, videos, an about page and even blog posts. Many people find that the Google+ brand pages are cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than a Linkedin or Facebook page. You can still have comments and you get a “+1” instead of a “Like.” Brand pages even have a “Share” function so potential clients or customers can share your brand page with their friends, family or colleagues.
2. Hangouts
A hangout is something that can really help your business or website. Hangouts are basically video conferencing through your Google+ page. While video conferencing is not a new concept, having a video conferencing “hangout” that is attached to your brand is. Hangouts can be used for live webinars, product releases or promotions. A hangout can also be used to get customer or client feedback on your products or services. Host a hangout and let customers know that you will be taking suggestions on how your business can improve their services through live customer engagement.
3. Use The Google +1 Button
The Google +1 button is very similar to the Facebook “Like” button. Both of these are easy to implement into your website and individual pages. Although the +1 buttons do not affect search engine rankings right now, it is projected that it will in the near future. Of course this isn’t going to be the end all with search engine rankings or SEO, but it can give you a very positive impact with consumers if you have a lot of +1s. Implement the +1 button on your individual webpages, articles, and your home page to start getting more traffic from users who like your products and services.
4. Use Social Circles For Shares
The social circles are a great tool to help your individualize your products, posts or services. You can also use the circles for specialized promotions. For instance, you can create a circle for people who spend X amount of money on your products and a circle for people who spent Y amount of money on your products. You can create a circle for people who have interest in getting more information about your company and so on and so on. There are endless possibilities for using the circles function. One of the best features is that circles are private so the other members will not know that they are in a specified circle.
For more information on Social Media Optimization for your business, call us at 1-800-978-3417 or Contact Active Web Group and let us help you!
